Wasps are one of the most annoying pests. The fear of their sting may haunt you if you see them buzzing around. There are various ways to kill wasps, and you may indeed see the TikTok trend about gasoline to remove them, but does gasoline kill wasps?
Yes, gasoline is an effective way to kill wasps. It’s the fumes from the gasoline that kill the wasps in seconds, essentially suffocating them with toxins. However, using gasoline to kill wasps can be hazardous due to its explosive nature and the potential for environmental harm.
Are you interested in knowing more about the gasoline to kill wasps? If yes, read the information below to have in-depth knowledge about it.
How Does Gasoline Kill Wasps?
The U.S. Energy Information states that gasoline is a petroleum-based fuel from crude oil and other petroleum liquids. It is mainly used in vehicles, but you can use it to kill wasps and other insects. When gasoline comes in contact with wasps, it kills them in the following ways:
Suffocation
When gasoline comes into close contact with wasps, it can coat their bodies and block their respiratory system, causing asphyxia or suffocation. The thickness of gasoline impairs the wasps’ ability to breathe, eventually killing them. However, it’s vital to understand that the principal mechanism of gasoline-killing wasps is suffocation.
Moreover, when you sprinkle gasoline on a wasp nest or directly on the wasps, the fumes can suffocate them. Because gasoline vapors displace oxygen in the air, wasps find breathing difficult. As a result, if they can’t exit the region, they may perish.
Toxicity
Gasoline contains several chemical components that are hazardous to wasps. These substances can efficiently impair the neurological system of the wasp, resulting in paralysis and death. Furthermore, the poisonous characteristics of gasoline can hinder wasp egg development and prevent them from continuing their life cycle.
On wasps, however, the toxicity component of gasoline’s effect is less noticeable. Although the chemical elements found in gasoline can be hazardous to wasps, the primary way that they die is by suffocation. It’s crucial to remember that utilizing gasoline as a wasp killer should be done carefully because of the fuel’s poisonous properties, which can harm you, your pets, and the environment.
The Reason Why Gasoline Kills Wasps
Gasoline is a very poisonous and combustible material that can be fatal to wasps and other insects for several reasons. It contains several volatile compounds like benzene, toluene, and xylene. When wasps come into contact with these chemicals, they absorb their exoskeleton and disrupt their nervous system.
Moreover, gasoline vapors can displace oxygen in the surroundings and suffocate the wasps. Certain compounds in gasoline can disrupt wasps’ neurological systems, ultimately leading to paralysis. Furthermore, gasoline is highly flammable.
Wasps may instantly die if they come into contact with a spark or ignition source. It’s crucial to remember that, owing to safety considerations, utilizing gasoline to kill wasps is not advised.
How Can You Use Gasoline to Kill Wasps?
Although it’s not recommended to use gasoline to kill wasps, you can use it to ward off them. Add a small amount of gasoline to a spray bottle. Then, quickly inject the liquid into the cavity of the socket. Step back and bide your time till the wasps depart the cover.
If wasps don’t have to fly away immediately, you can repeat the entire process. After the wasps have departed from the shelter, light the whole nest on fire. Moreover, you can use gasoline to immediately ignite the nest if it is built on the ground or a wall. It won’t take long for the fire to destroy the nest.
Remember, if the nest is situated atop a building, it is safer to repeatedly spray it with gasoline rather than risking a fire by burning it.
Is It Safe to Use Gasoline to Kill Wasps?
No, it’s not a safe or advised practice to kill wasps with gasoline. This is because it poses a severe risk to all living things. Wasps might be included in this, but so are your family, yourself, pets, and plants. When mishandled, gasoline is quite toxic and highly flammable. It can result in explosions, fires, and severe injuries.
Furthermore, as gasoline damages the environment, contaminates soil and water sources, and endangers other living things, it is neither a humane nor an effective way to eliminate insects like wasps. Moreover, trying to kill wasps with gasoline could have several adverse effects, including explosions, health hazards, and environmental damage.
Why It’s Illegal to Use Gasoline to Kill Wasps?
Using gasoline to kill wasps is illegal because of the following reasons:
- Gasoline is highly flammable and ignites quickly. When you use it as an insecticide, it can cause explosions or fires, endangering you and anyone around it.
- It is a hazardous material that can contaminate water and soil. It can linger in the ecosystem for an extended period and affect aquatic life, plants, and animals.
- Burning gasoline releases toxic compounds and fumes that are dangerous for people and animals. Long-term exposure to these fumes can cause respiratory disorders and other health problems.
Thus, due to the above reasons, it is generally accepted that using gasoline in this manner violates existing safety and environmental laws and is an inappropriate and dangerous use of the material.
Does Gasoline Kill Yellow Jacket Wasps?
Yes, gasoline is an effective way to kill yellow jacket wasps. As gasoline is highly flammable, you can use it to kill yellow jacket wasps. However, it’s crucial to remember that this material is highly combustible and possibly hazardous. Moreover, it will contaminate surrounding plants and the soil you apply it on.
