Bug bombs are very popular when it comes to dealing with a pest infestation inside your house. They’re cheap, effective, and easy to use. By using two to three foggers at a time in your house, you can get rid of many different household pests simultaneously.
Now, we know that they work well on fleas, ticks, and other bugs; but what about wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets? As with common home remedies such as peppermint oil and soapy water, there are some who swear by foggers and others who swear at them.
Today, we’ll try to answer some commonly asked questions related to wasp bombs and foggers.
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Do Foggers Kill Wasps, Hornets, and Yellow Jackets?
Yes, bug bombs and foggers kill wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets.
Commercial foggers contain an insecticide made for killing various kinds of pests in your house. As long as the label lists them, a fogger will effectively kill wasps.
Note that how long it takes to kill the wasps will depend on the ingredients present in the insecticide and the brand.
Important Steps Before Using a Bug Bomb or Fogger
Before attempting to kill wasps or other stinging insects, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Insect foggers, also known as total release foggers or bug bombs are highly toxic. Contact with skin or breathing the mist will result in injury to people or pets. They also leave residue that needs to be washed from walls and other surfaces. Some must be used indoors while others can be applied outdoors.
When it comes to indoor treatments, you should also only use one per room, as a single bug bomb may cover 2,000 cubic feet or more. You will need to turn off any fans or air conditioners in the room. You may want to cover or remove an air conditioner if it’s in the window during treatment.
All doors and windows in the affected room will have to be sealed during treatment. Keep in mind, treatment will include two hours of airing out the room once the fogger has finished, so plan ahead.
For outdoor treatments, the fogger usually contains pyrethrins and is applied using a sprayer. Avoid directly applying these near any water bodies such as sewers, drains, or garden water features. You will also want to choose a day and time when there’s minimal wind so the mist doesn’t get carried to where it can harm honey bees or other beneficial insects.
Finally, not all bug bombs will work on wasps or yellow jackets. Examine the label on the product container carefully to verify the bomb will work on your target insect.
Locating the Nest
Each bug has its own nest and places to build them; it is essential to spot these locations and prevent them from building their nests.
Yellow Jackets are notoriously tough to find but can be easily located if observed carefully. Bees, hornets, and wasps are generally found in the shed, attic, and chimneys.
If you aren’t sure which stinging insect you’re dealing with, a common trick is to check for hairs. Bees are hairy, whereas wasps and hornets are not.
How to Use an Electric Fogger to Kill Wasps and Hornets
When you think of a fogger, you probably imagine a bug bomb that you have to seal in a room for several hours. But what if I told you that wasp fogging doesn’t need to be messy, noisy, or polluting?
Electric foggers are a relatively new product that works automatically. As breathing spray mist from any pesticide is dangerous, this makes electric foggers much safer to use.
The PetraTools Electric Fogger
If you’ve searched for an electric fogger, you’ll probably have come across a company called Petra. It provides a consistent spraying experience as a mosquito, mold control, and pest control fogger.
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Petra is well known for providing the best experience for both professional sprayers on the job and home users looking for that commercial quality. They have highly rated customer support that will assist you with any issues you have.
The Petra Electric Fogger Atomizer Backpack Sprayer comes with commercial quality features:
- Wide Mouth Lid helps to pour the solution conveniently without messing up with the lamps and seals.
- Extremely Fine mist for more particular applications.
- The extended commercial quality hose allows you to aim and spray wherever you need to without going near the nest. It can spray up to 8-10 feet in distance.
- Adjustable spray rate can be used by adjusting the screws to change the flow rate of the fogger.
- A comfortable backpack strap reduces the pain of carrying the tank around and thus prevents all the discomfort.
The drawback to the system is you need an extension cord to fix it with the machine’s cord to drag it around the lawn or your house. However, it doesn’t draw a lot of power so you can go thinner on the wire of the extension cord.
The machine atomization is pretty satisfying, along with the working of the blowers. It is also considerably quieter than the gas foggers.
There’s no worrying about winter storage, stabilizers, or oil changes. Once the fogging is done, you can rest for a month without worrying about the wasps and hornets infesting your household.
Does Hot Shot Fogger Kill Wasps & Bees?
