Wasp Nest in the Attic

     There was a wasp nest in the attic last summer.  It was tiny, and it didn't bother me, so live and let live.  This summer that nest went from one inch in diameter to four inches in diameter.  It was crawling with wasps, and the critters swarmed in and out leaving their dirt all over the siding.

The nest was over the front porch, attached to the very edge of the roof.  The wasps went in and out through the siding.   

     I couldn't get at the nest from inside the attic.  Others might have soaked the nest with wasp and hornet killer and left it hanging, but I wanted to remove all traces of wasp habitation.  The only way to do that was to remove the porch ceiling.  My success at replacing some of the vinyl siding (September 17, 2015 blog entry) emboldened me.  This job was even easier than replacing siding.

The roof of the porch consists of interlocking vinyl panels.  I located a seam and tried unzipping it by using the tool for unzipping siding.  I didn't have much luck.  I was afraid of cracking the vinyl, so I took a different approach.  I went to the last panel and yanked one end out.     

Dang.  I hadn't seen the nail in the middle of the panel that connected the panel to a 1"x 3" board.

Here's that small, white nail.  I slipped a flat head screw driver behind the panel and tapped toward the nail's shaft.  Once the tip of the screw driver was under the nail head, between the panel and the 1"x 3", I twisted to pry the nail out as much as I dared.  I was concerned I might tear the panel. 

I pried the nail out about 1/8".  Then I used needle nose pliers to pull the nail straight down.  I got the nail out without bending it.  A little push to the left and the Panel # 1 was out.

The panels interlocked on these gray strips.  Each strip was screwed to a 1"x 3" in the middle and on each end.  I removed the three screws, pushed left, and popped out Panel # 2.

I repeated the process and removed Panel # 3.  Now I had enough room to get into the roof space and remove the nest.  I cleared the porch and set up my ladder so that I had an escape route in case of wasp attack.  I should mention that wasp attack is unlikely at this time of year.  The worker wasps or drones died around a month ago, and their bodies littered the attic floor until recently when I swept them up.  Queenie might have been hibernating in the nest, and I did see something fall as I sprayed.  I decided not to go feeling around for whatever fell.

This is a wasp nest remover's best friend.

Everything is soaked with wasp killer.

I put a paper bag under the nest.  Then I used a wide putty knife to scrape the nest off the roof.  Bag and nest went into the trash can.

Going in reverse, I replaced Panel # 3, slid it to the right until it clicked into place on a gray strip, and replaced the three screws.  Then # 2 and # 1.  I used a nail set to replace the nail that holds Panel # 1 in place.  After all that tapping, the white finish on the nail head was worn off.  A dab of white paint made the nail head almost invisible.  Job done.  Cleaning the siding and sealing the bees' access point can wait for another day.