Pests We Treat - Wasps enter this Ocean Township, NJ home

Recently, I was sent to a home in Ocean Township, NJ to remove an active wasp nest. The homeowner contacted Cowleys after observing a steady stream of wasps entering and exiting a small opening under the external siding. Wasps start building their nests in late August to early September, and once they start, the nests just keep getting bigger and bigger as the colony grows. As we see here, even wasps nests in lat October can still be active with plenty of aggressive, territorial wasps looking to protect their nest against any perceived threats. There are many types of wasps do not build open nests in plain view. Instead, they seek out hidden cavities such as old rodent burrows or, like here, gaps in home’s siding. These are perfect private locations for wasps to build their nests. The problem is when the wasps happen to build their nests on or around homes in locations where there is a risk of agitating the wasps and someone receiving painful stings.  

The worker wasps construct their nests using plant fiber (wood pulp) mixed with their own secretions to build small cells for the queen to lay her eggs. Over time, left unnoticed, they can become quite large. I’ve spoken with numerous homeowners who tried to remove the nest themselves with store-bought insecticides before contacting Cowleys. The result is usually someone agitating the wasps and getting stung. And with a wasp nest, you by multiple wasps multiple times. It’s an experience to best be avoided. 

When dealing with wasps that build nests in a void, you can’t access the nest directly. In theses cases we use a dust that flows around the nest, and settles and clings to whatever pat of the nest it contacts, including the nest entranceway. As wasps fly in and out of the nest, they come into contact with the dust and soon perish. It doesn’t take long for the entire colony to be eliminated.