Natural wasp repellent and chickens?

[azygous]

I'd like to give your trap a try. How far down from the bucket rim do you hang the meat?

 

[Pensmaster]

It’s a piece of bailing wire so it droops a little. The water level is just about a 1/4 inch under the meat. When they eat the meat they make ball of it and fly away with it. Except when they take off they are now heavier and fall in water. Soap displaces water surface and they can’t swim. This is a very effective trap at picnics as well. Just set it away from guest.
Raccoons like to steal bait as well. I usually take wire in after wasps are gone for day.

 

[azygous]

So, the 5 gallon bucket is almost full of water with the meat near the top. Raw meat or cooked?

 

[Pensmaster]

Yes almost full. Either works just as well. Whatever you’re having for your lunch works real well. Lunch meat tends to fall apart too quickly, but it will work.

 

[sylviethecochin]

The wasp trap sounds great!

My dad has a severe hatred of them and used to (still does?) go out with a shotgun and shoot the nests at night. Don't know how effective that was, but he thought it was highly satisfying.

 

[azygous]

Wasps sting me every single year, and I'm totally minding my own business, evil bastids.

 

[Pensmaster]

Did I mention it was fun to watch the trap. I to have been stung too many times.

Oh and don’t worry about the ones that get away. They will be back with their friends.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

We have a ton of wasps and bees where we live, and my brother is going to call in an exterminator for a natural yard treatment....

A natural treatment that both kills insects and repels them at the same time sounds to me like the exterminator is planning to use Pyrethrum or its manufactured ingredient Permethrin. Since it will be used outside Permethrin is likely the agent because it is little effected by Sun light.

 

[RWise]

I like the trap idea, I take it these are paper wasps and not mud daubers. When I find a paper wasp nest I toss some gas on it, keep sparks away, but they will not return to this nest spot for several years. This is an off label use for fuel, and may to be completely legal.
I try not to kill our friends, we need these bugs! Here the bees are struggling to survive all the pesticides. I have few germinators left to work my garden.
I speak for the bees, even though I am allergic,,,

 

[Akrnaf2]

We have a ton of wasps and bees where we live, and my brother is going to call in an exterminator for a natural yard treatment. I think it's a bad idea specifically because we have chickens, they eat bugs, and I'm not sure if it's going to be as "natural" as my brother thinks it is. He insists it won't be poisonous, just a repellent to keep bugs away from our yard without killing the ones that exist, but I'm still worried. These guys are my mother's pets, and I don't want them to get sick. We also eat their eggs, so I don't want US to get sick. Normally we just use isolated poison on any areas we notice wasps congregating -- but that's always by our house and sheds, away from the chickens. I agree we need to do something about the wasps, as it's starting to look like my grandmother is allergic, but I'm worried about the chickens. Will a more natural, all-over treatment for our yard be better, or will it hurt our pets?

For reference: We live in Texas. It bounces back and forth from dry to humid here, and we can get some pretty gnarly thunderstorms throughout the year. He's thinking of treating the yard every month. Not sure if any of that helps.

Thanks in advance!

Not every thing "neutral" is safe! You can find Cyanide in bitter almonds and Rosacea family seeds, and strychnine from the seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica, the strychnine tree......