Hi last summer we had a huge (big as yer head)yellow jacket hive at the extreme apex of the house.It's -24 here at the moment so there's no rush to get it down TODAY.However I need to get whats left down some time and I need to know how.We got most of it down with strong water spray,the rest seems to be stuck to the siding.It's about 30 feet up,apart from not having a ladder that long I doubt if DH or I really want to get that high.Any suggestions?your help will be appreciated.I know someone here must have dealt with this problem before.
Good luck to you and yours
Mavis

I'm thinking step ladder with a extension pole - maybe a tree saw type, with or without the saw. That's what I'd attempt because I have both the extension saw and a step ladder.

We got down all the loose stuff,the part that's left is "welded" to the alluminum siding.They DO make a durably prouct.It would need scrubbing off or scraping off.It;s the height we can't take.Is there a soap or some other product that we could apply by spray to soften the stuff thats stuck up there?The siding is white so you can really notice it,
Mavis

You might try to spray it with the hose pipe to soften it up,let it soak til you get yer equipment together, then tape or tie tighly a nylon bristle scrub brush to an extention pole of sorts, and use a mild soap & water solution in a bucket & dip yer brush before hand then extend it up to scrub it off. If you get to trying to scrape it off you might take the finish off of yer aluminum siding, which looks worse & is a harder fix, hope I have given you an idea to start with. Good luck & may God bless.

Are you having the house painted by college students in the near future? You might want to ask them if they could do the honours for you, at twilight when the wasps can't fly.

I haven't had to deal with wasp nests quite that high up, but I do know that they don't fly well, or at all, on darkly overcast days and at twilight. I scraped my nests off the fence/house/siding and into a plastic container with air-tight lid at that time, wearing just work gloves and eye protection. The wasps couldn't fly, they couldn't get out of the container, and my neighbours with the imaginary great Dane dog got a wee gift from the Elf. ]

Elfie the nest is broken up and the wasps long gone,it's just the remnants of it stuck to the siding.Its allumium(sp) so no we won't be getting it painted.It's hard to scrape off at this hight.Even the smallest of scrapers gets unbelievably heavy with a thirty foot pole attached.I would like to hit it with a spray with stuff that would soften it so I can scrape it off.Any ideas about what would soften it up for me.Thanks
Mavis

Water should soften it. Add dish detergent, if you have a car-washer spray attachment for your hose. And I still think you should hire someone to climb up there. Build their character.

It's always sad to me to see so many folks who don't understand that paper wasps (like yours) and mud daubers are possibly the most beneficial insect in the garden. The older, larger nests take care of more caterpillars than the young ones. You'll be starting over now and possibly seeing tomato horn worms, sod webworms, or tree webworms this year.

Unless a family member is allergic to the sting, they should remain in place.

Good point! I didn't realise that. I generally leave them alone and even had them in a window sill in the bathroom. I used it as an opportunity to watch and learn their cycle. It was great fun watching the new ones come out of the capsule and get fed these lumps of waxy looking food, which now I guess was chewed up catapillars! I always hoped the'd come back to the window, but they're in my shed now. We seem to have an understanding. They never bother my if I open the door to the shed and get what I want as long as I don't make sudden movements.
Boy, sometimes it is hard to live with such different creatures, but when you learn they're helping you, it's a nice feeling.

Paper wasp and yellow jackets make a new nest each year, unless they live in a year- around warm climate.


We all know how important these guys are.....She's just trying to find a way to remove the residue (of the old nest) off of her house.


Robin