Wasps starting to build a nest in my coop... what kind of pesticide?

[Dirty Farmer]

Do not do anything to the wasps during the daylight hours. Wait till its long been dark out after sunset. Then the entire group of wasps will be on the nest, and they will not fly off from it while it's dark out. You can kill them all, every one of them, and you'll know you have gotten them all. I've fought with them here on our farm over the years, and this works the best.

 

[welasharon]

Rubber flip flops and VERY good aim.

 

[turbodog]

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But wasps *are* beneficial. I've seen them hauling off various worms and caterpillars (less things to eat my garden!) and even one carrying off a grasshopper bigger than it was.

The carpenter bees are the only questionable ones on your list -- they do a lot of damage and are not very good pollinators.

I understand wanting to evict them from places you'd have to be in close contact with them, especially if you're highly allergic, but for the most part they're not going to go out of their way to bother you.

-Wendy

I agree Wendy, they have their uses, I just wish the darn things didn't build their nests under everything I try to pick up! And mowing over a yellowjacket nest can be quite entertaining to spectators.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Quote:
But wasps *are* beneficial. I've seen them hauling off various worms and caterpillars (less things to eat my garden!) and even one carrying off a grasshopper bigger than it was.

The carpenter bees are the only questionable ones on your list -- they do a lot of damage and are not very good pollinators.

I understand wanting to evict them from places you'd have to be in close contact with them, especially if you're highly allergic, but for the most part they're not going to go out of their way to bother you.

-Wendy

I agree Wendy, they have their uses, I just wish the darn things didn't build their nests under everything I try to pick up! And mowing over a yellowjacket nest can be quite entertaining to spectators.

OK OP I think we've covered this wasp thing pretty well. Lots of stuff I never heard of. Some toxic, some silly, some genious. May I please , on this thread ask if any one knows what to do about the yellow jacket bumble bees that live in the ground? Just a quick answer would do if any one has one. Thank you,
Denise
Paradise Found

 

[tiffanyg2]

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Wow Love that idea!!!! Thanks

 

[tiffanyg2]

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I agree Wendy, they have their uses, I just wish the darn things didn't build their nests under everything I try to pick up! And mowing over a yellowjacket nest can be quite entertaining to spectators.

OK OP I think we've covered this wasp thing pretty well. Lots of stuff I never heard of. Some toxic, some silly, some genious. May I please , on this thread ask if any one knows what to do about the yellow jacket bumble bees that live in the ground? Just a quick answer would do if any one has one. Thank you,
Denise
Paradise Found

I found this article~ http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-yellow-jackets.htm Also I know my brother has them really bad in their backyard. They bought one of them water traps that lures the bees in and they can't get back out~ so they die. That helps to reduce their population. They can be very viscious so be careful trying to eradicate them. If they already have a large nest underground you could get attacked by alot of them. Where are these at in your yard? They suggested a long distance shooter spray. I'm not one to use chemicals but if I had a arsenal of these bees underground I may have to consider it~ due to my allergies I can't risk having them sting me. One method you could try... Definately suit up first with loose baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, to make it harder for them to sting and bite you. If you know where the nest is and there is only 1 opening you could have a long distance spray and also find a wide enough stick that you can force down in the hole to completely block their exit. Shoot the spray into the ground and quickly stuff the stick into the hole to block their exit. That might be enough to kill the nest. You could probably try a different agent in the hole if you want to choose a chemical free method~ maybe stuff some DE in the hole. Hope you find a way!! Let me know if you try this and it works

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

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Boric acid (it's powdered) poured around the entrance hole (do this at night) will quickly take care of them.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Gallo del Cielo & tiffanyg2
Some one had given me one of those water traps! I put it to use.
I am alergic to bees and wasps. I know different types of stingers have different venoms. I was not alergic to wasps and then became alergic to them. I have always been alergic to bee. I carry an epi pen at all times. Don't know if I am alergic to bumble bees but have seen them sting numerous times - the same insect - on a single person. I don't want to experiment with my immune system.
They are in my "chicken yard", a 1 acre open top enclosure with grass that needs mowing. Will any of those methods hurt my birds? There is more than 1 entrance, I belive 2 or possibly 3. they are also in another place, not in the "chicken yard".
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Denise
Paradise Found

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

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I have no idea how toxic boric acid is to chickens or if they'd try to eat it. I know that it's relatively much less less toxic than a lot of things you could spray on wasps or bees, but I wouldn't risk exposure (I'm no longer surprised by the things a chicken will try to eat). If it were me, I'd take a length of fencing wire (with small enough openings that chickens couldn't get through), form it into a cylinder of sufficient diameter and stand it over the entrance that you're treating. I use wire like this all over my yard to protect plants from the chickens and they never get inside of them (even the ones that are only 2' high). Once the pests are gone, I'd run a garden hose over the entrance.

 

[PopVultureATX]

That's interesting about the plastic bag full of water trick. They do that at restaurants all around here (Austin) to keep away flies. The scientific reasoning behind it is that with the way a fly's eyes work, it interprets the plastic bag as a hornet's nest.

I didn't know that'd scare away wasps, too. Worth a shot!

And much thanks for the input, everybody. I've got an arsenal of things to try