Yellow Jackets

[jessied1227]

Anyone have any proven ways of destroying ground nests?

We have encountered 3 large nests just in the past week. The hubby said he could put an end to them by pouring gasoline down the hole and lighting it. Nice light show, but three days later, we can clearly see the bees coming back, thanks to the blackened patches of grass around the holes.

I am *deathly* allergic to bees, so these must be dealt with. I carry an epi pen, but multiple stings would put me in big trouble fast.

Thanks-
Jess

 

[justusnak]

Wow, I dont know.....those are some nasty little critters. Do you have DE?? Maybe load the ground around the entrance with it. My grandpa would douse it with Kerosene, but NOT light it. Let it soak in good. However....it does pollute the ground....something to think about too. I would go with the DE...and maybe after dark...when they are sleeping. Good luck, and be carefull, my son and DH are deathly allergic as well....so guess who gets to handle ALL bee problems!?

 

[jessied1227]

No luck with the DE, either. I should've mentioned that in the original post. The hubby went out after dark and just loaded the hole and surrounding area with DE. The next day, it's all pushed out of the hole, and the bees are buzzing away again.

It's so frustrating. We have no extra money now to have any kind of bee proffesional come in, and 2 of the nests are within 15-20 feet of the house.

Bee sting allergies are terrifying. I run screaming like an idiot at the sight of a bee.

Without the epi pen, I think I'd be a total recluse.

Jess

 

[arlee453]

We have these ground wasps (Yellow Jackets) and they are ornery!

I seem to mow over at least 3 or 4 nest per year, so I've gotten to be a real pro at getting rid of them.

I use wasp spray - I've found the cheap kind works pretty much as well as the really expensive kinds. I get a double pack, and get the non-foaming kind.

Wait until dusk/dark and all the bees will be in the nest for the night. They absolutely will not come out of the nest if it is dark enough, and by waiting until night you also make sure you get them all since they all come home to roost.

Get the spray can right down at the hole and spray to empty the whole can in the hole. Only once have I had to retreat a nest, and that was when I got the foaming kind by accident and it foamed up rather than going down in the hole nicely.

You can also do the same thing with gasoline, but it probably is not as environmentally sound. Just DON'T light the gas - just pour it down the hole after dark - a liberal amount and it will work too.

Hope this helps - those things will chase you down on the mower if you hit the nest. The first time you pass over it gets them stirred up, and then when you come around again, they'll go after you for sure!

Susan

 

[foxtrapper]

As a beekeeper, one of my sidelines is extermation.

If you're willing to spend about $100, go buy a bee suit. Then you can exterminate these wasps with impunity.

What I do is spray the nest as best I can through the hole in the ground. Then I take a shovel and dig the nist up. They aren't very deep, no more than a foot or two down. Destroy the nest, fill in the hole, and the job is done.

If you work at night you will do a much better job of erradicating all the wasps. Invariably, there will be some wasps left flying around. If you do the job at night, there are less than if you do it during daylight hours.

Make no mistake, they can fly at night. Especially if you bring along a flashlight and such. Not that having them crawl up your leg to sting you hurts less than having them fly up to sting you.

 

[broncbuster07]

Take some newspaper and layer it over the entrances and about 3 ft around them. Then wet it down pretty good. Leave it there for about 2 wks and keep wetting it down every day. Make it about 5-10 layers.

 

[broncbuster07]

Here's a link that might help. Instead of the big rock, however, I would use the layers of newspaper as mentioned above. http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=60

 

[Smoky73]

I was told WD-40 works on Yellow Jackets...havent tried it but thats what I was told..to spray the nest.