How to Kill a Wasp
Make sure it's not a bee first., Open all the windows and doors in the room., Try trapping the wasp with a jar., Make a wasp trap from a plastic bottle., Swat the wasp if necessary.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make sure it's not a bee first.
Not every yellow-black bug with a stinger is a wasp.
There's a big difference between wasps, yellow-jackets, and honeybees, and since there's never any reason to kill a honeybee, it's a good idea to learn to differentiate between them quickly so you don't make a mistake and kill a good pollinator.
Wasps and yellow-jackets are usually skinny and smooth, and build small cone-shaped nests that are quite papery.
Wasps aren't pollinators and are quite pesky, so it's usually ok to swat them when they come into your space.
Honeybees are hairy, shorter, and more rounded than wasps.
They're usually harmless when left alone and are a critical and endangered part of the ecosystem.
Never kill a honeybee. -
Step 2: Open all the windows and doors in the room.
If a wasp has gotten trapped in your house, the easiest way to get rid of it isn't swatting, it's opening up a way for the wasp to get out, where it really wants to be in the first place.
Open up the exterior windows and doors, and then close off access to the rest of the house and wait for the wasp to leave.
This shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
Make sure you're not opening windows that are right next to a wasp nest outside, before you try to open the windows.
If you're outside and you see a wasp, just leave it alone.
Swatting at single wasps can attract other wasps, which can become quite dangerous. , Use a small lidded jar to trap the wasp and release it outside.
Wait for the wasp to land somewhere, then sneak up on it with your open jar and a piece of paper.
Trap the jar over the wasp on the wall or the table where it lands, then slide the piece of paper underneath to trap it inside.
Always wait for the wasp to land on some easily accessible surface before you try to trap it.
Swinging wildly at a wasp will get you stung more often than it will trap the wasp.
If you're allergic, don't do this by yourself.
Get someone else to try to trap the wasp, or just open the windows and steer clear of it.
If you must do this, wear some thick gloves and cover all the exposed areas of your body before you try.
Release or freeze the wasp for the easiest and most humane ways of getting rid of it.
If you use a piece of paper, just set it down with the paper on top of the jar and the wasp still inside while you back away.
The wind will blow the paper off eventually and the wasp can escape. , Wasp traps are sort of like slippery funnels with soapy water at the bottom that wasps become stuck in.
They're often made of glass and sold commercially, but you can make one yourself as well from a used plastic bottle.
Use a razor knife to cut off the tapered top of an empty two liter plastic soda bottle, turning it upside down to seat the nozzle down into the empty bottle.
Tape it into place using masking tape.
Fill the empty bottle about half-full of water.Squeeze a few drops of soap into the water and shake it to get it sudsy, then coat the neck of the bottle with honey, jam, or some other sweet stickiness to attract the wasps.
Ideally, they'll slip down the spout into the water and get their wings soapy, becoming trapped. , Anything that flies is susceptible to the flyswatter.
Cheap, plastic flyswatters are some of the most popular pest-killing devices for a reason.
They're easy to use and and quite effective, if you use it properly.
Sit with your swatter raised and wait for the wasp to land somewhere within reach.
Wasps tend to buzz around a bit more than flies do, but it'll land eventually and let you strike.
Flick your wrist quickly down on the wasp to snap the swatter.
The wasp will often just be stunned, so you can scoop it up and deposit it outside, where it can either recover and fly away, or die anyway.
Don't keep swatting and mash it into the table.
If you don't have a flyswatter, a shoe, a hefty book, magazine, or a glove all make effective alternatives for this technique. -
Step 3: Try trapping the wasp with a jar.
-
Step 4: Make a wasp trap from a plastic bottle.
-
Step 5: Swat the wasp if necessary.
Detailed Guide
Not every yellow-black bug with a stinger is a wasp.
There's a big difference between wasps, yellow-jackets, and honeybees, and since there's never any reason to kill a honeybee, it's a good idea to learn to differentiate between them quickly so you don't make a mistake and kill a good pollinator.
Wasps and yellow-jackets are usually skinny and smooth, and build small cone-shaped nests that are quite papery.
Wasps aren't pollinators and are quite pesky, so it's usually ok to swat them when they come into your space.
Honeybees are hairy, shorter, and more rounded than wasps.
They're usually harmless when left alone and are a critical and endangered part of the ecosystem.
Never kill a honeybee.
If a wasp has gotten trapped in your house, the easiest way to get rid of it isn't swatting, it's opening up a way for the wasp to get out, where it really wants to be in the first place.
Open up the exterior windows and doors, and then close off access to the rest of the house and wait for the wasp to leave.
This shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
Make sure you're not opening windows that are right next to a wasp nest outside, before you try to open the windows.
If you're outside and you see a wasp, just leave it alone.
Swatting at single wasps can attract other wasps, which can become quite dangerous. , Use a small lidded jar to trap the wasp and release it outside.
Wait for the wasp to land somewhere, then sneak up on it with your open jar and a piece of paper.
Trap the jar over the wasp on the wall or the table where it lands, then slide the piece of paper underneath to trap it inside.
Always wait for the wasp to land on some easily accessible surface before you try to trap it.
Swinging wildly at a wasp will get you stung more often than it will trap the wasp.
If you're allergic, don't do this by yourself.
Get someone else to try to trap the wasp, or just open the windows and steer clear of it.
If you must do this, wear some thick gloves and cover all the exposed areas of your body before you try.
Release or freeze the wasp for the easiest and most humane ways of getting rid of it.
If you use a piece of paper, just set it down with the paper on top of the jar and the wasp still inside while you back away.
The wind will blow the paper off eventually and the wasp can escape. , Wasp traps are sort of like slippery funnels with soapy water at the bottom that wasps become stuck in.
They're often made of glass and sold commercially, but you can make one yourself as well from a used plastic bottle.
Use a razor knife to cut off the tapered top of an empty two liter plastic soda bottle, turning it upside down to seat the nozzle down into the empty bottle.
Tape it into place using masking tape.
Fill the empty bottle about half-full of water.Squeeze a few drops of soap into the water and shake it to get it sudsy, then coat the neck of the bottle with honey, jam, or some other sweet stickiness to attract the wasps.
Ideally, they'll slip down the spout into the water and get their wings soapy, becoming trapped. , Anything that flies is susceptible to the flyswatter.
Cheap, plastic flyswatters are some of the most popular pest-killing devices for a reason.
They're easy to use and and quite effective, if you use it properly.
Sit with your swatter raised and wait for the wasp to land somewhere within reach.
Wasps tend to buzz around a bit more than flies do, but it'll land eventually and let you strike.
Flick your wrist quickly down on the wasp to snap the swatter.
The wasp will often just be stunned, so you can scoop it up and deposit it outside, where it can either recover and fly away, or die anyway.
Don't keep swatting and mash it into the table.
If you don't have a flyswatter, a shoe, a hefty book, magazine, or a glove all make effective alternatives for this technique.
About the Author
Gary Gordon
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow creative arts tutorials.
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