Question
We have a deck that holds a raised hot tub about 3 - 4 feet off the ground (it's on a wood stand). Unfortunatley, bees or wasps (not sure which) have decided to use the insulation underneath the hot tub as their home. Help! I have elementary age kids that are always outside. How do I get rid of them?
Answer(s)
I am having the same problem in back yard!! Do
you notice wasps with "dangling" legs flying around the area? Do you see
any of the nests? I am guessing you have paper wasps - they like to
build open nests (you can see the individual cells instead of enclosed
like a hornet nest). To be sure, please read this fact sheet on social
wasps (see attached). To get rid of the wasps, you will need to
treat/take down the nests and treat the adults. There are many liquid
products out there that will kill the adults almost on contact. Many
insecticides are aerosol and can be sprayed quite a distance from the
nest. In your case, the nests will be difficult to locate under a deck.
You can do it yourself, and treating at dawn/dusk may be more safe. It's
important to take down the nests because all the offspring will produce
the next generation - they are the ones to overwinter. So hopefully
taking care of the wasps now will reduce your problems next year. Hiring
a professional is another option, but likely an expensive one.
Please let me know if you have more questions after reading the fact
sheet.
(I took down 10 nests about the size of baseballs
from under my deck last night!!)
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