Killing Flying Insects--the Natural Way

It was my six year old who noticed the canteloupe sized wasp nest under the patio cover. We paid a man with a respirator mask and goggles $70 to soak the nest in a pesticide that foamed and dripped menacingly over our walkway to the garage. He was paid to knock the nest down but said that he would knock it down "if he was in the area" in four or five days. Nice. He proclaimed the wasps were actually hornets.

Now we have discovered more wasp/hornet/jellow jacket thingies flying into a hole over our door to the garage. Every time we open the door we risk letting in some of the flying hazards. So now to find out where to buy an organic thingie killer.

First searches turned up the EcoSmart Wasp and Hornet Killer, which is not available in Canada. I found this out through calling EcoSmart headquarters. Darn. It contains things like mint oils in some type of combination that is deadly to little critters but not kids and pets. Canadian Tire sells the Green Earth Homecare Flying and Crawling Insect Killer, a brand originating in Canada. It is a "botanical insecticide", but I had difficulty finding out exactly what is in it since it was not listed on the product's listing:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443309414&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=282574489838394&bmUID=1246394677712

Here is Green Earth's website: http://www.greenearth.ca/ Sure Gro is the parent company, located in Eastern Canada. They list telephone help at 1-800-268-2806. There is no "Flying and Crawling" insect killer in their current product list. Puzzling. So, has it been phased out of their product line? The Bio-Mist Insect Killer, available in concentrate and non-concentrate forms, lists pyrethrin as its main ingredient. Pyrethrins are derived from Chrysanthemum. A description of pyrethrin is listed here: http://www.greenearth.ca/features/pyrethrins_e.php

"Pyrethrins are powerful contact insecticide causing a rapid paralysis or "knockdown" of the treated insects. This insecticide also has stomach-poison and fumigant action. Pyrethrins are fast acting and effective on a wide range of insects; damage from insects usually stops within minutes of application. Pyrethrins have an acute oral LD50 of 200 mg/kg. Formulated products have low mammalian toxicity. They are not persistent but break down rapidly in sunlight - so there are no residue problems. This permits use on edible crops up to the day before harvest."

These insecticides are usually designed for spraying directly on or into nests. The entrance into our home and the nest is extremely difficult to access as it is located behind the header of the door frame.

Here's a web resource enumerating other alternatives to mainstream pesticides:

http://www.pesticidefreebc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=64&Itemid=120

Update. I bought the Green Earth Flying & Crawling Insect Killer from Canadian Tire for $7, I think it was. That night we removed the packing tape that has been covering the crack on the inside of our house which is a passage to the wasp nest. As my husband went downstairs looking for something, I went downstairs as well to look for a ladder. I heard my visiting brother screaming and running around. I ran upstairs. He was being attacked by a wasp. It flew directly at him for a focussed attack. We take out the trusty dustbuster and vacuum it up. I went up calmly to close the tape, and then another one escaped. I didn't see where it flew. Next thing I knew, I felt pain on my scalp as I was stung on the top of my head, where my hair is parted from a hair clip. I started using my hands to frantically brush out my hair. Now my husband is up, and he and my brother look for the wasp, and they find the still alive wasp on the ground. They squish it.

We re-tape the crack and give up for the night. We also tested the Insect Killer and found that when we attached a straw to it, the killer just dripped out the end of the straw.

Later that night, I take the live wasp out of the dustbuster and put it in a clear plastic bag. I spray the Insect Killer inside. The wasp goes into convulsions but does not die... for a long time.

Next day we called the exterminator. $45 to have him pump our house full of foam and pesticide powder. So much for being green. Over the next few days, my scalp felt positively inflated, and the tension in my scalp was just amazing. I probably looked like Gumby. Die, wasps, die.