Ways to Control Wasps in the Ground

Lure Traps

• Lure traps are bated with a chemical substance every six to eight weeks. They trap the queen, allowing you to move the queen and the wasp community to another location. Heptyl butyrate can be used in the trap to attract the wasps as well as lunch meats, according to the University of California, Davis' website.

Water Traps

• Water traps are handmade using a five- to 10-gallon bucket that is filled about halfway with water and liquid soap. The bucket is baited with something that will attract the wasps; sandwich meat and other foods with protein work well. Cover the bucket with mesh wire to prevent other animals from getting into it. The wasps will fly in to reach the meat and drown in the soapy water, which weighs them down.

Eliminate Nests Early

• Remove all signs of a nest as it starts to form before it gets too large to control. This discourages the wasps and sends the pests to another location to form a nest. Protect your hands against stings by wearing heavy gloves when picking up the wasp nest. Throw it away as quickly as possible.

Wasp Pest Spray

• Wasps typically are not active at night, so spray their nest with insect repellent spray then. Hold the can of insect spray about a foot away from the nest when you spray. Move away from the nest quickly once it is sprayed so that you can avoid getting stung by the wasps.