WASPS!

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There's considerable evidence to suggest that paper wasps that establish nests near humans—say, over a doorway—become accustomed to the activity and carry on their lives without attacking. (In fact, according to some reports, pioneers in the Midwest used to hang bald-faced hornet nests in their homes as a way to control houseflies!) Nonetheless, the closer such nests are to your home, the greater the potential for trouble—particularly if you have any curious children in your family. Probably the best time to think about wasp control around your home is early spring, when queens are just emerging from hibernation. Weak and relatively slow-moving at first, these females can sometimes be discouraged from establishing nests too close for comfort—say, near a children's play area. Try knocking the foundation cells down with a long pole; the queen may decide to set up housekeeping elsewhere. If she persists in selecting that site for her nest, you may need to make the queen your target—use a stick or fly swatter—before she has a chance to lay eggs and nurture the larvae. Killing a single queen is a lot easier and less hazardous than coping with an established colony. (This may indirectly account for the old English superstition that if you kill the first wasp you see each year, you'll have good luck and win over your enemies.)

Once a nest has been established, your options become fewer. Knocking the structure down is seldom effective—more often than not, the wasps will simply begin anew at the same site and (worse yet) are likely to behave more aggressively than ever. Old-fashioned sticky flypaper, still available in most hardware stores, sometimes proves a fatal attraction to Polistes workers; just hang the strips from eaves or branches near the offending comb.

A yellow jacket nest concealed in a wall of your home presents a somewhat more difficult problem. Chances are you'll need to call in a professional exterminator. Meanwhile, to prevent the problem from recurring, caulk any cracks around windows and doors—the most likely points of entry for yellow jackets.

Underground yellow jacket nests can sometimes be wiped out by placing a clear glass bowl firmly in the ground over the entrance hole. (Keep in mind that there may be more than one entrance, in which case you'll need to cover them all.) The wasps won't dig additional exit holes, and in a few days will starve to death. A somewhat more aggressive method, but still preferable to using insecticides, is to pour fuel oil into the entrance hole.

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