Moreover, gasoline is a powerful chemical, particularly for dismantling underground hornet nests. The nest of yellow jacket wasps can be burned in seconds by lighting gasoline on fire. Nevertheless, because of the risk of fire, it is best to spray gasoline on the nest if it is affixed to a building rather than setting it on fire.
How Do You Remove the Smell After Using Gasoline?
Gasoline has a powerful, lingering scent that can be difficult to eliminate. But below are some steps that you can use to remove its smell:
- Aerate the area by opening windows and doors to allow fresh air to spread out and help disperse the scent.
- Fill a container with activated charcoal and place it on the afflicted area. Charcoal is famous for its ability to absorb odors.
- You can also use baking soda in affected areas. After leaving it for a few hours or overnight, vacuum or clean it up.
- Moreover, you can also use coffee beans to ward off the smell of gasoline. Place some beans in the bowl and leave for a few minutes to completely eradicate the smell.
- Further, to aid in eliminating scents from the air, you can use an air purifier equipped with an activated carbon or charcoal filter.
Harms of Using Gasoline
Although using gasoline is a practical approach to killing wasps, below are some of the harms associated with it.
Flammability
Gasoline is highly flammable and can potentially ignite fires, particularly in arid environments. The Journal of Fuel states that natural gas or petrol shows highly explosive behavior at high temperatures. So, when you put gasoline on dry furniture and dog skin, the explosive qualities of the fuel can spark fires that spread swiftly.
Furthermore, at room temperature, gasoline releases flammable fumes that can spread and catch fire if they come into contact with a spark, flame, or other ignition source. For this reason, while using, storing, and transporting gasoline, it’s essential to handle it carefully and adhere to all safety regulations.
Contamination of Soil
If you’re using gasoline to kill wasps outdoors, remember that it’s an oil-based fuel that can readily contaminate the soil. If gasoline isn’t handled correctly, its complex blend of hydrocarbons can harm the environment and soil.
Moreover, the oil can linger in the soil for a very long time, decreasing its fertility and making it more difficult for other plants to spread. Additionally, the oil destroys beneficial bacteria and microbes that support a healthy soil ecosystem, which lowers the quality of the soil. Furthermore, gasoline can suppress the activity of beneficial soil microbes that are essential for the cycling of nutrients and other soil processes.
Health Risks
As gasoline is a highly flammable and hazardous substance, it poses a severe health threat to humans and animals; according to the Journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, natural gas or gasoline results in health symptoms like respiratory and dermal problems. Moreover, direct skin or eye contact with gasoline can cause irritation, redness, and swelling. Additionally, inhaling gasoline fumes may cause respiratory problems.
Serious health consequences, such as harm to the brain system and organs, can result from prolonged inhalation or exposure to high amounts. It can also lead to disruption of your nervous system. If you unintentionally ingest the gasoline, it may result in diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. Furthermore, gasoline contains several carcinogenic agents that may result in cancer.
Effect on Wildlife
Wildlife is also at risk from gasoline use in addition to people. After you’ve finished killing wasps, gasoline eventually spills into the surrounding area and contaminates water sources, which can impact aquatic life and animals that feed on it. Gasoline can damage marine environments by entering water bodies through spills, runoff, or leaching from subsurface storage tanks.
Thus, it can result in poor water quality, hurting fish, amphibians, and other aquatic organisms. Moreover, it can also affect birds who use contaminated water to clean themselves, causing them to lose their natural home.
Legal Obligations
Using gasoline as a pesticide to kill wasps may be illegal under municipal, state, or federal laws. Authorities may charge you with violating environmental pollution restrictions, and the penalties might be severe. Environmental rules about gasoline encompass a range of topics, such as responding to spills, cleaning techniques, and removing tainted materials.
However, it’s important to note that the specific legal obligations regarding gasoline vary significantly from one jurisdiction to another. Therefore, before using gasoline to kill wasps, check your local restrictions.
Precautions to Take while Using Gasoline to Get Rid of Wasps
As gasoline is a highly corrosive and flammable substance, you should adopt the following precautionary measures before using it:
- Always wear protective clothing, including long sleeves, an eye shield, a face mask, gloves, and long pants, while using gasoline.
- Store the gasoline in closed containers made of metal and plastic.
- Moreover, always store gasoline in well-ventilated areas that avoid direct sunlight and heat exposure.
- Use a funnel while pouring gasoline from a container to a spray bottle to avoid spills.
- Furthermore, as wasps are less active at dawn and dusk, you can spray gasoline on their nests during these hours to avoid mess.
- If you are using gasoline additives, always follow the instructions on the container.
- The most important thing you should follow is to keep your children and pets away from the area where gasoline is used to kill wasps.
Other Home Remedies to Kill Wasps Instead of Gasoline
Although you can use gasoline to kill wasps, it’s not recommended due to its high flammability. So, instead of using gasoline, you can use the below items to ward off wasps.
Dry Ice
Dry ice is an effective way to kill wasps. When dry ice converts from solid to gas, it releases carbon dioxide. When you place dry ice in an enclosed space, it displaces the carbon dioxide with oxygen and suffocates the wasps.
