Debunking common myths about wasps, yellowjackets and hornets in New Jersey

Wasp Safety Information from Our Team

The internet has a lot of advice. Some of it is good. Some of it is not.

You’ll find wasp tips on TikTok. You’ll find videos online. But not all of them are safe. Many are made just to get views.

At Buzz Off, we want your neighbors to stay safe.

That’s why we created this page. It’s full of real information. Information from trained professionals. You can trust it.

Save this page. Share it with friends and family.

Do you have a question we didn’t answer? Did you see a wasp removal video that looks unsafe? Let us know.

Email Chris directly at chris@buzzoffnj.com. He’ll answer your question.

Think of Buzz Off for all your pest control needs.

We’re here to help. Stay safe out there.

Happy reading!

Should you plug the entrance to the wasp nest?

It is my professional opinion that plugging the entrance to a wasp nest is advice only given by someone who has never plugged the entrance to a wasp nest.

Here’s how it works:

Usually there is one entrance / exit per colony. There can be more at times, but for the sake of simplicity, we will assume there is only one.

If you plug that entrance / exit, the wasps are most certainly going to find another way in or out. A freestanding colony in a tree, such as ones made by paper wasps and bald faced hornets, isn’t going to be too much of an issue if a secondary egress is made.

Yellowjackets inside of a wall are a totally different story. If you plug their entrance, their next best choice is to go the other way, which is often to come INSIDE YOUR HOUSE!

I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather have them outside than inside.

Are yellowjackets pollinators and should you leave them alone?

Yes, yellowjackets are pollinators. The truth is that they’re not very good at it, or nice about it.

In the late summer and early fall, when flowering plants become scarce, a yellowjacket’s diet turns to a protein based one. When this happens, they are known to invade honeybee colonies, and pretty much any other colony where they can get their meat fix. A single yellowjacket can kill up to 40 honeybees per minute.

Fun Fact: The Japanese Honeybee has figured out a way to combat this. Bald faced hornets find them delicious. When a Bald faced hornet invades a Japanese honeybee colony, it is swarmed by dozens of the bees, which raises the hornet’s body temperature to a level where it perishes. Unfortunately, honeybees in the US have not figured this tactic out yet.

If I see one or two yellowjackets buzzing around, does it mean there is a colony somewhere on my property.?

Not necessarily.

Yellowjackets workers can fly around 1/2 mile from their colony to forage for food.

One or two yellowjackets hanging around the clover on your lawn, or a few buzzing around your blooming forsythia is typically not a cause for concern.

However, if you see a lot of them buzzing around one particular spot, such as close to the ground or a spot in your siding, you should probably have a pro come check it out.

Pro tip: If you suspect that you have a colony, use your peripheral vision. Most people will follow one wasp with their eyes. It is far more effective if you stop following one wasp, and instead focus on the motion of many in your periphery. If there’s a lot of activity in a certain area, you may have a colony nearby.

Are bald faced hornets are true hornets?

Not really.

There is discussion in entomology circles to reclassify the bald faced hornet as a yellowjacket since they are more closely related to yellowjackets than true European hornets.

Can bald faced hornets can remember human faces?

Unfortunately, this is true. Bald faced hornets are social creatures. Not only can they remember the faces of other bald faced hornets, but also the faces of creatures that have disturbed their colony. This includes humans.

As a pest control professional, I take no chances with this. If I am exterminating a BFH colony in the general vicinity of where I live, you will see my best Michael Jackson impression… wearing dark sunglasses and a face mask.

Additionally, these little jerks can shoot their venom into the eyes of their enemy, causing blindness.

Is spraying over the counter wasp and hornet killer an effective way to handle wasps?

This is somewhat true. Brands like Spectracide, Raid and Hotshot are specifically formulated to address wasps in freestanding colonies. By freestanding, I mean a visible colony.

In cases where the colony is behind siding, in the ground etc, this treatment is not effective as most of the pesticide is being applied to the surrounding areas rather than the colony itself. There may be some residual effect, but not enough to kill off the entire colony.

Will gasoline in a bowl will kill wasps?

It technically will, but that is also like saying that drinking bleach will cure a headache. Social media is full of videos showing people doing this. I personally think its one of the worst ideas out there.

