Straight answerYou can kill a single, easy-to-reach wasp nest yourself. The Department of Conservation's method is to find the entrance by day, then after dark put about a dessert-spoonful of registered insecticide dust into it. The colony is normally dead within a day. Don't try it if you might be allergic, the nest is high or inside the house, or you can't back away quickly.
Check first: is this a nest you should try?
Landcare Research is clear that DIY is only for nests that are easy to get at, with a quick way out. If any of the points below fit your nest, leave it to a pest controller. Most bad outcomes come from trying the wrong nest, not from the method itself.
What you need
Use an insecticide dust registered in New Zealand for wasps, and read the label before you start. DOC names permethrin-based dusts as suitable. You also need clothing that covers every bit of skin, gloves, and a torch covered with red cellophane, because wasps can't see red light. A puffer bottle helps get dust into the entrance.
- Registered wasp dust (check the label says it is for wasp nests)
- Long sleeves and trousers tucked into socks, gloves, a hat and something over your face and neck
- A torch with red cellophane over the lens
- A puffer bottle or spoon taped to a stick
- A clear path back to the house
Step by step
The method relies on timing. In daylight, find the exact entrance by watching where the wasps fly in. Come back after dark, once the wasps are home and quieter, in dry weather, because damp dust doesn't work. Then treat the entrance and walk away.
- By day: watch from a safe distance and mark the entrance with a stick or stone a metre away.
- After dark, in dry weather: dress fully, switch on the red torch and keep the beam off the hole.
- Treat: put about a dessert-spoonful of dust in the entrance, or puff it in. Don't block the hole. The wasps need to walk through the dust.
- Leave: walk straight back. If wasps come out, keep going and go inside.
- Check next day: from a distance. If wasps are still busy, repeat once, or call a pest controller.
- Clean up: wash your clothes and yourself, and don't breathe in the dust.
What about sprays?
Fly spray kills the wasps it hits and not much else. It rarely reaches the nest and can bring the colony out at you. Some products are made to spray into a nest entrance. If you use one, stick to the label and use it at night like dust. For an open paper wasp comb, choose a product whose label covers paper wasp nests.
Traps, baits and home remedies
Traps catch wasps but don't kill nests. Landcare Research found trapping did not reduce wasp numbers, even near individual nests, and traps catch native insects too. Vespex bait does kill nests, but only registered approved users can buy it, and it works on German and common wasps only, roughly mid-January to mid-April. More on traps and baits.
Petrol, boiling water, fire, flooding and soapy-water sprays all get people stung, burnt or worse. The University of Auckland's Professor Jacqueline Beggs also warns against homemade sugary mixtures, which can harm bees.
When to call instead
Call when the nest is somewhere on the list above, when a first attempt hasn't worked, or when you would simply rather not. A pest controller has full protective gear, the right products and ladders, and can deal with several nests in one visit. See what professional removal involves and what it costs.
Questions people ask
Can I remove a wasp nest myself in NZ?
Yes, for a single nest that is easy to reach. DOC describes treating the entrance after dark with a spoonful of registered insecticide dust, and the colony is normally dead within a day. Landcare Research says don't try it if you might be allergic, the nest is hard to reach, or you can't escape quickly. Leave nests in walls and roofs to a professional.
What is the best time to kill a wasp nest?
At night, in dry weather. After dark the wasps are inside the nest and less active, and dust works best when it is dry. Over the season, the University of Auckland's Professor Jacqueline Beggs suggests January and February, while nests are still building up.
Will wasps return after their nest is destroyed?
The colony you kill won't. New queens from other nests look for nest sites each spring, and a good spot such as a dry bank or roof space can be used again by a new queen. Seal holes in the house once a nest is dead, and check sunny banks in early summer.
How do I get rid of a paper wasp nest?
Paper wasp combs are open, so they are treated directly. At night, in full cover, use a product whose label covers paper wasp nests, and follow it exactly. Once no wasps are left, take the comb down in a bag. Leave combs that are high up, near a door you can't avoid, or large, to a pest controller.
Sources we checked
- Wasps (Department of Conservation)
- Wasp control (Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research)
- Vespex FAQ (Merchento)
- Wasp numbers explode after long hot summer (2025) (University of Auckland)
Last reviewed 2026-10-06.