Wasps building nest in my attic

[bslusse]

I have a bay window extending out over my deck and I have noticed wasps regularly entering and exiting the ventilation space between the gutter and the shingles. My wife, not a big fan of insects/wasps, told me to get in the attic and do some spraying or else, which I promptly did last fall (she may be small but she can pack a mean bite, wife not wasps). After venturing into the attic and finding a half dozen or so paper wasps nest (all small but some about 2 inches in diameter), I sprayed them all and then returned later to knock down the dead nest. The spring, the wasps are back and the wife is not to happy about it. I ventured up in the attic again to doing some killing and found that a lot of the nest were in the same general location as last fall. Is there anything I can put in the attic to repel the wasps? I read about Sevin dust but am unsure if that would work as a repellent. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Drew

[tinamarieg via HomeKB.com]

[Phisherman]

I use hornet/wasp spray, the kind that can shoot 10-15 feet. They avoid the area for a few months, then I have to spray again. No big deal, a can lasts 2+ years. I only spray wasps that are too close for comfort, as wasps are clean and beneficial insects. You may need to seal/caulk some areas.

[Sheldon]

Sometimes setting off insecticide bombs inside the attic will eliminate the problem... and most insects winter in the ground so if you treat the ground all around your house perimeter by drenching with the proper inscticide that can work too and often the basement walls and any crawl space areas as well, often all treatments are employed simultaneously... I don't suggest doing this yourself, contract a reputable exterminator. Usually an exterminating company will guarantee their work so they will return to retreat at no additional charge, but you may need to sign up for a yearly progarm.

Many years ago I had an infestation of carpenter bees that had just started in the soffit area of my attic, at least it was the first I noticed them. The exterminator I contracted squirted some sort of white powder into each hole with a rubber bulb syringe and plugged them with ordinary bottle corks. It took three treatments to finally eliminate them. I'm talking like forty years ago, back then the use of potent insecticides was much more liberal, there were practically no controls. If I remember correctly the entire carpenter bee job cost $75, today it would cost more for an exterminator just to come to your house.

Here is some info:

luck.

[Aluckyguess]

[Kay Lancaster]

Before you spray anything, go out about sunset and watch carefully to see how they're getting in to the attic. Once you've spotted the hole(s), you can treat those with an appropriate insecticidal dust (Sevin used to be labeled for this, don't know what is currently -- ask Extension in your state.) Puff a little dust into the hole, attempting to coat the sides of the hole. Let things stay like that for about a week (the adults will carry the insecticide back to the nest), then go ahead and remove the nests and caulk or screen the entrance holes.

Kay