How to Get Rid of Hornets in Yard
If you hear the eerie buzzing of hornets, wasps, or yellow jackets around your home, there may be a hornet or wasp nest nearby. If you get dive-bombed by these flying insects while strolling through your yard, then it's time to take action. Learn how to get rid of hornets using commercial and homemade solutions.
Hornets are closely related to yellow jackets. They look relatively similar due to their black and white-gray stripes and segmented body. Unlike honeybees and bee pollinators, they do not have barbed stingers, and they repeatedly sting until the threat is gone.
The aggressive behavior and relentless stinging of the hornet are what makes them a threat when they are in close vicinity to your home. These social and territorial stinging insects protect their home fiercely when they feel provoked. Therefore, it's vital to get rid of wasps and hornets around the house.
- Ways to Get Rid of Hornets
- How to Get Rid of Hornets in the Attic
- Getting Rid of Hornets Naturally with a Sugar Trap
- Make an Outdoor Hornet Killer and Deterrent Spray
- Make a Peppermint Hornet Repellent Spray
- Using a Natural Soap Water Hornet Killing Spray
- Killing a Hornet in the House in a Pinch
- Setting up a Hornet Trap in the Yard
- Get Rid of a Ground Hornets Nest with Boiling Water
- Getting Rid of a Hornets Nest in Trees
- Preventing Hornets in the Future
Ways to Get Rid of Hornets
If you have a considerable hornet nest near your home, it is probably wise to call in a professional exterminator for pest control. For a smaller hornets nest, try removing food sources around your house and eliminate a hornet infestation with carefully planned solutions.
Note that there is a big difference between bees that are beneficial pollinators and hornets or wasps. Don't be tempted to eliminate all the flying yellow things you see. Avoid targeting areas where the plants for bees thrive.
How to Get Rid of Hornets in the Attic
While a couple of hornets in the attic is a bit freaky since they easily corner you, they are relatively easy to kill if there are only a few. Here is one of the ways to get rid of hornets in the attic before they become a problem.
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Attic Hornet and Wasp Control
- Shop-vac
- Water
- Dish soap
- Protective clothing
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Put some water into your shop-vac and add some soap to create a soapy solution. Put on some protective clothing such as long sleeves and pants.
Position the head attachment of the shop-vac carefully near the hornets and paper wasps, turn on the vacuum, and leave the attic. Allow the shop-vac to run as the hornets and wasps get sucked into the soapy water and drown.
Getting Rid of Hornets Naturally with a Sugar Trap
Sugar is an excellent lure for getting rid of hornets naturally. They are attracted to the sweet liquid within the trap, and once inside, they cannot escape.
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DIY Hornet Sugar Trap
- Sweet liquid
- 1 teaspoon dish soap
- 2-liter soda bottle
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Cut a plastic 2-liter bottle in half and set the top aside. Fill a third of the bottom portion of the bottle with soda, juice, or any other sweet liquid and add the dish soap.
Place the top portion of the bottle upside down into the bottom to form a funnel. Place the hornet trap anywhere in the yard where the bees are spotted regularly.
Make an Outdoor Hornet Killer and Deterrent Spray
Flying insects cannot tolerate the scent of certain roots and peppers. Use this to your advantage by making a homemade yellow jacket poison and hornet spray that not only deters them from the area but kills them as well. Note that this hornet spray only lasts a couple of days before it becomes rancid and needs disposal.
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Hornet Killer and Deterrent Spray
- 1 quart of water
- 2 tablespoons dish soap
- Ginger root
- Horseradish
- Hot peppers
- Saucepan
- Spray bottle
- Mason jar
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Add water to a pot and bring it to boil. Place ginger root, any variety of hot pepper, and horseradish into a Mason jar and pour the boiling water in to submerge them. Set the jar aside to steep overnight.
Pour a quart of water and two tablespoons of dish soap into a bottle sprayer, add the root brew to the bottle, and shake well to mix. Spray the liquid directly on hornets in the area to eliminate them, and spray it on areas where you want to deter them.
Make a Peppermint Hornet Repellent Spray
Hornets cannot stand the scent of peppermint oil, and this creates a great advantage when trying to eliminate them from the home and yard. Make a peppermint spray to kill them and drive them out of their nesting area.
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Hornet Repellent Spray
- 2 cups of water
- 30 drops of peppermint essential oil
- 2 tablespoons dish soap
- Glass spray bottle
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To make this simple wasp deterrent spray, combine the water, peppermint oil, and dish soap in a glass bottle sprayer. Avoid using plastic containers since essential oils break down the material. Shake the container well and label it for future use.
Set the bottle to stream and spray the solution directly on hornets as soon as you notice them. The spray is also useful for their nest and around areas of your home where you wish to be bee-free. Keep a bottle handy on the front porch, patio, or deck so you can enjoy the outdoors without worrying about these annoying stinging creatures.
Using a Natural Soap Water Hornet Killing Spray
Soap is one of the best natural ingredients for killing hornets as well as many other insects. The soap penetrates the exoskeleton of the bugs and causes them to drown. Here is a recipe for a non toxic wasp killer spray to kill all types of bees.
