How to Get Rid of Wasps Under Siding

Wasps are a menace to homeowners because they find inconvenient places to nest that make them a nuisance and a hazard. If you're wondering how to get rid of wasps under siding, you've already got an infestation problem that you need to take care of safely.

Nothing ruins your outdoor spaces quite like a den of wasps hiding under siding and in other hard-to-reach areas of your home's exterior. Knowing how to get rid of wasps under siding is something that many homeowners should know.

Getting Rid of Wasps

Wasps are naturally aggressive insects and can be very dangerous when they swarm. Most anyone stung by a wasp will have a reaction, but some people have severe allergic reactions to wasps that can put them in serious danger.

As such, knowing how to destroy a wasp nest can be a potentially life-saving skill. The longer you allow the nest to go on unimpeded, the more likely it is to expand until it's out of control.

How to Deal with a Wasp Nest in Your Siding

Wasps can create nests just about anywhere. You may find wasps in siding, wasps under siding, anywhere that you can find gaps in siding.

It is unfortunately common for wasps to create nests on the exterior of homes and often, your siding is at risk for their next nesting spot. You will most often find wasp nests in summer when the wasps are particularly active, but you may find a nest any time of year.

Identify the Wasp

If you can for sure that it is wasps that are infesting your outdoor areas and not bees, this information can be very helpful. Wasps are typically far more aggressive and more difficult to manage than bees, though their nests and appearance are similar.

Compared to standard bees, wasps have longer, thinner bodies that are not hairy. They have long wings that go down the length of their bodies.

Wasps can also be a variety of colors, including purple, red, brown, black, and yellow.

Protect Yourself

Before you go hunting for a wasp nest, prepare yourself by protecting yourself against stings. Wear jeans or a similar pair of thick pants and wear socks that are at least crew-length, and taller if possible, pulled all the way up.

Tuck your pants into your shoes. You should also wear a thick, long-sleeved shirt and tuck this into your waistband.

Put on gloves that completely cover your wrists and pull them over the cuffs of the shirt.

Put on safety glasses, too. Suiting up is an essential part of learning how to destroy wasp nest.

You should also wear a hat and cover your face with a mask, bandana, or scarf. Cover your entire face.

If you have a veil to cover your face and neck, use it. Wasps that swarm will come at you however and wherever they can, so even something like a loose pant leg or untucked shirt can give them an opening to sting you.

Never approach a wasp nest without protective gear covering your exposed skin, even if you're in peak winter and suspect worker wasps are not present.

Some studies suggest that wasps can actually sense some color variation, at least in shade or tone, and that they find black and dark colors threatening. In other words, wear white and other light colors if you can, especially when it comes to your gloves because wasps will see this part of you first.

Find the Nest

As with beehives that are similarly hidden from view, there are several ways to determine whether wasps have set up home beneath your sidings. The easiest and safest way is to locate and monitor the wasps' suspected access point into the siding during the late afternoon.

This is the time of day when you are likely to see the most activity as the wasps return to the nest for the evening.

Wasps find small gaps and holes in siding and this is where they enter to get behind siding and start creating their nests. Small gaps and cracks around gutters, any openings whatsoever, can become a potential haven for wasps.

Move slowly and look very closely all around your home to seek out little openings and gaps where the nest could be hiding. Once you locate a potential area, watch it to see if you notice any wasp activity.

Spray the Nest

Spraying the nest is often the most effective treatment because this allows you to manage the nest from a distance and it is an aggressive way to make the nest uninhabitable.

Wait until early evening, after sunset, because this is when wasps are most likely to be settled in the nest for the night. Your goal is to kill as many of them as possible, as grim as that may be, so you want most of them to be at home.

Use a flashlight but do not, if you can help it, shine the light directly at the nests. Wasps have eyes, too, and they will notice this light and be alerted that something unusual is happening.

Anything out of the ordinary can potentially stir up the wasps and send them into defense mode, which makes things more dangerous for you and all the people and animals near you.

Hold the spray treatment you've chosen in your hand with your arm fully extended. The nozzle of the spray should be at least 12 inches from the nest.

Spray directly onto the nest when you can see it and when you cannot get to it so well, spray directly into the crack where the nest is located.

