1 - House painters as a general lot are a bunch of drunks.
2- How to get rid of wasp nests and the wasps at the same time.
You want to not only get rid of the nest (typically under a soffit or agianst a downspout) but also all of the wasps.
Equipment: Hair spray, VERY RELIABLE lighter, b#lls of steel
Climb up ladder, test spray pattern against wall half way up ladder. Climb up near nest just far enough so the spray pattern will overlap the perimeter of the nest ahout 3 inches on all sides.
Spray the nest for about 1 second to wet it and then while still holding the spray nozzle fire up the (reliable, remember) lighter, thus sending a torch of flame engulfing the nest.
Here is where the b#lls part comes in. KEEP SPRAY OF FLAME AS LONG AS YOU CAN WHILE BEATING ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. The wasps fly out and the flame doesn't kill them as much as it singes their wings and they fall to the ground. Don't worry to much about singeing the house as you are painting it anyhow.
Climb down ladder and congratulate yourself with your 9th beer before lunch.
VERY VERY FUNNY!!! I read b#lls of steel and at first thought you meant steel wool, or a brillo pad to put in the hole of the wasp's next. My husband, however, a beekeeper in another stage of his life, read your post and knew immediately what you meant by b#lls of steel.
Heh heh heh.
On a more serious note, the picture of yellow jackets (a.k.a. German wasps) making their presence felt to the North end of N.Z. in humongous numbers may be a picture of a future invasion of swarms of Chinese or Indonesians.
Waterbugs (giant flying roaches) everywhere.
An airman in the dorm room across from mine set fire to a waterbug that way.
It ran out the door and under another guy's door, *STILL SMOKING*!
I have to say I was impressed with the volume of the poor guy's screams.