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Non-Toxic Hornet Spray
- Hose-end sprayer
- 1/4 cup dish soap
- Garden hose
- Protective clothing
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Before spraying the hornet nest with the soapy solution, make sure to put on protective clothing such as long pants, a sweatshirt, and a hat. Pour the dish soap into a hose-end sprayer and screw it onto the end of your garden hose.
Turn on the hose and remain a safe distance from the hornets until the water mixes with the soap. Stand as far away as possible from the hornets and spray a steady soapy stream of liquid onto the nest to saturate it.
Killing a Hornet in the House in a Pinch
Many times, a single hornet makes its way inside your home, and you're stuck with nothing with which to kill it. Hitting the insect with a newspaper only aggravates it, which leads to getting stung. Here is a quick and easy solution to the problem.
Fast Household Hornet Spray
If you happen to be stuck in the house with a hornet and you do not have any other form of insecticide on hand, use a can of hairspray to eliminate it quickly. Wait for the right opportunity when it is not flying erratically or when it lands, and spray the solution directly on the hornet.
Setting up a Hornet Trap in the Yard
Make a hornet trap for areas of your yard where you and your family spend most of your time to prevent painful interactions. This particular trap is perfect if you have honeybees in the yard that you do not wish to kill since honeybees do not like vinegar.
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Vinegar and Sugar Hornet Trap
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cups of sugar
- 1/4 cup dish soap
- 2-liter plastic soda bottle
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Cut a plastic 2-liter soda bottle in half and add the cider vinegar, sugar and dish soap into the bottom portion. Use a spoon to mix the solution until the sugar dissolves. Flip the top of the bottle over and place it into the bottom to form a funnel. Set the hornet trap outside in an area of the yard where hornets are spotted.
Get Rid of a Ground Hornets Nest with Boiling Water
Hornets don't always build their nests in tree branches. They are opportunistic builders and make their homes in crevices, hollow trees, awnings, rotted wood, or mounds in the ground. To eradicate small nests of this sort and kill ground hornets quickly and effectively, use a combination of boiling water and soap.
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Hornet Ground Nest Removal
- Large pot
- Watering can
- Water
- Dish soap
- Protective clothing
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To get rid of an underground bees nest, prepare to apply the boiling water to the nest in the evening when hornets are at their laziest. Add water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Pour the water into a watering can and add several squirts of dish soap.
Put on a long sleeve shirt, pants, and a hat to protect your skin from stings and make sure that there is a safe path between the nest and your front door. Pour the hot, soapy water into the entrance of the hornet nest as quickly and carefully as possible and exit the area quickly.
Getting Rid of a Hornets Nest in Trees
Eliminate small hornet nests in trees with a long-range insecticide. The key is to wear extra layers of protective clothing or even a bee suit and have a clear pathway back to safety. If it's late summer and the nest is out of control, consider calling a professional exterminator.
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Hornet Tree Nest Removal
- Hornet insecticide
- Protective clothing
- Flashlight with a red filter
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Put on protective clothing such as a hat, goggles, pants, and long sleeves, and make sure to use an insecticide that has a stream reach of 20 feet. Plan your attack in the evening hours when hornets are less active. Locate the nest by using a flashlight with a red filter.
Hornets can't detect this type of lighting. Aim the insecticide at the nest opening and spray the solution for five to ten seconds. If you hear an angry buzzing sound, stop what you're doing and make a fast exit to safety.
Wait one or two days, and then check the nest for activity. If the solution didn't work with the first application, apply a second dose in the evening. Once the nest is no longer active, remove it and place it securely in a plastic bag.
Preventing Hornets in the Future
Unfortunately, we have to share the outdoors with many insects and pests, which is more than just an annoyance when it comes to stinging hornets and wasps. Luckily, there are a few steps to take to get-rid-of-hornets and keep them from taking up residence in your yard.
Hornet Control and Prevention
Keep garbage cans and compost bins covered at all times to discourage hornets from feasting. During the summer and fall months, hornets enjoy sweets such as fruit and flower blossoms. If you have fruit trees, make sure to keep the yard free from fallen fruit. Avoid wearing sweet-smelling perfumes while spending the afternoon outdoors.
Try to minimize brightly colored yard decor such as yellow or red bird feeders that mimic the color of flowers. Rub some bar soap on the underside of birdhouses, feeders, and other outdoor structures to prevent hornets from making their nests.
Destroy hornet nests as soon as you notice them if they are in the vicinity of your home. Avoiding the problem only gets worse as the year progresses, and their nest gets bigger. Apply insecticide dust to prevent the hornets from returning.
Hornets such as European hornets and Bald faced hornets are beneficial to the environment, but that doesn't mean that you desire their presence in the backyard. While a hornets nest that is large and out of control requires professional help, smaller hornet colonies are more manageable and easily removed using protective gear and the proper techniques.
We're happy that we could show you how to get rid of hornets around your home so that you and your family can enjoy the outdoors safely, and we'd love it if you'd share our hornet killing tips with your friends and family on Pinterest and Facebook.
How to Get Rid of Hornets in Yard
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