Late summer in Eagle has a familiar soundtrack: irrigation running, kids outside, and a wasp hovering over every can of soda on the patio. By August, nests that started as a few cells in spring can hold hundreds of wasps, and they’re often tucked right where you live: under the eaves, inside a vinyl fence post, in the gap behind a shutter or underground in the lawn.
Here’s how to identify what you’re dealing with, what’s reasonable to handle yourself, what to avoid, and when a nest is a job for a professional.
Know Which Wasp You Have
The right approach depends on the wasp and where the nest is. In Eagle yards, three come up most often:
- Paper wasps. Long-legged wasps that build open, umbrella-shaped nests with visible cells, usually under eaves, deck rails, play sets and grill covers. They’re generally less aggressive unless the nest is disturbed.
- Yellowjackets. Compact, bright yellow and black, and the ones that show up at picnics and garbage cans. They often nest in the ground, in old rodent burrows, in landscape rock or inside wall voids. Colonies grow large by late summer and defend the nest hard.
- Bald-faced hornets. Black and white, building the gray, football-shaped paper nests you see hanging in trees and shrubs or under eaves. They’re very protective of the nest.
Our wasp identification guide has photos and details if you’re not sure.
Why Late Summer Is the Worst Stretch
A wasp colony starts each spring with a single queen. Through June and July she lays eggs and the workers expand the nest, so by August and September colonies are at their largest. At the same time, natural food sources start to fade and workers go looking for sugar and protein, which is why yellowjackets suddenly crowd patios, trash cans and fruit trees. A bigger colony with more foraging workers means more encounters and more stings, right when Eagle families are spending the most time outside. A hard frost eventually ends the season, and only new queens overwinter to start again next spring.
Where Wasps Nest Around Eagle Homes
Newer homes in Eagle’s subdivisions and older properties near the river and foothills both give wasps plenty of options. Check these spots in late spring, when nests are still small:
- Eaves, soffits and the corners of covered patios
- Inside vinyl fence posts and caps
- Under deck boards and stair treads
- Behind shutters, light fixtures and outdoor speakers
- Attic vents and gaps in siding, where nests can end up inside a wall
- Holes in the lawn and landscape rock beds, especially for yellowjackets
- Trees, hedges and play sets
If wasps are coming and going from under your deck, our post on wasps nesting under decks covers that situation in more detail.
Tips for Small, Early Nests
In April and May, a paper wasp nest may be no bigger than a golf ball with a single queen. That’s the easiest time to deal with one. If you choose to handle a small, exposed nest yourself:
- Be honest about allergies. If anyone in the home is allergic to stings, don’t do this yourself.
- Use a product labeled for wasps and hornets, and read the label. It tells you how to apply it, how far to stand and what to wear.
- Treat in the early morning or evening. Wasps are less active when it’s cool and most of the colony is home.
- Cover up. Long sleeves, long pants, gloves and eye protection.
- Plan your exit. Know where you’ll retreat to before you start, and keep kids and pets inside.
- Wait before removing it. Give it a day, confirm there’s no activity, then knock the nest down and dispose of it.
What Not to Do
- Don’t use a ladder near an active nest. A sting or swarm while you’re up high is how a minor problem becomes an injury.
- Don’t burn a nest or use gasoline. It’s a serious fire risk, especially near dry grass, wood decks and siding.
- Don’t spray water or knock down an active nest. It mostly makes the colony angry.
- Don’t plug the entrance of a ground or wall nest. Yellowjackets may chew a new way out, sometimes into the inside of the house.
- Don’t swing at wasps. Move away calmly instead.
The CDC’s guidance on stinging insects is a useful read on protective clothing, avoiding nests and recognizing a serious reaction.
When to Call a Professional
Some nests are worth leaving to someone with the right equipment and protective gear:
- Yellowjacket nests in the ground, in landscape rock or inside a wall
- Bald-faced hornet nests of any size
- Nests high on the house, in trees or anywhere you’d need a ladder
- Large paper wasp nests in late summer
- Wasps flying in and out of a gap in the siding, a vent or a soffit
- Anyone in the home with a sting allergy
- Nests near doorways, play sets, pools or patios that get daily use
Wall voids are the ones homeowners underestimate most. Spraying the entrance of a wall nest can push wasps into the house through outlets and light fixtures. A technician treats the void itself so the colony dies off inside.
If you’re curious what a visit actually involves, see wasp nest removal: what to expect.
Preventing Nests Next Season
Queens that survive the winter start new nests each spring, so prevention starts early:
- Walk the house in April and early May and knock down the first small nests
- Seal gaps in siding, soffits and around utility lines, and keep vent screens in good repair
- Cap open vinyl fence posts
- Keep lids on garbage and recycling, and rinse out cans
- Pick up fallen fruit and clean up after outdoor meals
- Fill old rodent holes in the lawn so yellowjackets have fewer ready-made nest sites
Regular treatment around the outside of the home through the warm months also helps. Wasps are one of the pests covered by our residential pest control, and we offer quarterly, bi-annual and one-time service.
Wasp Help in Eagle
ProGuard is based right here in Eagle, and we work in homes and businesses across Boise, Meridian, Star, Nampa, Garden City, Emmett, Middleton and Caldwell. Learn more about our pest control in Eagle. If you’ve got a nest you’d rather not get close to, call us at (208) 352-2062 or send us a message.