Wasp nest!

[sillygoosegirl]

I saw a wasp climbing under the cover of an outlet on my back deck today.  Rather stupidly, I lifted the cover to check underneath.  The good news is that the nest the wasp was building is still smaller than a quarter, and the wasp totally ignored me.  However, this is not an acceptable place for wasps to be making a nest.  What should I do to safely dispose of it, and discourage them from coming back?  

[2curlydogs]

How big a nest? How many wasps?  If it's super small, I'd just knock it down and move on.  I don't know if that would discourage future nests though.

Otherwise, Raid is your friend.  Do it at dusk when they're back in the nest and sleeping.


Last year we had wasps that continually built nests under the slide in the playset. Not cool.

[2curlydogs]

This may help - www1.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/wasp-and-bee-control/

Wasps


The best time of the year to control wasps is in June after the
queen has established her colony and while the colony is still small.
But because nests are small, they are also harder to find. The best
time of the day to control wasp nests is at night, when they are less
active. At temperatures below 50° F, wasps have difficulty flying.
Never seal a wasp nest until you are sure there are no surviving wasps
inside. If a nest is not discovered until fall, control may be
unnecessary as imminent freezing temperatures will kill the colony.

Exposed wasp nests

Wasp nests that are visible but are not near your home or areas
of human activity do not need to be treated. If they are not disturbed,
the wasps won't bother you.
Nests that are near human activity can pose a potential problem.
If there is a concern about stings, you should eradicate the nest.
Apply a ready-to-use aerosol “wasp and hornet spray” into the
entrance of the nest during late evening according to label directions.
If no activity is observed the next day, the nest has been successfully
exterminated. If live wasps are still observed, repeat the treatment
at three-day intervals until they are all dead.
Mechanical control without insecticides is possible for small,
exposed nests. At night, cover the nest with a large, heavy, plastic
bag and seal it shut. Cut the nest from the tree and freeze it or let
the bag sit in the sun, which will kill the wasps inside in a day or
two. Use caution: there is more risk involved in this procedure than in
spraying the nest.

Old wasp nests

Wasp nests found during winter or early spring are old nests from
the previous summer. There are no live wasps in the nest; they have
already left the nest or died inside it. The nest can be safely removed
and disposed of if desired. Old nests are not reused by wasps, so
there is no risk if one is left. However scavengers, such as carpet
beetles, are attracted to an old nest and may become a nuisance if the
nest is in your home.

[treedimensional]

Destroy them while they're small, as soon as you find them. They will move on to less hostile habitat.