Wasps in screened-in porch

[MandyT]

We've lived in this house for two years, and each day in the mid-spring through the summer, 1 to 2 wasps somehow get into the screened-in porch. Actually I don't know if they're wasps; they may be hornets or something else...not bees.

They don't seem to be getting in through the space under the door...I always first notice them on the opposite side of the porch. And I don't see any obvious gaps in the screens' attachments. We can't find any type of wasp/etc. nests nearby. I read that they may be looking for places to build nests, but that doesn't really help me out.

I asked a guy who doing work on the neighbor's porch, and he gave ours a quick look and didn't see anything obvious.

I really prefer not to call in a pest control company unless I really have to. Anyone have ideas for where the wasps might be coming from? Or how to how to keep them out?

If it's relevant, we live in the Raleigh, NC, area and our house (and the whole street) has a man-made pond in the back for rainwater and runoff from the community.

Thanks!

[SunnyDays]

If there was a nest, you’d see a lot more wasps than that.  They would be coming and going regularly.  You’re probably right that these are scouts looking for a suitable place to build.  You best bet is to examine the porch minutely to find where they’re coming in and seal up the hole(s).  You could also try one of those fake paper nests to see if that deters them.  Or put something sweet out for them far away to distract them.

[MandyT]

Thank you! A fake paper nest...I never heard of that! Will look into it. And you're right, I probably need to take an even closer look for gaps.

[lthenderson]

Anyone have ideas for where the wasps might be coming from?

At least in our house, they are able to crawl through small holes in the soffit and make nests up in the attic of our house. They then find ceiling penetrations to enter. I've been gradually whittling those down with caulking whenever I have a partial tube to use up.

[Nate R]

Mud Dauber wasps maybe? I've had issues with those in a garage where there were mud nests hidden in several nooks and crannies, and they don't all hatch at once....it's one here, 2 there, etc. They come out gradually and then try and find their way out.... So it may be possible that they're hatching in there, and trying to get out vs finding a way in...  Maybe nests in the ceiling or soffit of the porch?

[TrMama]

Carefully examine the ceiling for any gaps or openings. Wasps love heat and attics and soffits have lots of heat. Ever summer wasps build nests hanging from the outside of my soffits. We also get them coming through the exhaust fan in one bathroom.

[MandyT]

Oh, that makes a lot of sense! When I first spot them, it's almost always dropping down from above in this one area. I checked the screens in that area and they're tight, so I figured it was just a weird coincidence that I happened to see them there. I will check that out...thanks!

[BudgetSlasher]

Wasps can squeeze through some pretty small holes. You'll have to look around and address each hole as appropriate for the material it is in / purpose of the hole.

Semi-outside spaces it might just be best to adapt. I keep a few cans of wasp spray around in the garage and have become a pretty good shot. There are some plants/oil that wasps hate (mints come to mind first) that you could probably use to repel them. Wasp traps work too as a control method.

[MandyT]

Thanks, @BudgetSlasher ! Looking around the inside of the porch, I see wasps, if living in the space above, have many, many areas they could squeeze through (basically, every few inches along the perimeter there is a tiny opening where boards meet). Rather than trying to seal up the entire porch, I was wondering if there's something I could stick in that area (maybe by drilling a hole) that would repel them.

[oldladystache]

Wasps can squeeze through amazingly tiny spaces. One got trapped in my house and I tried my usual glass and index card trick to remove it. I trapped it between the window and a glass, then tried to slip the card between the window and the glass so I could safely take it outside.

Opening the gap enough to let the index card slip in was enough to let the wasp slip out.

[MandyT]

Wow @oldladystache ...sounds like I need to just find some way to repel them from that area! (And...we had our first wasp of the year yesterday.)  :(