Wasps starting to build a nest in my coop... what kind of pesticide?

[PopVultureATX]

Hi-

I just got my first coop and have a full grown Rhode Island Red, plus two chicks that I'm brooding inside and will put out in the coop pretty soon.

I just noticed that there's a wasp who's decided to start building a nest in the upper rafters of my coop. That's naturally going to be a bit of a problem for me cleaning the coop, so I want to get rid of it as soon as possible. That said, I'm worried that long distance raid spray might be bad for my chicken. Does anybody have any experience dealing with this sort of thing? Thoughts?

I'd appreciate any advice!

 

[tiffanyg2]

How about putting some real HOT jalepeno juice in a squirt gone and nail him real good~ if he falls to the floor have a shoe handy to smack him!! and be ready to run like hell!! I myself probably wouldn't use a pesticide anywhere near the coop. The hot pepper juice might sting it enough to distract it so you can kill it. And it shouldn't bother the chickens unless you squirt them so just make sure they are away from there before you launch your attack! Good Luck

 

[tiffanyg2]

Another method I read soap and water will prevent the wasp from being able to breath which will eventually kill them~ so you could do soap,water, jalepeno and then give it a good smack! I haven't tried this yet but I'm sure I will need to. Last year I had a yellow hornet nest on my back fence and they scared me to death when I was mowing the grass I never even knew there was a nest back there and I could hear ZZZZZZZZZ....ZZZZZZZZZZZ....ZZZZZZZZZZ past my head and I screamed!!! Took off running into the house~ I'm allergic!! Luckily they didn't get me but I got them later that night!! Hope these might work for you~ just be careful

 

[ccshambhala]

we've always just knocked em down when it was cold or when there were no wasps sitting on it. If you can get it out of your coop they will rebuild somewhere else (hopefully)

 

[turbodog]

I get the darn things building nests EVERYWHERE! Red wasps, yellow wasps, mud daubers, carpenter bees, yellowjackets, bumblebees.... I've got cans of wasp spray positioned strategically around the farm since I don't know where I'll run into them next. I can grab a can as I'm racing by at a full out sprint that would make Jesse Owens proud.

The only thing I haven't run into here yet is a hornets nest and I'm told those are out in this area too. Sheesh. The one thing we don't seem to have much of is honeybees. Figures. The one really beneficial one and we don't have em.

Anyway, to answer the OP's question, if it's just one or two making a new nest, knock it down with a long stick. It should move on elsewhere.

 

[Imp]

I get lots around my house also. If it's just a few wasps, and I can reach them, I just wave off the wasps and pluck down the nest. Sometimes the wasps will hang around the nest on the ground for a day or two. If I can't reach them, a stick or ladder helps. For some reason they don't seem very aggressive at this point. I haven't had a large above ground nest in years, then I just waited for the winter rains.
I only use poison on active ground nests. Those seem very aggressive.

Imp

 

[Crazy4mypeeps]

They used to build nests right by our front door, until I put moth balls in a nylon, and hung it up in the same spot that they would build their nest.

 

[latebloomer]

will DE work on wasps?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I've used the long-distance sprays, but not in the coops, just to be safe. Instead, use a flashlight, a long stick, and a broom. Wait until after dark when the wasps aren't flying, shine the light on the nest, and knock it down with the stick. Then sweep it out into the yard.

 

[bryan99705]

Brake Cleen or hairspray and a lighter?