Product Review: The Waspinator

Every year around mid-July, my home becomes infested with wasps. It appears that the clean air intake on my furnace provides the perfect place for their nest building.

Every year my patio has become completely off limits. Wasps are territorial and very protective of their nests. Given their close proximity to my patio, just the sound of the door opening sends them flying in that direction and ready to attack.

And every year after the first hard freeze, I have to hire a service to remove the abandoned nest in order to turn my heat on.

Having wasp nests in my furnace has created quite a dilemma. Sprays and foams don't work. I've had to put up with the nasty buggers until nature takes over and they abandon their nest. I am highly fearful of wasps and bees and as a result, I do not open my patio door during the summer. I really resent not being able to enjoy the fresh summer air.

In search of a better way to deter my annual visitors, I turned to the internet and found the Waspinator. Upon my initial review of the product in 2007, I had to chuckle at the idea.

The Waspinator is a fabric imitation of a wasp nest. The idea is that it mimics an enemy nest. You place it in areas that are prone to wasps. Since wasps are visual (and territorial), once they see the Waspinator, they will leave, seeing that other wasps have already claimed that area.

I did like the fact that no chemicals were involved and it wasn't another trap that actually attracts bees and wasps.

Still, I had my doubts and I decided not to purchase the Waspinator in 2007. I have to admit now that was the greatest mistake I made that year.

Come spring of 2008 and thoroughly fed up with my ongoing problem, I went ahead and purchased one Waspinator.

When I received my package in late April, I was at first not convinced that it would work. It was much larger than I thought it would be, certainly larger than the nests I'd seen pulled out of my furnace each year.

Although skeptical, I hung it high in the overhang between my patio door and the furnace. Then I waited. And waited. Where were the wasps? I'd seen plenty around at other locations, but none around my patio. Could it be that the Waspinator was working?