I had forgotten I had a question about the recipe for the wasp trap to answer. Sorry!
I should mention I purchased a wasp trap, which is basically a plastic container that has small openings that the wasps can find their way into, but cannot get out. There are DIY options that can be found on-line as well.
The base of the trap is filled with a mixture of something sweet (which attracts the wasps) and red wine vinegar (which supposedly keeps bees away), and a piece of meat, or wet cat or dog food. I used a mixture of water, red wine vinegar and sugar. No specific ratios seem to be needed. I'm sure one could use fruit juice and plain vinegar too with some sugar.
My brother tells me that what kills the wasps is not the mixture but the heat that builds up in the trap. It doesn't sound very humane but I suspect the insecticide I use isn't any more so.
If you can find the nest, my research suggests two tablespoons of dish soap in a spray bottle of water can be used to spray on the nest. This mixture clogs the wasp's pores and kills them instantly. I have to wonder if I were to add the dish soap to the mixture in the trap would be a good idea.
And of course, one can wait until freeze-up as the majority of the colony will die while the queen hibernates.
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