Spray liberally and keep your body and face positioned as far away as possible. Work as quickly as you can.

The wasp spray does not guarantee an instant death by any means, so the nest will become extremely agitated when you spray and they may try to attack. You want to spray as quickly and as safely as you can and then get the heck out there.

Try to observe the nest during the next day to see if you notice any wasps going in or out. Wait a couple of days, keeping an eye on the nest.

If you see no wasps, you have likely killed the nest and you can move on to the next steps. If you still see wasp activity, you must repeat the process and spray the nest again until you observe no more wasps.

If you see absolutely no wasps around the area of the nest for three days, you can attempt to move the nest. Dress again in your protective clothing, safety glasses included, before doing this and always, always keep a distance.

The nest can be knocked down with a putty knife or any implement that will give you reach and some measure of strength to knock down or pry loose the nest.

Stand and watch the nest for at least three minutes to make sure no wasps come out of it before you attempt to pick up the nest and throw it away. Keep your gloves on the entire time.

DIY Wasp Recipes

What should you use to kill wasps in their nest? While the idea of killing wasps or any creature is unpalatable to most people, it is frankly unsafe to attempt to remove a wasp nest.

It is far better to get rid of the wasps, which will sting both humans and animals (including pets), and eliminate the risk they create. There are no wasp species whatsoever that have been identified as endangered, so killing wasps is not an ecological issue.

If you do not want to use store-bought chemicals to kill wasps, there are natural sprays you can make yourself.

Vinegar and Water Trap

Vinegar is a very common household item that can be used for cleaning, cooking, egg-dyeing and lots more. It will even kill weeds and yes, wasps.

Mix equal parts of water and vinegar and add a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Stir this thoroughly and put it all in a bowl, medium to large in size.

The smell of this solution actually lures wasps and attracts them. They get close to the liquid and end up drowning in it.

Put this wasp trap near the nest, only placing it when you are wearing your protective gear, and get it as close as you can. This trap can help you get stray wasps outside the nest so you can be sure to kill as much of the population as possible.

Prevent Wasps From Getting Under Siding

Once the nest is gone, you don't want new wasps to show up and build another one. You can make your home unattractive to pests to prevent wasps from getting under siding.

Place three to four drops each of lemongrass, clove, and geranium oil in a half gallon of water. Stir in a few drops of liquid dish soap and place this mix in a spray bottle.

This solution should be liberally sprayed under eaves, in corners and crannies, and anywhere else that wasps may want to build a nest. A little soap, water, and oil should not be damaging in any way to your siding but it will release a scent that wasps can detect and will immediately reject.

You can even spray this stuff on plants because it will not hurt them, though you want to avoid spraying it directly on vegetables and other edibles.

Seal it Up

After the nest is killed and once a year from now on, carefully inspect your siding for cracks and openings. Use caulk to seal up these cracks, as this will keep wasps from finding these weaknesses and getting inside your siding.

Ask for Help if Needed

If your efforts to kill and/or remove the nest are not working, call in a pest professional. These experts will have the necessary gear and equipment to manage even a particularly nasty and stubborn population of wasps.

If You Get Stung

Even if you're careful and cautious, you could end up getting stung during this process.

The first order of business is to remove the stinger if it is still there. Do this with a pair of tweezers and work very carefully.

You do not want to puncture or pinch the stinger because a venom sac may be present. Should this sac burst, it's going to release more venom into your bloodstream.

Clean the entire area with soap and water. Next, wrap an ice cube in a clean cloth and hold this directly against the bite for 10 minutes.

Take the ice cube off and leave the sting alone for another 10 minutes. Repeat the ice process again, with 10 minutes on and 10 off.

Try to keep the bitten area as still as possible. Remove any jewelry and tight clothing near the bite.

Take an over-the-counter antihistamine as long as it is safe for you to do so and it will not interfere with any medications you are on. If you have any doubts or questions, call your physician first and always seek professional medical help if you experience problems or you feel any symptoms from the bite.

If you have not had a tetanus shot or booster within the past 10 years, schedule an appointment to have this done within the next few days.

If you experience excessive itching, a rash, or any other symptoms of allergy that persist 24 hours after you have been bitten, seek medical help as urgently as possible.

