How to Get Rid of Wasps Safely: Nests, Traps and Prevention

Quick answer: To get rid of wasps, first identify the type and find the nest. Small, exposed paper wasp nests can be sprayed with a wasp and hornet aerosol at night, when the wasps are inside and calm, then knocked down the next day. Hang yellowjacket traps at the edge of your yard to cut down foragers, and remove food and sweet drinks outdoors. Call a pro for nests in walls, in the ground, high up or large, and never tackle a nest if anyone in the home is allergic to stings.

Learning how to get rid of wasps is mostly about matching the method to the wasp. A fist-size paper wasp nest under a deck rail is a very different job from a yellowjacket colony living inside a wall or under your lawn.

Wasps are also useful predators that eat caterpillars, flies and other garden pests, so a nest far from where people walk can often be left alone. When a nest is by your door, patio or play area, here’s how to deal with it safely.

Which wasp do you have?

The right approach depends on the species. These are the ones most US homeowners run into:

Wasp	Looks like	Nest	Temper
Paper wasp	Long, slender body, dangling legs in flight, brown or yellow-and-black	Open, umbrella-shaped comb with visible cells, under eaves, railings, grills	Mild unless the nest is disturbed
Yellowjacket	Short, stocky, bright yellow-and-black, fast zig-zag flight	Enclosed paper nest, often in the ground, wall voids, attics or shrubs	Aggressive near the nest, pesky at food in late summer and fall
Bald-faced hornet	Black-and-white, larger	Gray, football-shaped paper nest in trees, shrubs or on buildings	Very defensive; will sting repeatedly
European hornet	Large (about an inch+), brown-and-yellow, sometimes flies at night	Hollow trees, wall voids, attics	Usually defensive only near the nest
Mud dauber	Thin “thread” waist, black or metallic blue	Tubes of dried mud on walls, sheds, garages	Solitary and rarely stings

If the insects are fuzzy, golden-brown and busy on flowers, they’re likely honeybees, not wasps. Honeybees are important pollinators and should not be sprayed. Contact a local beekeeper or beekeeping association: many will remove a swarm for free. Wood-boring carpenter bees look like bumblebees with shiny black abdomens and drill neat round holes in wood.

What attracts wasps to your house and yard?

Wasps come for food, water and shelter. In spring and early summer, colonies hunt protein (insects) to feed their young. By late summer and fall, colonies are at peak size, the young are raised and workers switch to sugar. That’s when yellowjackets crash picnics, trash cans and soda cans.

• Uncovered trash and recycling, especially soda cans and food scraps.
• Outdoor dining, pet food bowls and hummingbird feeders.
• Fallen fruit under fruit trees and ripe berries.
• Sheltered spots for nests: eaves, deck undersides, sheds, grill covers, play sets and holes in siding.
• Rodent burrows and soft soil where yellowjackets nest underground.

In most of the US, wasp colonies are annual. A hard frost kills the workers, only new queens survive the winter in sheltered spots, and old nests aren’t reused. If you find a nest in late fall and it’s not causing trouble, waiting for the first hard freeze is often the safest and easiest option.

How to get rid of wasps: step by step

1. Decide if you should do it yourself. DIY is reasonable for small, visible paper wasp nests (golf ball to softball size) that you can reach from the ground. Call a pro for ground nests, nests inside walls or attics, bald-faced hornet nests, nests above ladder height or anything larger than a football. Never attempt it if you or anyone helping has a sting allergy.
2. Find the nest. During the day, watch where wasps fly in a steady line, from a safe distance. Note the exact entrance so you can find it in the dark.
3. Wait until night. Treat the nest after dark or just before dawn, when the whole colony is home and moving slowly. Use a flashlight covered with red cellophane or a red headlamp; wasps don’t see red light well. Never shine a bright white light straight at the nest.
4. Dress for it. Wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, gloves, closed shoes and eye protection. Have a clear escape path and keep kids and pets inside.
5. Spray from a distance. Use an aerosol labeled for wasps and hornets that shoots a stream 15 to 20 feet. Stand upwind, aim at the nest opening and soak it as the label directs, then walk away. Don’t stand directly under the nest.
6. Wait, then remove it. Wait at least 24 hours. If you see no activity, knock the nest down with a long pole, bag it and throw it out. Scrape the attachment point and wash the spot so the scent doesn’t draw new queens.
7. Trap the foragers. Hang yellowjacket traps at the edges of your yard, 20 feet or more from where people sit, to lure foragers away from you rather than toward you.