To kill wasps with dry ice, put some dry ice in the container and place it near the wasp’s nest’s main entrance. You can use mud to cover the ice and hole. The dry ice cools the nest by dislodging carbon dioxide and oxygen and leads the wasps to use less oxygen, which will cause them to suffocate and die.
Remember to make sure the wasps have left the nest by keeping a watchful eye on it from a safe distance.
Glass Bowls
Although using glass bowls to ward off wasps is not recommended, you can use them to kill wasps. For this, first, you need to find the entrance hole by observing it from a distance. After locating the entrance hole, place the glass bowl over it. Place the bowl early in the morning or at twilight, when the wasps are less active, to lessen the likelihood of getting stung.
Moreover, remember to fasten the edge of the bowl tightly to the ground. For this, you may need to pile sand or dirt around the bowl. Above all, take a few days to observe the bowl during the day. Cover any openings with sand or loose dirt if wasps are getting out along the bowl’s edge.
Peppermint
Although peppermint doesn’t kill wasps, you can use it as a natural home remedy to deter them. It contains compounds like methone and menthol that have insect-repelling properties. Peppermint oil has a strong smell that wasps don’t like. Moreover, the strong scent of it deters the wasp’s ability to detect pheromones to communicate with each other.
The best way to use peppermint oil is to pour some drops into a spray bottle containing water. Then mix it well and spray it directly on the wasp’s nest. However, you should maintain a proper distance from the nest to protect yourself from the wasps’ attack. Furthermore, it’s important to note that peppermint oil doesn’t work for all types of wasps.
Protein Bait
Protein-based baits replicate the aroma of wasps’ natural food sources, such as meat or other high-protein foods that attract the wasps to bait. To make a protein bait, you can coat fish, meat, or chicken with any toxic substance, then hang it on a bucket or wall. As a result, wasps will attract to that place and die eventually. It is because the toxins affect their nervous system and cause paralysis.
I have tried this method, and it gives spontaneous results. So you can use this remedy with no worries. Moreover, while these methods are effective, you should be cautious when employing them to ward off wasps.
Soap and Water
The solution of soap and water is the best and easiest remedy to deter wasps. For this, you can use a 50/50 solution of soap and water to ward off underground wasp nests. After spraying the soap and water solution, sprinkle the area with hot water. If you haven’t seen any wasp activity for days, dig up the wasp’s nest and discard it.
On the other hand, destroying the wasp nest built on a tree requires the same protocol. However, you should wrap the nest first to secure it in a sack. Remove the nest from the tree by twisting it off and dragging it away. After that, put the nest quickly in water and press it down with the large and heavy object. Consequently, wasps will suffocate to die.
Wet-Dry Vacuum
You can also deter wasps by using a dry-wet vacuum. For this, fill the vacuum tank with soap water and employ the nozzle. When the wasps draw to the tank, they sink into the bottom of soapy water and die. However, you should wear gloves, long sleeves, and a face mask while employing this method to ward off wasps.
Moreover, before using this technique, you should close all the doors and windows to prevent wasps from escaping. Another method to use a wet-dry vacuum is to place the vacuum near the wasp’s nest with an extension hose. After that, turn on the vacuum and use the hose to suck up the wasps. Once you have sucked all the wasps, dispose of them in a trash bin.
Imitation Nests
It is a natural and non-toxic way to kill wasps. These nests entail building fake nests that mimic actual wasp nests to fool wasps into believing another colony has already taken up residence in the region. As wasps are territorial insects, if they believe a territory is already present, they won’t build a nest.
Therefore, you can hang fake nests on walls, the same as their original nests, to attract wasps. You can place it near entrances, eaves, under decks, or other areas around your property. While this method is beneficial, you can use it with other remedies, including sealing entry points, traps, and natural deterrents.
Smoke
It is another way to ward off wasps. Although it doesn’t kill wasps, you can use this method to deter wasps. Wasps communicate with each other using pheromones; by smoking in the area where wasps reside, you can disrupt their communication.
Moreover, smoke irritates the sensory organs of wasps and makes them uncomfortable to stay in that area. As a result, they leave that area and seek shelter somewhere else. If the concentration of smoke is high and the area is small, it will result in the suffocation of wasps, and they’ll die due to asphyxia. Above all, this method is effective in removing colonies of wasps but should be done by experts.
Bottom Line
Wasps are the most annoying insects, and removing them permanently from your house is always a challenging task. However, you can use a gasoline trick to kill wasps. Gasoline can kill wasps instantly, but it’s not a recommended way to ward off them because gasoline is highly flammable and may result in danger when dealing with it.
So, there are various alternatives to gasoline, including dry ice, glass bowls, peppermint, wet-dry vacuum, protein bait, and smoke to deter wasps. You can use any of these substitutes to kill wasps, but remember to follow preventive measures while employing them. Moreover, if the wasp infestation is significant, you must get help from the professionals.
FAQs
References
Allen DT. 2014. Atmospheric emissions and air quality impacts from natural gas production and use.Annu Rev Chem Biomol Eng5:55-7524498952.
Bamberger M, Oswald RE. 2012. Impacts of gas drilling on human and animal health.New Solut22:51-7722446060.
