This is an easy one. There are many wasps that will forage on trees and become a nuisance. Some can damage the tree but most are feeding on sap or some kind of insect that might be foraging around. In other situations they could be harvesting some part of the tree for nesting. Girdling is when they peel away bark and other tree parts and over time this can become a problem. To keep them away, you have two effective spray options.

The first is to treat the trees with CYPERMETHRIN. This is a highly repellent product wasps don't like. They'll avoid treated areas as explained in our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE so you can use it on your house and plants. Though Cypermethrin will repel, it will also kill insects that land on it repeatedly. That means they should move off and away from your trees after you spray them but if they insist on still landing on treated surfaces, they'll die.

If you don't want to kill them, you can opt to spray with the INSECT REPELLENT. This product is commonly mixed with paint and stain then applied to homes for the sole purpose of repelling insects. But it can also be mixed with water and sprayed on plants. When used this way, it will work as a repellent and not kill anything but it will keep the yard wasp free.

Both products can be applied using a PUMP SPRAYER or a TROMBONE SPRAYER. Treatments should last several weeks but just reapply as needed. And do the spraying in the evening, close to sunset, so you don't bother any leaves on the plants being sprayed. Vegetation can be hurt when sprayed in the middle of the day when it's hot and in direct sunlight so wait till later.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page154.html

Wasp Control Article:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Insect Repellent:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

Pump Sprayer:  http://www.gotosprayer.com/sprayers/pump-sprayers/one-gallon-solo-hd

Trombone Sprayer:  http://www.gotosprayer.com/sprayers/pump-sprayers/trombone-pump

If you read our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn wasps do this for a few reasons. If you see this behavior in the summer, it's usually because they are expecting a major weather event like strong rain or wind. Another reason they'll bunch will be if their nest was destroyed. Being social and communal, if the nest they built elsewhere was destroyed by weather or some animal, the inhabitants will be forced to move. Before doing so, they'll group up to make sure their community is somewhat safe. When doing so, they'll meet in a group. This will many times be on a tree or nearby structure. Based on the commonality of similar reports your local store cited, I'm guessing you're seeing something weather related and not because all of these wasps were suffering from nest destruction.

Also in our article you'll learn wasps commonly do this each fall as they prepare to overwinter. During the cold of the winter they'll locate a tree or structure on which to live and hide when it gets cold. Normally we don't see this behavior till October in the Southeast and Southwest regions of the US so I would say it's a bit early for them to be thinking about the winter. But I have seen where the scent from past winters that's still left on a structure can attract and cause wasps to group at any time. So if you've seen them congregate or suspect some might be hibernating on your home when it's cold outside, the latest activity you've noted could be nothing more than local wasps smelling the past activity and coming around to investigate.

If you decide you want to get rid of these guys for good, you'll need to apply more than just your average "off the shelf" wasp freeze. As our article explains, the best product for long term control is our DRIONE DUST. When applied up under siding and other cracks and crevices where these guys like to nest and hibernate, you won't have to worry about them anymore. Drione will last 6-12 months and a good dusting now will easily protect the home from any fall invasion. Using it once or twice a year is one of the best ways to keep out wasps, bees, ants, roaches, scorpions and just about any perimeter invader the average home in the south might see.

Another product you should apply after dusting is the CYPERMETHRIN. Highly repellent and long lasting, it will keep wasps and just about any pest off treated surfaces. For this reason it's a great product to spray on house siding where you see wasps grouping and gathering. Cypermethrin won't last as long as the Drione but it's easier to use and is good for when wasps are randomly foraging around and on a home since it can be applied most anywhere you see them.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Wasp Control Article:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Drione:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page31.html

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page154.html

If you read through our post which talks about WASPS AROUND A PICTURE WINDOW, you'll see what we recommend doing. The bottom line is you must be able to locate their route of entry if you wish to stop the invasion. Based on how many you've seen, I'm sure there is either a nest on the home or they are foraging inside some space or void in the home which is connected to your basement. Regardless, you'll have to seal the entry point and in order to do this, you will first need to identify the exact spot. At that time you'll be able to tell which treatment option to employ and then once the activity stops, you'll be able to seal it up to prevent this from happening again.

