Underground wasp nest

[belle1993]

Anyone know how to get rid of a wasps nest underground in the garden?

Just been sat in my garden and got stung by of them. Looked down and saw an hole in the ground where they are coming and going.

Would it be best to get the professionals in?

We had one - it made the garden almost unusable for a summer. We were advised to pour petrol down the hole, but I never plucked up the courage.

The only good news is they won't go back to it next year.

Yes! Get the professionals in as the wasps are likely to sting you if you don't have the proper stuff to get rid of them and the protective clothing.

The 'good news' is that they never make a nest in the same spot again - last year I managed to stand on a nest in our garden. The pain from 22 bites was incredible and I even have scars! I avoided that part of the garden for the rest of the summer and the nest emptied (or died off or whatever they do) in the autumn. No sign of them this year - hooray!

Oh I can imagine the pain. The sting from just one was quite painful!

Just told me to put petrol down but my little kids play in the garden so don't really want to do that.

Just ring a company, someone is coming out tomorrow morning to get rid. Quoted me £45 which I don't mind paying

While they are treating the nest, and afterwards, stay indoors with all the windows closed for several hours, as wasps coming back to the nest will have nowhere to go and will fly round in extreme annoyance. We had one in our porch roof once. They pest control guy came dressed like a spaceman.

We waited until it was almost dark then poured petrol down and lit it. All gone!

Wasp nest destroyer foam by rentokil (lots of similar products available), less than £10. Just spray it into the hole, I’ve done it a few times, 3 acre garden and there’s a nest somewhere most years. It does the job. If you liable to get nervy and panicked get the professionals in but I have no problem doing it.

We used this once when we had a nest in an air brick and it seemed to do the trick. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outdoor-Treatment-Sufficient-Applications-Suitable/dp/B0082M8TU6/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=wasp+nest+destroyer+foam&qid=1687535873&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Go out at night when they're not active and spray it down the hole.

Ant powder will kill wasps as well. It's a shame they're obviously in a bad place otherwise you could leave them until they were killed off by the cold weather. They're useful in the garden*, they're pollinators and will kill other pests. If fact, before you kill the nest take a few moments to watch their activity. You might see them bringing back butchered insects to feed to their larvae or blobs of woodpulp that they build their nests with. Don't approach the nest entrance too closely and step lightly, any vibration in the nest will alert them and might cause them to attack.

You could decant a load of ant powder into a spoon tied to a long bamboo pole and tip it into the nest entrance. The wasps will get coated as they come and go and disperse it through the nest.

*until the end of summer when they turn into irritating sugar junkies.

Thanks all. I've cancelled the call out for tomorrow and ordered some of the foam spray you recommended. Saved myself £40 if it works

This isn’t quite the case.

Wasps never return to the same nest. However if the nest is removed, they can and do return to the same location the nest was removed from, usually a sunny, warm spot.

I've just been sat watching them and saw a couple bring some dead bugs back. Then I poured ant powder down. Will use the foam as well tomorrow when it arrives