Unlike the gas fogger and electric fogger, Hot Shot foggers are available in small can size containers. They’re both affordable and readily available in most hardware and garden stores.
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Hot Shot foggers can be used in enclosed spaces such as apartments, attics, basements, crawl spaces, and garages. They can also penetrate cracks, crevices, and carpet fibers.
The active ingredient in the Hot Shot fogger is Cypermethrin, a neurotoxic pyrethroid derived from chrysanthemums. It’s potent enough to kill insects on contact.
Note that it’s unstable in light and not as toxic as Permethrin, another active ingredient in the spray. However, it can still cause breathing issues if inhaled while applying.
Before using the Hot Shot fogger it is important to read the instructions on the product and take the necessary precautions namely :
- Seal all the windows, doors and cover the water and food resources.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a mask and then place the fogger at a place from where it can be easily spread.
After all the arrangements are done and the can is sufficiently shaken, the seal can be broken from which the gas comes out and continues for around 38 seconds.
The box of Hot Shot fogger contains four cans in total, and all four cans are used one after another. If used as directed, the odorless Hot Shot fogger can kill nearly all adult and baby wasps including those hidden in small spaces you cannot reach.
While this product works great indoors, it’s not a good idea for outside because it has a minimal amount of the solution stored in the can.
How to Use Wasp Bombs Effectively
When it comes to killing wasps and hornets using bug bombs, then you’ve to consider certain important details.
These foggers are designed to spread the insecticide in the aerosol form around the room.
If you have a wasp nest inside your house, basement, attic, storage room, or in any closed room, then the wasp bomb will be very effective.
However, open spaces will give the insects a chance to escape from the fumes and may make the treatment less effective overall.
Timing is Important
Whether you’re using a bug spray or wasp bombs to kill these flying insects, make sure to use it when it’s dark. Preferably, in the early morning is the best time for that.
In the early morning, you’ll find all the wasps in the nest since wasps do sleep at night. If you use the fogger or spray correctly, you’ll be able to destroy their whole nest along with each and every member.
However, if you try to kill them in the afternoon, you may kill a few, but the remaining wasps will still be a problem. Additionally, there’s a much higher risk of harming beneficial insects.
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Dealing with Wasps Using Pest Control
As discussed above, various chemicals like wasp bombs and foggers can definitely get rid of these buggers and their cousins effectively.
However, in the case of a serious wasp infestation, it is best to hire a professional exterminator who can deal with the wasp problem more skillfully and get rid of these stinging pests for a longer period.
To get started, click the link below to get free quotes from multiple local Pest Control companies to help you make an informed decision. You’ll likely realize the cost for a wasp exterminator is lower than you think.
Final Words
If you have a wasp infestation inside your house or any room which can be sealed while using a wasp bug bomb, then use it. The bug bomb will kill all the wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets present in your house.
Don’t forget to use your desired method of attack well after midnight or very early in the morning when they’re all present in the nest.
Most importantly, take good precautions and wear gloves and other protective gear while dealing with these buggers because wasps are known to sting multiple times leaving itchy and painful bumps on your body.
How did you deal with wasps on your property? Let us know in the comments below.
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I took a 2 liter empty Coke bottle and cut the bottle 1/4 of the way down. I than flipped the top 1/4 over and put into the open 3/4 bottom of the bottle. I than poured a cup of strawberry daiquiri mix with a little water into the bottle. I placed it about 30 feet from the nest. The yellowjackets fly in but cant find the way out and drown. Very clean and cheap
I have a situation in my carport where I can see yellow jackets or wasps flying in and out of an old styrofoam cooler but I cannot see the next under stuff. If I can completely cover this with a larger “box” late one night, would it work for me to use a bomb in this situation? Up under the larger box? They only seem to be active during the afternoon mostly. I have only seen 4 or 5 flying at a time and I caught a few in two traps that I hung about 30 feet away.
It might work but there’s no guarantee the spray will actually make it into the area they are hiding in. It doesn’t sound like a big nest. Ideally, you would remove whatever items are over their nest to get a visual and then soak the nest using a can of wasp spray. You could use something like a long broom handle to move items (at dusk, while wearing pants, long sleeves, etc.) if you are so inclined. But if you’re not comfortable doing that, it might be worth calling an exterminator.