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wasp nest in eves of house #766234

Asked August 07, 2021, 3:19 PM EDT

We have discovered a wasp/yellow jacket nest in the eaves of our house. It is a classic papery, football shaped/sized nest. It is not close to our doors or deck, where people spend time, except to tend to a hummingbird feeder. It is within 3 feet of the humming bird feeder that we have had for years and we can see through a window. Shoudl we just leave it alone? Will it die off eventually? We don't want to spray poison all around, so is there a poison-free way to remove it if neccassary?

Lane County Oregon

Expert Response

Kristina,

In the northwest, it's normal for a yellowjacket colony to die of natural causes sometime between November and January. By then, all the workers will have died and the newly mated queens will have found a secluded place elsewhere to survive the winter. 


As a result, you can safely remove the nest when you no longer see any activity.

In the meantime, your family and visitors won't be stung as long as they don't disrupt the nest or cross the wasps' flight path.

Also know that the yellowjackets may take over the hummingbird feeder to feed on the sugar. If so, just leave them be or consider moving the feeder at night when the wasps have left.

Thank you for preferring to avoid using pesticides. Doing so benefits both our environment and the wasps. Yellowjackets are considered to be beneficial insects. The reason: Yellowjackets collect and destroy other insects, many of them pests in gardens and landscapes.

To learn more about yellowjackets, click here.

Jean R. Natter; Master Gardener Diagnostician (metro counties, Oregon) Replied August 10, 2021, 3:43 PM EDT

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