DEAR SUN SPOTS: Help! I am very sensitive to smells and chemicals, and I am looking for a nontoxic way to get rid of wasps (could be yellow jackets) that are setting up housekeeping at my home.

They have within the last week found an opening about a third of the way up my house at the very end of a piece of molding running along the front of the house. This is located near my front walk and driveway and so it is in an accessible, high traffic area.

They are buzzing around very happily except at night, and I am worried someone could get stung or they could multiply in my wall.

My questions are:

Would anyone know of a nontoxic spray that would kill them?

Are there any professionals out there who would be willing to come in at night or whenever and vacuum them out as is sometimes done with bees? The few local pest service companies I called do use chemicals but do not vacuum.

I would really appreciate your help with this problem or any other suggestions people may have! Thank you. — No Name, Lewiston

ANSWER: Sun Spots found several sites with organic suggestions, including http://tinyurl.com/lnfj5z and http://tinyurl.com/34xrua8. Suggestions on these sites include making the area less appealing to wasps, spraying them with a mixture of soap and water, and making a trap out of a two-liter bottle.

Sun Spots still uses a technique from her Ohio farm upbringing, where her father sent her out well after dark with a putty knife and a bucket of water to scrape wasp nests off the barn rafters (one quick movement!) and into her bucket, where they quietly drown.

When the nest is not easily accessible for scraping, Sun Spots has regretfully resorted to the chemical sprays that allow you to shoot at the nest from several feet away.

Vacuuming was mentioned on one site, but Sun Spots can see why the professionals don’t use that technique. It could be difficult to be sure that they had gotten them all.

Sun Spots sees a lot of potential risk to any homeowner attempting to go after wasps (including herself!) with the techniques mentioned. Those who are allergic to their stings should definitely not attempt to eradicate these pests themselves.

One option for you might be to have the exterminator come while you are not at home. Perhaps you could have him come on a Friday right before you head for a weekend at the coast. By the time you return, any residue from the insecticide should be well dissipated, especially since the wasp access point is outside. You could also request the company use the least toxic chemicals possible.

Perhaps readers will have other suggestions.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Several people in my area have agreed that there are fewer hummingbirds this year. I have seen only a few, and they disappear for long periods of time. I wonder if this is true in other areas of the state, and if there is an explanation. — No Name, Woodstock

ANSWER: Sun Spots has also noticed this phenomenon, as have her friends and family throughout the Northeast. In fact, there seems to be fewer birds overall.

Birds are facing many challenges, including:

— loss of habitat, especially in their wintering grounds and along migration routes;

— pesticides (when you spray your plants with Sevin or other chemical pesticides you are affecting honey bees and hummers as well as the pest you are after);

— disease, some bird species, including chickadees, have been affected by the mosquito-borne West Nile virus; and

— predators, including pet cats (Sun Spots protects the birds on her property by having her cats wear “bibs”; see www.catgoods.com).

The oil spill in the Gulf will only add to the challenges facing birds, including hummers.

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