How to Get Rid of Wasps in Dryer Vent
The dryer vent in your home is something that you may neglect to maintain and take note of. It is used each time that you run your dryer, but when was the last time that you performed some routine maintenance on your dryer vent? This area can become easy access for insects and pests, mold can grow inside your vent, and this can even become a fire hazard if you’re not careful. Wasps are quite smart, and they may attempt to make a nest inside of your dryer vent if you’re not careful.
How Do Wasps Get Into Dryer Vents?
Dryer vents are designed to flap open and closed easily. When you run your dryer, these flaps will move to let the air out from your dryer. As the cover on your dryer vent ages, it can crack and break, just like any other part of your home that’s used frequently. Depending on where the vent is located, you may not notice this has happened for quite some time. There will essentially be a wide-open area where wasps and other insects can make their way inside. This is a warm area that the female queen wasp may like to use as her winter home to get out of the elements.
How to Get Rid of Wasps and Nests in Dryer Vents?
The space between your dryer and the exterior vent is usually pretty short. Most homes are constructed with the laundry room on an exterior wall. If you were to look into the dryer vent from the outside, you should be able to see through the entire space.
If you see the nest is near the opening, you can suit up and remove the nest yourself. Most varieties of wasps will come back to their nest in the evening hours, so removing the nest during the day when they aren’t all-around can be simpler.
Remove the dryer vent cover that is outside of the home. Assess where the nest is, and look at how many wasps buzz around the nest or vent before you proceed.
Avoid using pesticide and insecticide sprays that kill wasps on contact. While this is a very effective method of remediation, you could put your health at risk and others that live with you. This is a direct path from the outside to your home. You don’t want fumes from the spray to enter your home. Many pest sprays are flammable, so this is another reason you don’t want to spray anything right into the vent.
There are many pest control products available on the market that are naturally safe to use in your home, but you can also create your own solution to remove wasp nests.
The combination of degreasing liquid dish soap and water is a very effective solution for instantly killing wasps. This combination clogs the wasp’s spiracles, causing them to suffocate.
Once the wasps have been effectively killed, you can use a dryer vent cleaning brush or a shop vac to remove the dead wasps and nest. You should use a dryer vent cleaning tool frequently to keep your vents clear of any debris.
How to Keep Insects Out Of Your Dryer Vents
Periodically you should check your dryer vent to make sure that the cover is in place. You want to clear this area out anyway to prevent a fire from taking place. You can also invest in a special dryer vent cover that is designed to keep out pests like wasps, rats, and snakes while still allowing for safe airflow.
Why It’s Important to Keep Your Dryer Vents Clean
Dryer vents can quickly accumulate a buildup of lint. If you don’t remove that lint, you could put your home at risk of having a fire take place. Lint is highly flammable, and it doesn’t take much for it to ignite. A dryer runs at a very hot temperature to dry your clothes for you, so you already have that heat present.
You could also have carbon monoxide back up into the home if you don’t keep your dryer vents clean. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer, so hopefully, you have detectors placed around your home. Make sure you have one nearby in your laundry room.
Your dryer will run more efficiently if you regularly clean out your lint trap and your vent. This is a job that really doesn’t take very long, but you could end up saving several dollars on your monthly utility costs. Many HVAC professionals will provide a dryer vent cleaning as part of an annual ductwork cleaning process.
Conclusion
If you have noticed that there is a wasp nest inside of your dryer vent and you’re not able to safely or simply extract it, you should call up a professional that can take care of this process for you.