So read through the following post and try to locate the spot where they're entering and once you do, a treatment program can be initiated. If you have further questions on how to proceed after you locate where they're most active, give us a call toll free at 1-800-877-7290.

http://www.wasps.net/how-to-treat/wasps-around-picture-window.html

Identifying entry points will be the key to solving this problem if in fact have some getting into the home based on an established pattern. Here are some guidelines that might help resolve the problem.

First, understand that seeing 1-2 wasps inside a home during the summer is normal and no need for concern. But seeing several in any week means something is happening that needs to be addressed. If you saw 10 this past week, I'm fairly certain you either have a nest inside the home or you have a passage way they're using which is indirectly leading some to your living space.

Second, if you have a nest in the home, there will be a very distinct pattern or flight path many wasps will be using during the day. If you take some time to stand outside your home from noon till dark and casually observe the home from afar, you might be able to locate an entry point they're using. Pulling up a chair and bringing out a refreshing drink while watching one side of the home for 10-20 minutes is a good way to pass the time. Set up outside in the yard, say 15-25 feet away from the side of the home, and remain motionless when watching. If there is a nest present or being constructed in your home, some wasps will be active and you should be able to see them once you focus your attention to the house itself.

Third, after watching all four sides of the home, you should be able to locate one side which has unwanted wasp activity. This side will then need further attention to stop the invasion. The next step will depend largely on where you think they're going once inside. If it's an attic or crawl space, getting to the spot will be required to see if they have constructed a nest you can directly treat. If you locate a nest, directly treating it with one of the products we mention in our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE should take care of it immediately.

Lastly, if you're not able to locate any side with activity, you'll most likely have to contact a professional service company to come and inspect. With any luck they'll be able to locate a key entry point and then offer some treatment options that will take care of the invasion. In most cases I've dealt with like this, if there is a wasp nest inside the home (like in a wall void, attic space or crawl space), directly treating it is the ideal way to resolve the problem. But in cases where I've seen them going up under siding or just entering cracks or crevices with no clear nest visible, I've used the DRIONE DUST applied to these areas combined with outside treatments of CYPERMETHRIN or INSECT REPELLENT and been able to keep them away. The point is you can stop this activity once you know more about just what is leading to them getting inside and in order to get that information, you'll need to do some detective work.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Wasp Control Article:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page31.html

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page154.html

Insect Repellent:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

Thanks.

I keep a boat on my local lake and have a constant problem with MUD DAUBERS making nests in all kinds of obscure areas. Some have been found under the boat tarps, inside cup holders, just inside vents and even in the bilge and motor compartment. As a general rule I have never sprayed anything liquid on my boat for both the fear of damaging the finish and contaminating the lake water. And since aerosol products tend to go on too greasy I've avoided them too. They typically contain all kinds of solvents which could affect the gel coat of my boat decking so I've stayed away from these products as well.

But that changed last year. Turns out one of the new aerosol products we have is ideally suited for boats. PT PHANTOM features a dry aerosol formulation that goes on without making a mess. I've used several cans of it on my boat the past two years and it's not made a mark. My boat is mostly white and I don't wax it but only a few times a year. However, it's not showing any signs of being "sprayed" like one commonly sees with many liquid formulations when used in such areas. More importantly, it's easy to apply and I find that treating in the spring through the summer will both stop and control nuisance boat pests like spiders, wasps, mud daubers and roaches. I apply some every 2-3 weeks; you may have to use it more frequently since your jet ski will get "wetter" through and through and this will depreciate the treatment faster. But you have a much smaller area to treat so one can should last a good long time.

Here is a direct link to this item in our catalog:

Mud Daubers:  http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/muddauber.html

PT Phantom:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

If you read through our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll learn there are several kinds of wasps that use plants as a normal part of their day to day operations. The most common use is for making their nests. Plant leaves make an excellent raw material for wasp nests and paper wasps in particular will harvest certain plants when readily available in some regions. Another reason why plants can sometimes get targeted is when fruit or vegetable growth yields certain necessities like sugar, water or other nutrients they're not able to find so easily in their day to day foraging of the area. It's not uncommon for blueberries, apples and all kinds of berries to be targeted for their moisture or nectar and in this case, it sounds like you have a local nest or two zeroing in on your strawberries.

