If You Knock Down Wasp Nest, Will They Go Away? Forever?

When you see a wasp nest, you want to take a hose pipe and knock it down.

After all, you spotted the source of wasp in your home and property. 

And you know for sure that destroying the nest, anyhow, will remove the wasp problem in your home.

But if you knock down a wasp nest, will they go away?

Or will they come back to the same place and rebuild a nest? 

Is there any risk associated with removing a wasp nest?

The answers to these questions are not as straightforward as you might think. 

Keep reading to find out more.

Will Wasps Go Away If You Knock Down A Wasp Nest?

Of course, wasps will go away if you knock down and destroy a wasp nest. But for god’s sake, don’t do it.

Do not just walk up to the wasp’s nest with a pipe or rod in your hand and knock at it or try to unhinge it from where it’s hanging.

Why?

If the nest is big, hundreds and thousands of wasps will swarm at you and mercilessly sting you and anyone around you. 

Wasps stings are excruciating and nasty. 

On the Schmidt Pain Index, which ranks bugs sting and bites on the scale of 1 to 4, where 4 is the most painful, wasps are at number 3.

Wasp stings cause pain in the stung area. Itching and even burning sensation are also common.

And that’s on only one sting wound. A single wasp can sting you multiple times.

Imagine hundreds of wasp sting wounds on your body, including on your face, will feel like if you try to knock down a wasp nest. 

If you’re allergic to bug bites and stings, then hives can also develop on your skin. 

The worker wasps in the wasp nest are very alert to any threat to the nest. 

The slightest threat to the nest makes the worker wasps very aggressive. 

Worker wasps’ job is not just to feed the wasp larvae in the nest. 

They also do essential maintenance of the nest and, not to mention, protect it.

If there’s an active wasp nest in your property, then it’s best to call a pest controller to remove the nest.

We do not recommend our readers to get rid of a wasps nest, or beehives, on their own. The risks are too high.

Disrupting the wasp nest will not only put you and your family at the risk of wasp stings but also your neighborhood.

There are a lot of “guides” from “pest gurus” expounding the ways to get rid of wasps nests on your own.

We don’t recommend removing wasp nests on your own. 

Dealing with nests and hives of stinging flies like wasps and bees needs years of hands-on experience. 

Despite wearing protective gear, even pros get stung by wasps while doing their jobs.

So, do not try to knock down an active wasp nest.

Do not go near an active wasp nest, no matter where it is in your home, yard, or garden.

Wasps also make nests inside wall cavities, especially in the outdoor walls. 

So, don’t try to poke into a wall cavity if you see wasps and yellowjackets coming in and out of that wall cavity. 

There’s an active wasp nest behind the wall, for sure.

Leave the wasp nest removal in the hands of a professional pest controller.

But what about an abandoned wasp nest? Is it safe to remove it on your own?

Let’s find it out.

How To Remove An Abandoned Wasp Nest In Your Home And Property?

You can take a rod or pipe and detach the abandoned wasp nest from where it’s hanging.

But there’s a time to do it.

Wasps and yellowjackets abandon their nests starting from the fall months. 

The worker wasps die. The queen wasps abandon the nest and look for places to hibernate through the winter.

So, if you see a wasp nest in your property in the fall months, the chances are that it’s an abandoned nest.

But don’t be hasty on knocking down the nest.

Observe if any wasps are swarming around the nest. If there are any, then wait for a few more days.

Knock down the wasp nest once the nest is empty and no wasps are swarming around. 

You can either burn the nest or bury it in the ground.

How Long Do Wasps Live Without Nest?

Worker wasps die in the fall months after abandoning their nest. 

So, if there was a wasp nest inside your home or at the openings of your home like the ducts and doorways, roof eaves, and shingle, you’ll notice dead wasps in your property.

But there’s a catch.

The queen wasps don’t die in the fall months.

Queen wasps also abandon the wasp nest, and they sneak inside structures to hibernate during the winter.

They prefer to hibernate in warm, dark, and that don’t receive many human footfalls. 

So, when the queen wasps get inside your home, they’ll choose cluttered places like the attic, basement, and storage rooms. 

Failing to find one, they may also land up on your home’s floor. That’s the time when you notice slow-moving wasps in your home. 

These lazy wasps are either queen wasps who’ve failed to find a place to hibernate inside your home or dying worker wasps. 

Queen wasps hiding in your home will come out of hibernation in the spring months. 

And they’ll try to get out too.

That’s why many people get surprised by the sudden appearance of wasps inside their homes in the spring and summer months despite no nest around. 

The best approach to deal with this situation is to open the windows and doors of your home. 

And let them fly out.

You can also use a wasp spray kill those queen wasps flying inside your home. 

But beware, they can sting you. 

It’ll be best to wear trousers and full sleeve shirts while using the spray.

What Happens If You Leave A Wasp Nest And Don’t Take It Down?

At times, it can be a good idea to leave the wasp nest alone, especially when it’s far away from your home. 

If you don’t take it down, the wasps will abandon the nest independently. 

Wasps don’t reoccupy their old nests. They always build a new nest. 

Eventually, the abandoned wasp nest will dry out. 

But removing an abandoned wasp nest is always a good idea. It’s because bugs like ants and spiders can occupy the nest.

But there’s a catch. Even though wasps don’t use their old nests, they can come back to the same nesting location.

That’s the reason many homeowners see wasps coming back despite removing their nests.

Is it Safe To Knock Down A Wasp Nest During The Winter?

Yes, it is. The wasp nests in the winter months are empty. 

So, if you knock down a wasp nest in the winter months, there’ll be no chance of getting wasp stings. 

But it’s always better to double-check for any wasps around before taking the nest down, even in winters.

When It’s Safe To Remove Or Knock Down An Active Wasp Nest?

If you ever fancy removing an active wasp nest, then do it when it’s small during the spring months.

During the spring months, the queen wasps build nests and fill in the cavities in the nest with eggs.

The nest is at its initial stages, not fully developed.

So, a tiny wasp nest won’t have any or a few worker wasps. These worker wasps can sting you, though. 

You can use Spectracide Wasp & Hornet killer spray wasp nest. 

It kills any larvae in the nest and destroys the eggs in the nest too.

What Time Of The Day Is Safe To Remove An Active Wasp Nest?

The best time to remove the wasp nest is at dawn or dusk. During these times, the wasps are inactive.

The wasps leave their nests in the dawn, too, on the lookout for food.

You can use the wasp killer spray on the wasp nest at dawn. 

But remember, keep away from the nest if it’s big and fully developed. 

And always wear protective clothing while you’re near the wasp nest, no matter how small the nest is.

Summary

Removal of a wasp nest is a must to make wasps go away from your home and property. 

But it’s not a good idea to knock down an active wasp nest. 

The worker wasps will swarm out of the nest if you knock it down. They’ll badly sting you.

And knocking down a wasp nest is highly risky for your neighborhood too. 

The worker wasps will get agitated and sting people at random. 

This guide reveals the scenarios when you can safely knock down a wasp nest, how, and at what time of the day.

Again, if you notice an active wasp nest in your property, don’t try to remove it on your own.

Call a pest controller to do the job.