Yellow Jackets not being friendly

[devongarver]

I have an in ground nest I need to exterminate... problem is it's in very close proximity to a stream feeding a pond with fish in it. Really reluctant to dump gas in the hole.

I have a powder I ordered online called Mother Earth D, that is completely harmless to the environment. I am not 100% if it would work for the bees, but it's process works by dehydrating any insect that touches the powder, so I would assume it would work. Here is where i bought mine from. I just bough the small bottles.

 

[keyman1808]

I had a nest under an air conditioner that needed to be taken out. Paper type nest about the size of a small beach ball. I did have an old fire extiguisher from a closed civil defense building. I shot it and froze the suckers to death. Worls great but I was too cheap to refill the extiguisher. So, Yes that does work but not cost effective.

 

[_RaT_]

I've not had a nest quite that big but when I have a nest that's of decent size I arm myself with two cans of spray foam, one in each hand and blast away. They never know what even hit them. I do worry about the ones that were out on a hunt coming back, seeing me and retaliating after what I did to their family. :shocked:

I had a nest under an air conditioner that needed to be taken out. Paper type nest about the size of a small beach ball. I did have an old fire extiguisher from a closed civil defense building. I shot it and froze the suckers to death. Worls great but I was too cheap to refill the extiguisher. So, Yes that does work but not cost effective.

 

[helvit]

The good guys painting my house last summer reported a very active nest with a 2" opening next to the stump of a large ash tree at the end of an old stone wall 15 feet from the corner of the house. Many yellow jackets moving in and out all day.

I reacted big time to a single sting years ago and was tested and found to be allergic to them , but not any other "bees". Went through a series of desensitization shots which probably worked, but each one still looks like a little bullet to me.

So I waited til dark, covered up, dumped a quart of gasoline down there, set a board across the hole and skedaddled back inside. Didn't work. Called the exterminator. I didn't see him at his work, but there was a decent spread of powder around there for my hundred dollar bill. Worked.

 

[jesnic]

When it comes to yellow jackets, I do nothing in moderation. I pour five gallons of diesel in the entrance hole and then go back the second day and dig it up. Then, I burn the dirt with more diesel. Then spread the dirt back and spread grass seed and straw. I was hit this summer while bush hogging a vacant lot. There were three different nests in the ground. It cost me a bunch in fuel, but I passed on the bill to the home owners. I actually saved them money as the exterminators would charge about $150 per nest.

 

[Z RENCH]

When you discover a tree nest about head high or so, find yourself a simpleton you really don't like, give him a stick, blindfold him and tell him it's a pinata!

 

[E/S]

When you discover a tree nest about head high or so, find yourself a simpleton you really don't like, give him a stick, blindfold him and tell him it's a pinata!

COLD !

E/S

 

[devongarver]

I found another nest in my siding last night. Yellow jackets again. I put some of the Mother Earth D powder around the opening and was watching them fly through it to go in and out. I will let you know if they start dying.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had an infestation of large brown wasps under the roof of my shed. I think there was 4 on one side and 2 on the other. The only thing I had available was diesel. I put about a gallon in my pump up garden sprayer and hit them with that. It wasnt an instant kill like gasoline, but also not as flammable. It did the trick. What I didnt realize is that someone had knocked down a nest which landed right by my front tractor tire which was flat with thorn puncture and needed to be fixed. I started loosing the lug bolts and had them all loose, then decided that I needed to use the FEL to raise the tire up off the ground. When is stepped across the nest to get on the tractor, nothing happened. When I jumped off the tractor, I stepped right on a portion of the next and they came for me. I got away from all but one. It wasnt a big next, maybe 50 wasp. I gave them a moment to settle back on the nest, then found a lid from my trash can. Got back over there, tossed the lid over the nest and did a Mexican hat dance on it. There must have been a bunch of wasp off hunting because for the next week, everyday, I had to crank up my diesel sprayer and spray spots on the ceiling where a dozen or so would congregate. They especially liked my outdoor spotlight. I never saw so many of those wasps. HUGE SOB at least 2" long and they just kept coming. I hope I got most of them since I had to leave home and come back to work and leave THEM to their work

 

[slaveToHorses]

I have an in ground nest I need to exterminate... problem is it's in very close proximity to a stream feeding a pond with fish in it. Really reluctant to dump gas in the hole.

You can try Volk Oil. I spray it on the lilies in my ornamental pond to kill aphids.
It does not hurt the fish. For the nest, use a heavy mixture in water with some dish soap for a surfactant. Just pour it down the hole.

I also use Ciper WD powder, mixed with water. Also Delta dust or Pyganic Dust is usually what the exterminators use.

I have not had good luck with the retail spray cans lately. I got a 3pack of Spectracide wasp spray at Home Depot and sprayed all three cans on this big hornet nest on our barn. No luck. It did a lot of damage but the hive is alive and well. I will have to mix up one of the above nasties and find a pump sprayer that will get up high enough to nab them.

 

[techwrtr2]

Mother nature got around to taking care of that particular nest. The location of the nest made pouring something inside or even spraying foam ineffective. My efforts only succeeded in killing the weeds that concealed the nest. I guess that's all I needed.

