yellowjacket protection

HCJtractor · Sep 30, 2017

I have been preparing my foodplots this week, and encountered 6 nests, and of course, it's always on an uphill where the tractor is bogging down, and there's no acceleration. Plus most of our elevated deer stands have paper wasps nesting, so they need to be sprayed, but climbing into a stand 25' high looking for wasps is scary.

Been thinking of buying a ventilated bee suit for protection to use this time of year. Even when i wear longsleeves, gloves, a hat, the jackets always seem to find skin, and I'm somewhat allergic. Any of you guys wear a suit while on the tractor? I'm tired of getting stung!

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rekees4300 · Sep 30, 2017

Best protection is a cabbed tractor. Never heard of wearing a bee suit driving a tractor. Wouldn't that be hot and/or interfere with proper tractor operation? I feel your pain re Yellow Jackets, they are demons from He[[. Especially bad this time of year.

motownbrowne · Sep 30, 2017

I've had to resort to wearing my be suit while mowing a couple of times in the past. If you want a ventilated one, which is totally worth it, the Golden Bee is what i have. Great product. I hear Mann Lake is selling one now as well. And there's also Ultra Breeze. I've spent hundreds of hours in my Golden Bee, and it's held up very well. Once you've got the suit, it's pretty handy to be able to fire up the shop vac and remove a nest from a problematic area.

FredH · Sep 30, 2017

Out west here , We have yellow jackets also but the most feared species is that little Satan with wings P.O.S. above . The Bald faced or Bald headed hornet .
P.O.S. hates everything including it owns species , but mutually coexists for survival . Stings just because it can . We carry a can of foaming spray on just about everything . Tractor , truck , etc... , plus have cans just about everywere , in shop , in garden shed , by pool , etc.... . When my brother was farming , he had to carry a epi-pen , since he was allergic to one of the bee/wasp/hornet species .
Have never used a suit , but I mentioned the foaming spray . Lots of sprays out there but We look for the stuff that foams and has good distance , thus do not have to get close and the foam covers the nest , similar to that spray insulation , so you don't have to be super accurate with that first shot .

Fred H.

shaeff · Sep 30, 2017

FredH said:
<img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=523212"/> Out west here , We have yellow jackets also but the most feared species is that little Satan with wings P.O.S. above . The Bald faced or Bald headed hornet . P.O.S. hates everything including it owns species , but mutually coexists for survival . Stings just because it can . Fred H.

Yep, they're downright nasty. Me and my wife were hiking in New Hampshire a few weeks ago, she got stung once on the top of the head, I spun around and swung at it, dodged me and got her again behind the ear, I swung again and got it, stepped on it as she started to run, another came from above and got me just above my left eye.

Not my first time getting tagged by them, but it was hers. She's not a fan. Very painful sting.

RjCorazza · Sep 30, 2017

We have both the bald face hornets and yellow jackets, but I haven't come across enough of them to require a suit. As all are aware, accidentally finding the nest and disturbing them is the problem. Once I know where they are, I use a dust product with pyrethrin called Drione. I can walk up to most nests without disturbing hornets, wasps, or yellow jackets and dust the paper nest (up into the bald faced hornet nest). The powder doesn't bother them for about 10-15 seconds, by which time I am well on my way out of town. The bald face hornets are particulary susceptible to the powder because the nest contains the dust well.
I mow near an underground nest of some huge (1.25") hornets that look even more evil than the bald face hornets... They swarm out when I mow around the nest, but seem content to fly around the nearby shrubs and leave me alone. Turns out they are called cicada killers, and are not aggressive.

Ron of Va · Sep 30, 2017

I have one of these mosquito nets I wear over a large floppy hat when I am attacking a yellow jacket nest. Heavy sweatshirt, coveralls, leather gloves. It gets a little unnerving when you can hear and feel them dive bombing the netting, but I feel somewhat safe. Better than nothing, just don't hang around long.

This mosquito net has elastic bands that go under your arms and pull the netting tight against your shoulders.

Insect Protective Headnet | No-see-um Mesh | Bugbaffler.com

oosik · Sep 30, 2017

We have Bald Faced Hornets and two types of yellow jackets. Fortunately, none of our nasty stinging things build nests in the ground. All the nests, around here, are in the trees or under the eves of buildings. I've had those damed hornets actually bite my arm before stinging me twice - and they will chase you much further than any yellow jacket. Hornets are just plain mean.

I can imagine the grief caused by running a bush hog over a large ground nest of yellow jackets. A person could be seriously injured.

lpigott · Sep 30, 2017

This is one of many reasons my new tractor is going to have a cab. Getting attacked and stung by numerous yellow jackets or bumblebees while on an open station traction with a bushhog spinning behind you is VERY dangerous.