How to get rid of Yellowjackets?

[R Wind]

Yellow jackets are omnivores so they help cleaning up dead animals and they can also do some pollination and I'm usually into letting nature do it's thing whenever possible. I draw the line at two things and opt for the kill them before they get me or my flock option - raccoons or possums trying to get into my coop/run and yellow jackets. I had a fan blowing all day right on where the nest I recently got rid of was and it did nothing to stop them. Neem oil dumped on the nest (which is safe for use around chickens) killed them within 24 hours. If the nest wasn't next to my run I would have gone for the scorched earth option like @Evadig recommended by using gasoline and a roman candle and enjoyed watching them burn. I was recently stung and while the severe pain has subsided I am still suffering the intense itching that nothing seems to help for long so I have zero tolerance for yellow jackets right now!
btw - I wouldn't feed dead yellow jackets to chickens, that venom in their stings could still be active. They might not eat them, mine seem pretty keen to avoid bees of any kind.

Appreciate the info on yellow jackets with chickens, and on neem oil.

I have a homemade ointment for punctures, stings, ant bites ( including fire ant), mosquito bites. Works wonders.

We used to buy Apiscare Ointment by Dolisos. Boiron bought Dolisos out and discontinued. A friend used up my last tube when she chose to stoop over in a fire ant bed. Ouch. I've used it myself on stings. Within a couple minutes, all pain gone, and no welts that are painful for weeks the way I am prone to.

I knew I had to find a replacement... Read the ingredients in the original tube, experimented, and glad to report multiple friends have found a base of aloe gel works.

Dissolve 3 to 5 pellets each of these two homeopathic remedies into Aloe gel ( about 1/8 to 1/4 cup). You can stir, or leave it to sit and stir when the little pills are dissolved.

Apis Mellifica 6c to 30c
Ledum Palustre 6c to 30c

Best used very soon, within few minutes, after the sting; can't guarantee if you wait too long ime. But still worth a try. We keep 1/4 cup of this in first aid kits. It'll keep several years before drying up.

 

[R Wind]

Neem oil kills a variety of insects, it's a natural pesticide. ...

Can you say what brand and strength you buy, please? I assume you have it for the garden?

 

[DLA]

Can you say what brand and strength you buy, please? I assume you have it for the garden?

I found it in the garden center at the local hardware/feed store. The label is pretty worn cause I've had the bottle for a while but what I can make out I'm pretty sure it's this one: https://www.gardensafe.com/Products/Fungicide/Neem-Oil-Extract-Concentrate.aspx
now this is a concentrate and it's strong so it has to be diluted in water or other carrier like coconut oil or something to make it safe if you are going to use it on pets or people to remove ticks or scaly leg mites. I used it undiluted to kill the yellow jackets but once they were dead I dug the nest out and washed down the area to be safe. I also use a little of it in a spray I make with water, vinegar, garlic and eucalyptus oil which stinks but keeps ticks off of me when I'm out mowing or pruning trees and bushes. It deters mosquitoes too. I spray it on my hat, shirt and pants legs and no ticks so far since I started using it.

 

[DLA]

Appreciate the info on yellow jackets with chickens, and on neem oil.

I have a homemade ointment for punctures, stings, ant bites ( including fire ant), mosquito bites. Works wonders.

We used to buy Apiscare Ointment by Dolisos. Boiron bought Dolisos out and discontinued. A friend used up my last tube when she chose to stoop over in a fire ant bed. Ouch. I've used it myself on stings. Within a couple minutes, all pain gone, and no welts that are painful for weeks the way I am prone to.

I knew I had to find a replacement... Read the ingredients in the original tube, experimented, and glad to report multiple friends have found a base of aloe gel works.

Dissolve 3 to 5 pellets each of these two homeopathic remedies into Aloe gel ( about 1/8 to 1/4 cup). You can stir, or leave it to sit and stir when the little pills are dissolved.

Apis Mellifica 6c to 30c
Ledum Palustre 6c to 30c

Best used very soon, within few minutes, after the sting; can't guarantee if you wait too long ime. But still worth a try. We keep 1/4 cup of this in first aid kits. It'll keep several years before drying up.

Thank you! I'll look into getting those to have on hand if I get stung again, however I am going to be a lot more careful and try to avoid getting stung. I didn't have to go to the hospital and had benadryl on hand but boy did my ankle balloon up (it's still somewhat swollen and super itchy +3 days) and I was kind of wheezy for a bit so that was not good.