Wasp and hornet sprays are pesticides. Read and follow the label, spray outdoors only, stand upwind, keep kids and pets away until it dries and never spray toward your face or near open windows. Never use gasoline, fire or smoke on a nest: it causes burns, house fires and ground contamination and often doesn’t kill the colony. Don’t seal a nest entrance in a wall, because trapped wasps can chew through drywall into the house. If you’re stung multiple times, or anyone has hives, swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing or dizziness, call 911 right away.

What about ground nests and wall nests?

Yellowjacket colonies in the ground or inside a wall can hold thousands of workers by late summer. They’re hard to treat without being stung, and the insecticide dusts pros use need special equipment to push them into the cavity. This is a job for a licensed pest control operator, especially if the nest is near a door, walkway or play area. Mark the spot with a flag from a distance so no one mows or steps on it.

The equipment that helps

Traps don’t wipe out a nest, but they reduce the number of wasps hanging around your patio and can catch queens in spring before they start a colony. Match the trap to the wasp:

Bug zappers aren’t a good wasp fix: most of what they kill are harmless insects. If mosquitoes are your bigger problem, see our guide on how to get rid of mosquitoes in the yard and our honest take on the best bug zapper and the best mosquito trap.

Where to hang wasp traps

• At the edges of your yard, 20 feet or more from patios, doors and play areas.
• In sun to partial shade, 3 to 6 feet off the ground, near where you see wasps flying.
• Early in spring (for queens) and again from midsummer on (for workers).
• Away from blooming plants to avoid attracting bees.

How to keep wasps from coming back

• Walk around the house every week or two in spring. A new queen’s nest is walnut-size and can be knocked down with a long pole before workers hatch.
• Seal gaps in siding, soffits, vents and around pipes with caulk or screening.
• Keep trash and recycling bins closed and rinse soda cans before tossing them.
• Cover food and drinks outdoors; use cups with lids and check a can before you sip.
• Pick up fallen fruit and keep pet food indoors.
• Fill old rodent burrows and holes in the lawn where yellowjackets like to nest. If rodents dug them, our guide on how to get rid of rats in the yard helps.
• Paint or stain bare wood on decks and fences to discourage wasps that scrape wood fiber for nests.

Fake paper nests are sold as a deterrent because paper wasps are territorial, but evidence they work is limited. They’re harmless to try, just don’t count on them. For a wider plan covering ants, rodents, moles and mosquitoes outside, see our guide on how to get rid of pests in the yard.

When to call a professional

Call a licensed pest control pro if anyone in your home is allergic to stings, if the nest is in the ground, inside a wall, attic, chimney or soffit, if it’s a bald-faced hornet nest or bigger than a football, if it’s higher than you can safely reach from the ground, or if you’ve tried once and the wasps are still active. Call a beekeeper, not an exterminator, for honeybee swarms or hives. Seek medical care for any sign of a severe reaction to a sting.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest way to get rid of wasps?

For a small, visible nest, the fastest method is a wasp and hornet aerosol sprayed into the nest opening at night, then removing the nest the next day once activity stops. For wasps pestering you at a patio, remove food and sweet drinks and hang traps away from the seating area. For large, hidden or ground nests, a pro is faster and much safer.

Does soapy water kill wasps?

Yes, a strong mix of dish soap and water can kill wasps it soaks directly, because it clogs their breathing pores. It works on a few wasps or a very small nest, but you have to get close to spray it, which increases your risk of stings. It isn’t a good option for large nests, ground nests or yellowjacket colonies.

Will wasps come back to the same nest?

No. In most of the US, wasps don’t reuse old nests. The colony dies off after a hard frost and new queens build fresh nests in spring. But the same sheltered spots attract new queens year after year, so remove old nests, clean the spot, seal gaps and check again in spring.

Should I remove a wasp nest in the fall?

Often you don’t need to. Late in the season, colonies start dying off and the nest will be empty after the first hard freeze. If the nest is away from doors and walkways, waiting is safe and easy. If it’s somewhere people pass daily, treat it at night or call a pro, since fall yellowjackets are especially defensive.

What smells keep wasps away?

Peppermint, clove, lemongrass and geranium oils are often recommended, and some small studies suggest certain essential oil blends can repel yellowjackets briefly. The effect is short-lived and won’t make wasps abandon a nest. Removing food and trash, sealing gaps and trapping foragers work far better than scents.

Next step: protect the rest of your outdoor space with our guide on getting rid of mosquitoes in your yard, or keep ants out of the kitchen with how to get rid of ants in the house.