The good news is you do have some treatment options. The first order of business is to try and locate any nearby nests that might be hosting the foraging wasps. I suggest you do a thorough inspection on your home and property to see if you have any nests nearby you can treat. I have found that many times wasps will congregate in one area and by eliminating these wasp nest "clusters", you can dramatically reduce the amount of plant and fruit destruction going on around the area. Remember to look on the house, in nearby structures and all your trees and bushes. Paperwasps will many times hide their nests so they could be real close and within reach but easy to miss. Any nests you find should be treated as described in our article and the benefit will be immediately realized. More importantly, you won't be creating a local population that will grow to be dependent on your crop from year to year. In other words, if you allow the ones currently active to prosper feeding on your plants, there is no doubt these same wasps will multiply and over time establish more which will become tough to handle and control. Unfortunately the control methods discussed in the article are for use on just about everything except vegetable and fruit gardens. For them you'll need to employ some other options.

After inspecting the local area for nests and treating any you many find, you can focus your attention on your garden and do some treating with a product or two from our NON TOXIC PEST CONTROL site. This site features several organic sprays which have 1 day to harvest guidelines so they're much more safe to use compared to sevin (which we don't recommend). For wasps, we've found the MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER and the GARDEN DEFENSE to be excellent wasp repellents. These products can be used up to the day before you harvest but in most cases, treatments will last 5-7 days. This will largely depend on the local wasp population and how badly they want your fruit so be sure to watch and see. And of course, heavy rain or constant irritation will take away from the treatments longevity so take this into consideration. But compared to sevin, you'll find either organic option safer and more effective.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Wasp Control Article:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Non-Toxic-Pest-Control:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/

Multi Purpose Insect Killer:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz

Garden Defense:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/concentrates/garden-defense-neem-concentrate

We have two option that can be used. For the nests you can directly treat them with DE DUST. This product is organic and won't pose a hazard to people or the beach. You try sprinkling some down their nests but the best way to treat would be with a HAND DUSTER. Blowing some directly into the nest would render it useless immediately and the wasps would die within a day.

You can also spray the nests with the NBS INSECT REPELLENT. This is a natural formulation that won't kill any insect but instead repels them. Mix it at the rate of 3 oz per gallon of water and spray it over the area you see them active. It will both chase them away and prevent them from nesting.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

DE Dust:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/dust/mothers-earth-diatomaceous-dust

Hand Duster:  http://www.gotosprayer.com/dusters/hand-dusters/crusader-hand-duster

Insect Repellent: http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

As our online WASP CONTROL ARTICLE explains, wasps like to live up under the eaves and basically any space that is both open and somewhat protected from the rain and weather. Most all fireplaces that use an exhaust pipe will have a perfect void between the square build of the siding and the actual flue which runs through the center inside the "box". Wasps will commonly access this space from the top  and once they start using it, they'll return every year.

There are several ways you can treat the area to both control and repel the unwanted nesting. The first thing you might consider is to burn something in your fireplace. We have customers do this during the winter when wasps were found invading their home and if the nest is on the inside of the flue, this will usually knock them out immediately.

Now if the nest is located in the void of the chimney box, the "fire" treatment probably won't help. If you see them entering a certain location over and over, you can spray either CYPERMETHRIN or INSECT REPELLENT over the entire area to keep them out. The Cypermethrin is a true pesticide in that it will kill them as they forage over the treated wood. This won't happen immediately so you should expect to see some entering and leaving for a few days after the treatment. But eventually they should succumb to the spray over several days if you saturated the area good. The Insect Repellent is the paint additive "organic" option that you can either add to paint or stain when finishing your house to keep pests away. It can also be sprayed in the same fashion as the Cypermethrin. Though it won't kill anything, wasps and several other invasive pests don't like it and will stay clear of treated surfaces.

