Stinging insect killer that is non-toxic to chickens?

[100AcreFarm]

I'm not sure which forum this belongs in so if this isn't it hopefully a mod will move it. My appologies in advance.

There are yellow jackets nesting in the walls of my shed/chicken coop. Is there anything I can use to kill them without killing the chickens too? I thought about Raid or a bug bomb but don't think the chickens then picking at the dead poisoned bugs would be a real terrific idea. I need to do some more construction and modifications on the shed before winter (roosts, nest boxes, general expansion, etc...) but don't dare do anything noisy out there with out pissing them off! I hammered two nails today out there and ended up sprinting to the house in a cloud of bees and now have 8 miserable stings for my trouble!

Honestly it had to have been quite a sight to behold for anyone driving by!

Slightly overweight, middle aged woman in a frenzied dance out in the yard! I put my neck out from trying to shake them out of my hair. It really hasn't been a good afternoon!

Suggestions?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

If you can see the nests - the small paper wasp nests correct? If you can see them and get to them (with ladder if need be) - go out at night or early, early morning when it is cool and they are drowsy/sleepy. Take a hunk of wood, go up ladder and squish nest against building.

If you have to raid or bug bomb, be sure to pick up the fallen wasps and nock the nest down when empty.

 

[100AcreFarm]

No, not small paper wasps. These are larger yellow and black striped and not fuzzy like honeybees. Their nest is within the 6 ft. walls. I'm going to have to tear the inside of the wall off to get to them and intended to do that anyway so I can insulate it for winter. I'd like to not get eaten alive everytime I try to work out there. If I spray or bomb I'm guessing I'd have to get every bug picked up and then wipe down the coop and air it out well before letting the girls back in. I'm hoping maybe someone knows of something I can mix up that will take out the bugs without making the chickens sick.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Yuck - in the wall -

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Honestly? In that case, I'd get the usual wasp spray and then put newspaper under the area and just kill them with that. That way where the chemical falls, there's newspaper there. You can just pick it all up and toss it. Kick the birds out first.

 

[100AcreFarm]

Yep, honestly! I wish someone could have caught it on film. Or not.

Since they are completely within the walls and just come and go through a little half inch hole in the top of the wall, I'm thinking to sequester the girls away from the building, dose the the heck out of it with Raid through the hole, pick up anything that comes out and when there's no more activity then tear the wall off and shop vac the whole extended family up. Maybe pour some boiling water in the hole to top it off.

I guess I just needed to be able to think out loud here. I'm still very angry at the whole situation and that's probably because my stings are still hurting quite a bit even 7 hours later. It was a bigger problem in my mind than it really had to be. Feel free to ignore me!

 

[journey11]

Here is a thought -- you say it is inside the wall? Try this -- go buy a can of that spray insulation foam that you use to fill cracks. Go out after dark when the hornets are gone to bed and pump that sucker full of foam! Be sure to open a window or run a fan to ventilate for the chickens, since they are gone to bed too. It has no odor once it's dry. The hornets will be trapped, they can't get out for food, they can't get out to get you, and they will probably be encased in foam since the stuff expands like 5 times in size. It usually comes with a long tube that you can stick into the hole. If you want to remove it at some point, the foam removes easily. I'd wait 'til winter when you're sure they're good and dead. If the hole is in a location where the chickens can get to it and pick at it, which they will if they can, cover it with some duct tape too.

 

[sweet tweets]

We have parrots and cannot use any regular ant spray around them, but there is one that is safe for birds but not reptiles - it is called Camicide - it works on insects - not sure how effective on the hornets, but it is safe for birds....

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I absolutely <3 Camicide!!! I have a hard time finding it as the guy from whom I used to buy gets Control spray now, also fine around parrots.

Of course, goat lice spray (permethrin) is also safe around poultry. You'd use it to spray the walls anyway for mites.

The only thing is I don't know how quick the knock-down would be.

 

[digitalsniper]

It sounds like Wood Bees. They bore a hole in the side and build a nest inside the walls. nasty lil fellas and sting like heck.
Try at nightwith a can of wasp spray just spraying the ENTIRE contents of the can into their bore holes. If it kills them all, they will be in the walls where the chickens cant get to them. But if you tear the wall down, they will be on you like white on rice. hehe. I would soak the interior of the walls, using tehir bore holes with as much poison spray as possible...

They really do hurt

DS