Do you have any chemicals I could use on the grapes as well?

As explained in our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE, this insect will many times harvest plant parts to use for nests. In the process they will damage and in sometimes kill targeted plants. To help curb this behavior, installing some WASPINATOR NESTS around the property will help. In general, one every 50 feet is enough. Based on the dimensions you have for the vineyard, if you set out at least eight you should have enough so they see them most everywhere they travel.

I also suggest you use some of the organic sprays labeled for use on fruit and vegetables. Both our NEEM GARDEN DEFENSE and our MULTI INSECT KILLER have proven effective on wasps. These items are offered on our organic site and we have found most any destructive pest to detect these actives where applied. The net result is they'll move away from where either has been applied.

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

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

Waspinator Fake Nest:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/waspinator_wasp_nest.html

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

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

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

By the way, I am an older woman who wants the dealer or an exterminator to do this.

If you read through our WASP CONTROL article, you'll learn one of the best products to use on wasp nests is in the form of a dust. In fact, a quick dusting into the crack where you see them foraging will take care of the nest and any future attempts to make new nests. As you can see in our dust video, when applied the dust is like smoke and tends to filter all around insuring you'll get the required coverage.

The only problem is the normal size of DRIONE DUST is way too much for this job. Fortunately we have an alternative which comes in a small size. The MOTHERS EARTH DUST comes nicely packaged in it's own applicator so all you need to do is squirt some into the crack of the mirror. I would recommend doing this in the middle of the day. Just a few squirts is all that will be needed so it won't take a lot. When the nesting wasp comes back and tries to go into the void, the treated surface will either die or be so repelled they'll fly away and stay away.

In some cases the use of an aerosol would be suggested but because the car has a finish, you don't want to risk the aerosol hurting the paint on the car. The dust won't have any impact and a few days later, after you treat and know the nest is gone, you can wash the car clean with no risk of hurting any of the paint or finish. Using an aerosol could cause a problem so don't try it.

Alternatively you can call a pest control operator and have them apply the dust behind the mirror as a service. They'll probably want to charge a lot more compared to doing the work yourself but this is a decision you'll need to make.

Here is a direct link to the information and products mentioned above:

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

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

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

There's loads of wasps hanging around my windows and door in back garden. Everytime I open the window I get around 1-3 come inside. They seem to be very attracted the my garden wall. Can you recommend anything to get rid of them? Thanks

There could be several reasons why they're hanging around your garden wall. One is they may have been hibernating in cracks and crevices and are finally emerging now with the change of seasons. Another could be they are forming nests close by and are using the wall as a staging platform. Or there could be some kind of food in the garden they're attracted to which is keeping them around. Regardless, they can be intimidating and based on your message, I think you  need to do some kind of treating if you want them to go away.

If you review our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE, you'll see we have two sprays you might consider using. The CYPERMETHRIN is a true pesticide and will both repel and kill them if they land on treated surfaces. This would be what most people will spray around the house for keeping wasps and other invasive pests away. It's an excellent repellent and works on just about anything that might try to get on or in the home.

The other option is the INSECT REPELLENT. This product is not an insecticide but rather a simple repellent. Made with food grade ingredients, it's mostly used as a paint additive to help repel insects but it can also be used as a spray. Like the cypermethrin, it can be applied over plants and buildings without any risk or danger of hurting them.

Lastly, the FAKE WASP NEST is a visual repellent we've had great success using around the home to ward off unwanted wasp activity. Set one out per side of the home where you see them active and the nest should deter the activity.

Here are direct links for all the information and products mentioned above:

Wasp Control:  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

Fake Wasp Nest:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/waspinator-repellent-nest

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

It's never a good idea to lock any wasp or bee in close proximity to a household like you've described. Hatching young mud daubers will have no place to go and they could end up inside the structure. I have no idea if there are children, pets or elderly people around but when wasps or bees are forced inside homes or other structures, they most certainly pose a hazard to the occupants. I advise this nest and any others on the home to be removed.

After the nests are scraped off the home, it is strongly advised that you spray with some CYPERMETHRIN to insure new nests won't be built in the same area. As our WASP CONTROL ARTICLE explains, the scent of wasp nests, wasp pheromones, wasp food and just plain wasp activity will lure more to the area so the current situation will only get worse and worse till its properly treated. If you are reluctant to spray the Cypermethrin, consider one of our organic options listed on our NON TOXIC PEST CONTROL site. Organic products are very safe to use and they don't last long once applied. However, they will be able to hold off new activity for a week or two. One of the better organic options is our MULTI PURPOSE INSECT KILLER.