First, you have to get close enough to be nose-to-nest with this method. Unless you have a bee suit, I strongly advise against that.

Second – You’re not going to get them all. You may kill whatever wasps are currently in the nest, but it will never be all of them. All it takes is one wasp to realize you’re a threat and…

Third – One sneeze, sting, cough, ladder shift etc and you’re going to have a face full of both gasoline AND wasps. That’s a hard pass for me.

Will peppermint oil / citronella / Irish Spring / bleach / pool chems will deter / kill wasps?

No it won’t. If you put it near their nest, they either ignore it, or it will agitate them.

If you put it in the entrance to the nest, they will find an alternate way in and out, and we’ve already discussed how this could become problematic.

Will pouring dish soap / boiling water / bleach down the hole in the ground kill the colony?

Although this method may work to kill a handful of subterranean yellowjackets, you won’t be able to get enough down there to assure a fully deactivated colony.

Subterranean yellowjacket colonies can be massive. I’ve had instances where 2 gallons of water wasn’t enough to fill the hole to the top.

Again, if you mess with their main entrance / exit, they are going to find another way out. Problem not solved.

Can wasps see at night?

Mostly true. Yellowjackets have poor night vision and are diurnal creatures. This means that they are most active during the day.

Something to keep in mind is that wasps don’t sleep. Wasps DO return to the nest and enter a period of rest at night, but they can, in fact, swarm at night if their colony is threatened.

Wasps are attracted to light. If you’ve ever had a wasp in your house, you have probably noticed that they immediately go to a light or a window, trying to get out.

Treating a wasp nest at night is somewhat safer that during the day, but always remember that they will head towards the nearest light source if disturbed after sundown. This could be a big problem if you have a flashlight in one hand and a can of Raid in the other.

Is it illegal to exterminate honeybees in NJ?

Yes, and no.

Although it is ethically a poor decision to exterminate a honeybee colony (we won’t touch ’em), it is not fully illegal.

Certain protocol must be followed. The colony must present a clear and present threat to health or personal property, and any pesticide applicator must attempt to contact at least 3 apiarists before proceeding with the extermination of a colony.

Buzz Off can help with a honeybee infestation in two ways:

1. We can provide an inspection to confirm that you do, in fact, have a honeybee problem and not something more sinister.

2. We can help coordinate a live extraction with a local apiarist (beekeeper) to move the colony without harm.

Do you always need to vacuum all the wasps out of a nest and remove the nest entirely?

Only if your goal is YouTube engagement.

Our goal as professionals is to eradicate wasp threats without causing damage or inconvenience to the home or homeowner. Invasive extermination is only to be used as a last resort.

Depending on the situation, I may suggest that a homeowner leave an exterminated colony up until the winter. Wasps are territorial, and have a tendency to avoid establishing colonies near other colonies.

However, a large colony in a wall can rot and get to stinking after a while. If this is the case, we recommend contacting a contractor to assess any damage that may have been caused by the colony inside the wall. This should only be done when it is NOT wasp season in NJ, typically between late November and early March to ensure there are absolutely no survivors or hatchers left.

Yellowjackets are just thirsty. Should you feed them sugar water?

Ummmm… no, you should not.

Yellowjackets get plenty of nourishment from plant life in the spring and summer months. Leaving sugar water out for them is only going to attract them to an easy meal. This can also encourage colony establishment in the area.

It is also unnatural. As we have discussed before, a wasp’s dietary preferences change from nectar to protein in the late summer and early fall. Let nature be, and don’t try to interfere.

Should I just wait until the wasp colony dies the fall?

You absolutely could, it is akin to thinking a disease will go away if left alone.

In the fall months, the food sources of wasps dwindle, causing their dietary needs to switch to protein.

This change also happens around the time that wasp colonies are at their biggest and pumping out next year’s batch of queens en masse.

Wasps also become VERY aggressive in the fall, especially late August – mid November here in North Jersey.

Around Thanksgiving, visible wasp activity will have mostly ceased, but will now be a bunch of queens overwintering in their new hidey holes, ready to restart the process in March.

Do you need to wear a bee suit to deal with wasps?

Yeah, its probably a good idea.

The golden rule of pest control: The moment you think you don’t need your bee suit is the moment you actually need it most.