Help for wasps in the vent

Wasps are beneficial insects and should be left alone unless they pose a hazard.
Their just out earning a living like more folks should do.

We had a mess of wasps get into the furnace. they came through the round exhaust hole (We have put screen material over those holes since.) Just saw a few flying in and out one day. Went inside and started the furnace - well, tried to start the furnace but it wouldn't start. (God is Good.)

Waited until dark. Took a heavy see-thru plastic bag, sprayed wasp spray inside the bag and secured it over the furnace exhaust vents. That was really tricky to get it tight up against the RV. We barely managed to get it secured and the wasps swarmed out of the furnace into the bag. It took two days for the noises to stop. They just kept coming and coming. They were hatching out from inside, I think. After four days we pulled the bag off and took the blower out of the furnace. There were two 5" dia wasp nests secured inside the blower. I am not kidding. The wasps were still hatching out of these as we dismantled the nests. They weren't in there over the winter. We full time in our MH. They built that during the summer when we didn't use our furnace.

So work at night - when all the wasps are in their nest.
Use a bag to cover the vent that's been sprayed with wasp spray.
Don't be in a hurry to remove that bag. The sunlight on that bag the next morning will help kill them but you should leave it alone a few days until "all the buzzing stops".

Wasps are able to sting more than once. Bee's sting and die.
You don't want to be stung. So be very careful. As soon as they sense
noise and movement they will come out of that nest so have a plan and work fast.

Dori, sorry about the loss of your DH. But girl you pack up and go. If you need some help you know how us campers are, just ask. What better way to make a few more friends. If you have questions, you already know where this site is.

Now for the bee's. I've found Sevin dust to be very effective for flying and crawling critters. I don't think it's good in your situation though. It would end up air borne in your living area, not good.

To enable working from the inside I would devise a cover that could be taped over the inside of the vent. Then with it in place, pull a corner down just enough to give them a quick short burst of wasp spray and seal it back quickly. Leave it until the next day and repeat for a couple of days. I would like a clear plastic cover that could be seen through just so I could watch but even cardboard will work. Once your sure there's no activity you can remove the screen and with some heavy gloves remove the nest and drop it into a plastic bag.

Some of the idea's on this thread are truly creative. Leaf blowers, vacuum cleaners and CO2. My experience was to run over a nest of Yellow Jackets with a bush hog. A one legged guy, pulling the kill switch, jumping from a moving tractor, trying to run through a corn field while pulling bee's from his hair is not a pretty picture (quit laughing). Over a thousand bee stings, some baking soda paste and a shot at the emergency room, never felt a bit sick (just stupid). I would not recommend this procedure.

I would not use any toxic insect spray since it can last weeks or even years and you don't really want that in your RV, at least I wouldn't.

Update - I just closed the vent and I think there were only a couple of wasps in the nest at the time. Nothing moving in there now but I'm going to wait a couple of weeks till I open it up and clean it out. Hope wasps don't hibernate or go dormant!

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Cheers, Dori

Dori,

After you clean it out, you might consider having a vent cover installed. They are screened on the outside so this can't happen again--and you can leave the vent open without fear of rain getting inside.

I waited a full (hot) month with the vent closed up. Then I went inside and unscrewed the screen cover. Darned if there wasn't at least one wasp still alive! Good news is he was lethargic - maybe almost dead? It was creepy detaching the nest and cleaning up the mess but it's done.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I will buy a dog flea collar before opening it next spring. There is a screen on the outside but evidently the holes are too big.

Cheers,
Dori

stickdog wrote:
Wasps are beneficial insects and should be left alone unless they pose a hazard.
Their just out earning a living like more folks should do.

Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see the benefit of wasps in your MH. :h

Glad you were able to get them gone....without being stung.