Found that the nest was dug out, the comb scattered about the ground with maybe a dozen survivors cowering inside the cavern that was once their secure brood.

Skunks serve a purpose. Assuming that's what did the job. Now I have to encourage said critter to dig up another nest I found not 10 feet away.

 

[_RaT_]

A skunk is what tore up a nest that I had. I developed a new found respect for them. That takes some real intestinal fortitude.

Interesting as well was as you mentioned that they have the honeycomb down in the hole. I learned some things as a result of that skunk.

Mother nature got around to taking care of that particular nest. The location of the nest made pouring something inside or even spraying foam ineffective. My efforts only succeeded in killing the weeds that concealed the nest. I guess that's all I needed.

Found that the nest was dug out, the comb scattered about the ground with maybe a dozen survivors cowering inside the cavern that was once their secure brood.

Skunks serve a purpose. Assuming that's what did the job. Now I have to encourage said critter to dig up another nest I found not 10 feet away.

 

[Baby Grand]

... Now I have to encourage said critter to dig up another nest I found not 10 feet away.

Drop a few pieces of meat in there. Pepe will find it.

 

[MBDiagMan]

I think what you are calling Yellow Jackets is what, in Texas, we call ground bees. What we call Yellow Jackets are a slimmer, wasp type bug.

I have lots of experience with ground bees. You can drive over them with a tire and not disturb them very much. It's rake teeth that seem to agitate them the most. Raking hay usually doesn't bother them as much as hay baler tines. For some reason, the aggressive forward motion of hay baler tines digs up their nest more. A couple of times over the years I've had to stop the tractor and leave tractor and baler for the bees. They never seemed to learn how to drive it, so it was always there when I returned.

The best way I found to fight them was with a shredder (rotary cutter.) You back it over the nest and they will fight it with zero success. It will kill every one of them. Takes about five or ten minutes just setting there with tractor in neutral and PTO at standard speed. Kill's 'em to death!

 

[techwrtr2]

Drop a few pieces of meat in there. Pepe will find it.

I was going to drizle the juice from some sardines around the hole.

 

[_RaT_]

A quick Google of Yellow Jacket will show you what they are. There are several varieties, not all live in the ground. The slimmer wasps are definitely not the Yellow Jackets.

I think what you are calling Yellow Jackets is what, in Texas, we call ground bees. What we call Yellow Jackets are a slimmer, wasp type bug.

I have lots of experience with ground bees. You can drive over them with a tire and not disturb them very much. It's rake teeth that seem to agitate them the most. Raking hay usually doesn't bother them as much as hay baler tines. For some reason, the aggressive forward motion of hay baler tines digs up their nest more. A couple of times over the years I've had to stop the tractor and leave tractor and baler for the bees. They never seemed to learn how to drive it, so it was always there when I returned.

The best way I found to fight them was with a shredder (rotary cutter.) You back it over the nest and they will fight it with zero success. It will kill every one of them. Takes about five or ten minutes just setting there with tractor in neutral and PTO at standard speed. Kill's 'em to death!

 

[MBDiagMan]

A quick Google of Yellow Jacket will show you what they are. There are several varieties, not all live in the ground. The slimmer wasps are definitely not the Yellow Jackets.

I don't at all doubt that by definition you are correct. It's probably just that the yellow striped, thin wasps that we have here are called Yellow Jackets by the locals. Terms like this often take on a local, albeit incorrect meaning. Whatever the bug is that we call Yellow Jackets, it's much more aggressive than red wasps.

By the definition you found, I expect that our Ground Bees are actually Yellow Jackets. Whatever they're called I do know that a shredder will kill them and they are unable to learn how to drive a tractor.

 

[billdiesel]

Found this nest yesterday while bushhoggin', was lucky I didn't get nailed. Just happend to look down and see right before I was to run over it. Not a very good pic, but i could see the paper nest from the tractor seat. Waited until dark and dumped a little bit of gas on it then a bucket load of dirt.

 

[MBDiagMan]

I don't remember ever stirring them up while shredding. For me it has taken rake teeth of some kind scraping over the nest for them to get aggressive. My cure has been to put the shredder over the hole and let it run at PTO speed for several minutes. They will fight the shredder and lose the battle. It kills every one of them.

Since you were shredding when you found them, that was the perfect opportunity to just back the shredder over the hole, put it in neutral and take a five minute break. Beats using chemicals or flammables.

 

[Boeing]

Guys, here's a thought from a pilot...we get constant schooling on hazardous cargo and fire fighting equipment. Many fire ext are now carbon dioxide. Also, we carry alot of frozen cargo...again carbon dioxide. It seems that CO2 is heavier than "normal air" and will sink to the lower levels (read ground holes) and will displace all the oxygen in short order. (Nitrogen is also available and does the same thing) The bees will die quickly with no ground being poisoned by gas and no fire risk. Talk to any fireman and they might have additional ideas. I know from experience that HORNETS and yellow jackets are MEAN SOB's. attack at night.....:thumbsup: Good Luck