How to Get Rid of Wasps Under Siding and Everywhere Else

As a homeowner, you need to know how to get rid of wasps under siding. Deal with wasp nests as soon as you notice them to make your outdoor areas much safer.

You don't have to live with pests. Show wasps that you're the boss and get rid of their nests before they cause your home even bigger problems.

Wasps Under Siding FAQ

How do I get rid of a wasp nest under my siding?

To get rid of a wasp nest under siding, dress in protective clothing and eyewear and wait until nightfall before you attempt to spray the nest thoroughly with a wasp-killing product.

After spraying the nest, observe it. Once all wasp activity has stopped for three days, you can knock the nest down with a putty knife and dispose of it by wrapping it in a plastic bag and putting it in a trash can with a lid.

Do wasps live behind siding?

Wasps will build nests literally anywhere, and that includes behind your siding. They will get inside the home, into crawl spaces, and anywhere else they can fit.

How do I get rid of yellow jackets behind my house siding?

Yellow jackets are a particularly aggressive species of wasp and they are dangerous to manage. While wearing clothing that completely covers your body, hands, and face, try to find the gap or crack where the wasps are getting into the nest.

You can spray a wasp-killing chemical directly into this gap to kill the nest created by yellow jackets in house siding. If the nest is particularly hard to reach and your spray cannot get to it effectively, however, you may need to remove siding in order to access the nest and properly deal with this problem.

Can wasps damage siding?

For the most part, wasps will not do a lot of damage to your siding or to the exterior of your home as long as you address the nest in a timely manner. Since wasps can only get into existing gaps and holes, they will only nest in places where they can already find these conditions and will not create new holes in your siding.

However, damage can result as the wasp nest grows and over time, wood near the nest can be damaged.

How do you kill yellow jackets under siding?

The best way to kill yellow jackets and other wasps under and around your siding or home exterior is to spray the wasp nest directly and heavily with a wasp-killing chemical mixture that you created yourself or bought from a store.

You will want to use extreme caution while doing this, as spraying chemicals onto the nest will very much agitate the wasps. Yellow jackets are particularly aggressive, so make sure you are fully covered and ready to treat stings should you get any.

Does wasp spray damage siding?

Some wasp-killing chemical formulas can actually leave a stain behind on siding and stone used for home exteriors. However, this usually only happens with oil-based formulas.

Look for water-based formulas that do not contain oil instead, and these should easily wash right off your siding and other parts of your home.

How do you get rid of yellow jackets when you can't get to the nest?

A trap using vinegar and sugar water is highly effective at luring out and trapping wasps, including the aggressive yellowjacket. When you can't find a nest, try to notice where you're seeing wasps the most and place some traps out here to lure them away from the nest.

Wait for the middle of the day, when the wasps are likely out of the nest, and put on your protective clothing and eyeglasses in order to seal up cracks and gaps in your siding using caulk. This may block the wasps from their nests, which will ultimately cause the wasps outside the nest to go in search of a new home and will cause the wasps in the nest to starve.

When this does not work, you may need the services of a pest control professional in order to locate the nest and get rid of the wasps for good.

How do you spray a wasp nest without getting stung?

The only way to guarantee that you will not get stung by a wasp is to wear clothing that covers every part of your skin. This includes your neck and face, so you will need a full face shield and a hood or hat that totally covers your head.

Don't forget about your ears, which will also need to be covered. Any openings in clothing should be sealed or tucked as needed.

Beekeepers and pest professionals wear jumpsuits that totally cover their bodies and have absolutely no openings or gaps. Ideally, you will have access to something like this.

If you do get stung, do not panic. Treat the sting at once and seek out medical help if you start to develop an allergic reaction to the sting.

Further Reading:

10 Beautiful Bug Eating Plants (and How to Love Them)

Don’t Waste Your Money on These Pest Control Products

How to Eliminate Bees Living in Exterior Siding

How to Get Certified as an Exterminator

How to Get Rid of Bees Naturally

How to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets in Your Attic

How to Kill Yellow Jackets and Prevent Infestation

How to Make Homemade Bee Repellent

How to Stop the Top 8 Spring Pests

In-a-Pinch Pest Control

Make a Homemade Bug Repellent

Pest Attractors and How to Avoid Them

Preventing Bees from Nesting under and around Your Shed