Lastly, if the fire and liquid options don't get rid of the problem, you'll need to dust the area with some PYGANIC or DRIONE DUST. These can be applied with a DUSTICK so you don't have to worry about getting right up on the chimney to treat. You can also use a HAND DUSTER if this area is reachable and you're comfortable working around the wasps. As a general rule we don't recommend this tactic but some people are braver than others and willing to take a chance. Remember, bad things can happen when you're up high and if you're working on a ladder, it can be especially dangerous so be careful. The Dustick enables one to treat safely away from the nests and in most every case well worth the investment.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Wasp Control Article:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page154.html

Insect Repellent:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

Pyganic Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/pyganic_dust.html

Drione Dust:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page31.html

Dustick:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page1413.html

Hand Duster:  http://www.gotosprayer.com/dusters/hand-dusters

Again…thanks for the info
J.

It's very astute that younoticed the mud dauber wasps foraging in the damp dirt you've described as wet and moist. In fact this would be a prime location for them to extract the key ingredient they need to build nests. And to answer your question; yes, it would be very wise to treat the area with the CYPERMETHRIN as it will effectively stop the behavior immediately. In most cases the treatment will repel them elsewhere but if they insist on crawling over the treated turf, the chemical will kill them over a few days. Since the area is getting wet over and over from the irrigation system, you'll need to treat every 2-3 weeks to insure there is anything still active working for you. The constant water and exposure to sunlight will wear the Cypermethrin down a lot sooner than normal like when it's applied to the side of your home.

Additionally, one big benefit of doing this will be that you should expect to see less activity on your home following the turf treatment. Since these guys like to build nests as close to where they find good dirt to use is one of the big reasons you have them in the first place. But by chasing them elsewhere there will no doubt be more nests on someone else's home and less on yours. And since there are many species of wasps which like to live in the ground, you'll also be controlling any of these ground nesting wasps so again, this treatment will have many benefits and should be done. I feel I should also point out it's not common for people to see just where the dirt for nest building is being mined so you are quite lucky in that you found it.

Here is a direct link for our Cypermethrin and our Mud Dauber artilce:

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page652.html

Mud Dauber Control Article:  http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/muddauber.html

There are a few options here that can help. The first is to do a thorough spraying of the area where they're landing. The goal of the spray is to both kill any nests in the area as well as prevent new nests from forming. Wasps will detect these products and tend to stay away from where they find them applied. These sprays will last anywhere from 1-2 weeks to 1-2 months depending on the local environment such as rainfall and sunshine.

The strongest spray would be our CYPERMETHRIN. You can read about this in our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE where you'll learn it's good to spray on the home to prevent new nests as well as control existing populations. It can be sprayed directly on most everything you mentioned with the only exception being the barbecue gas grill. Expect to get 3-6 weeks of protection from a single treatment; most homes will need 1-2 gallons applied when treating.

Another product we've had good results with is our INSECT REPELLENT. This is mostly used as a paint additive and applied when painting or staining the home. But it can also be sprayed on the home. Keep in mind it's not an insecticide like the Cypermethrin so it won't kill anything. But it is highly repellent to the wasps and they'll stay away from where they detect it's presence.

In between liquid sprays you may want to keep a can of AQUACIDE AEROSOL. This is a Pyrethrin based spray which is highly repellent to wasps. Treatments won't last long; they'll be gone in a day. But this spray can kill them and it should be used to help steer them clear for a few hours when you might want to be entertaining some guests, using the barbecue or just using the pool.

Lastly, installing at least one of our FAKE WASP NESTS can help set up a territorial repellent which will alarm any new to the area that this land is taken. Wasps usually recognize other nests and won't come around where they thing some are living.

Here are direct links to the products and information posted above:

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page154.html

Wasp Control:  http://www.wasps.net/wasp-and-hornet-control

Insect Repellent Spray:  http://www.non-toxic-pest-control.com/repellents/nbs-repellent-insect-spray

Aquacide Aerosol:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/aquacide_aerosol.html

Fake Wasp Nest:  http://www.accountwizard.com/clients/shop.asp?web=bugspray&outsidelink=item&value=826460