Even after caulking the steps, the wasps still managed to find a way in. Ugh! The joys of homeownership!

One of my least favourite parts of being a homeowner is dealing with wasp nests. For some reason the wasps seem to love my house. Each year like clockwork wasps, hornets and bees seem to find a new place to build their nest on my property. I’ve found nests in my garage and hedge, under the peak of my roof and even under the handle of my blue bin for recycling (no joke!).

This year has been no different. The wasps were even more creative  this time around. Although I couldn’t see it, they built a nest under the step on my front walkway. How did I know it was there? I noticed a constant stream of wasps going to and from a gap beside the step.

The easiest way to get rid of a wasp nest is to destroy it when the wasps have just started to build it. Last year when I noticed wasps flying into my garage and found the beginnings of a nest, I destroyed it with my broom before it could get any bigger. (Of course, wear protective clothing and be prepared to run like heck if you do this.)

I started by going the DIY route. (This is only for the ultra-brave. If you’re someone who’s allergic to wasps, or you’re not sure if you are, it’s best leave it to the professionals.) I’ve had success handling wasp nests on my own. When I had a wasp nest in my hedge, I waited until the fall and sprayed it in the evening with wasp killer when the wasps were sound asleep. To stop the wasps from coming back the next year, I destroyed the nest with my boom.

Since I couldn’t see or get to the wasp nest this time around, it made handling it all the more challenging. The wasp spray worked pretty good in my hedge, so I figured I’d give it another shot (pun intended).

Unless you enjoy being attacked by a swarm of wasps, it’s best to wait until the early morning or at night when the wasps are least active. So, at 10PM I went outside with a flashlight and sprayed the entry point of where the wasps were getting under my walkway. Lucky for me the wasps weren’t aware what was going on and I didn’t get attacked.

The next morning I came outside to see if there were any wasps left. Sadly, the wasp nest was still active, so I sprayed it the next three nights in a row. At the end of the week I checked to see if I made any progress, but sadly the wasps were still there and angrier than ever, so I decided to step it up a notch.

When I was a kid, we had wasps at our house. The wasps built a nest under our front porch steps. My mom tried stuffing a green garbage bag under the steps to block them from entering, but the wasps still managed to get to the nest. There was a crack in the front porch that was letting the wasps in, so she caulked the crack and that was it. The wasps couldn’t get inside and the problem was solved.

I tried to do the same at my house. I needed something I could quickly apply without getting stung, so I bought a can of LePage QUAD Window and Door Foam Caulking for under $15. I wanted to make sure it would work, so I tested it out by spraying some on newspaper on back lawn beforehand.

Once I again I came out to the walkway at 10PM with my flashlight in hand. I was dressed head to toe in protective clothing in case the wasps woke up and attacked me. (If you’re using foam caulking, it’s also a good idea to dress in old clothing, since the caulking is hard to clean off your clothes.)

I sprayed the caulking in the gap beside the front step of the walkway where the wasps were getting in. I sprayed every square inch to make sure it was completely sealed. Luckily, the wasps were sound asleep and didn’t realize what was going on, so I was safe and sound.

The next morning I came outside to find a swarm of wasps around the step of my walkway. They were trying to get into the nest. The wasps found a small gap in the garden and managed to make it to the nest. I tried my best and I didn’t particularly feel like facing a swarm of angry wasps, so I decided now was the time to call the professionals.

I hired ICE Pest Control and they took care of the wasp problem right away. In less than 48 hours, they came to my house and removed the wasp nest. They also treated the area so that the wasps wouldn’t return. I used ICE Pest Control last year for the nest in my hedge and they once again did an excellent job.

As a homeowner, it’s a good idea to budget for expenses like these. I’d plan to spend $300 to $500 a year on preventing and getting rid of wasps and other pests.

Preventing Wasp Nests

The easiest way to get avoid a wasp problem is to prevent the nest from being built in the first place. You can do that by making sure there aren’t any openings on the outside of your house that wasps could get inside. A crack in your front porch or a gap in your garage door could be the perfect entry point for wasps and mice. It’s best to seal it up before these unwanted pests can get inside your house and do a lot of damage.

I spoke with my aunt who owns a cottage near Peterborough, Ontario. She’s a big fan of fake wasp nests. The wasps used to love her place, but ever since she’s installed one, she hasn’t had a wasp problem.

Are you a homeowner? How do you keep wasps away from your place? What have you used to get rid of wasp nests?

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians, available now on Amazon and at Chapters, Indigo and major bookstores, and as an Audiobook on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.