Bee suits are like $40 last time I bought one. They’re worth their weight in gold! If you have lots of nests, it’s not a bad purchase!
underground yellow jackets don't want to die
- Thread starter stoveliker
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sneefy
Burning Hunk
I always have to aggressively drown the nest. Use a hose with a jet nozzle, flood it and cut away the earth above it to follow the hive pockets.
Then do it again later same day or the next day. Then again. Kill stragglers with spray and hang traps.
Then do it again later same day or the next day. Then again. Kill stragglers with spray and hang traps.
Diesel works well, don't have to light off. Other wise if you can get your hands on it nicotine powder mixed with water sprayed into entrance or arsenic same application. foaming sprays do not work well in ground nests, windex works if you can spray enough ( ammonia is active ingredient ) in the hole to really soak it down, carb and break cleaner work but evaporates quickly. i always have diesel around so that is my go to for ground nests of insects. Hanging nests in tree get pepperd with a pellet gun until it is pretty shot up. Birds take care of the rest. ( besides its fun to try and pick off the ones climbing around the outside - they have no idea where the air assault is coming from.)
Thanks all. I'm not going to put diesel, arsenic etc. down in my own soil. (I know sprays are also chemicals, but at least they've been approved for use, so I hope their effect on the cleanliness of my property won't be that severe.)
I have done the pellet gun thing before in a tree. Not nearly as fun when the nest is in the ground
I have done the pellet gun thing before in a tree. Not nearly as fun when the nest is in the ground
Pellet gun dosen't work for ground nests, rototiller does though, bit tuff on the hide . ( yep found one putting garden in. Ouch.....)
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Wonder if an M80 down the hole would affect them? If it didn't kill em it would sure whiz em off!
Long Island is very sandy. It’s tough to flood really fast draining ground!
As a teenager, I once sought revenge on some ground dwelling yellow jackets that had stung me. Their hole was at the bottom of a depression, a natural funnel. On a cool day, I poured some gasoline down the hole. As if that was not stupid enough, I then ignited it with a rag on a long stick. The earth literally rose several inches with a mighty whoomph! It was enough to knock me back on my butt. I was surprised the neighbors didn't come out to see what happened. Never did that again. I'm lucky I survived some of the dumb stuff I did as a teen.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I'd say many of us that are closer to the end than the beginning can say the same!
Another fun wasp story related to fire. I was called for a nest in one of those chimney less wall vented fireplaces. I was treating it with an aerosol fogger. Want to guess how I found out the fireplace had a pilot light? lol.
Life’s full of exciting learning experiences! Without a couple lessons every once in a while, you’ll never figure out what not to do
Life’s full of exciting learning experiences! Without a couple lessons every once in a while, you’ll never figure out what not to do
I've seen this happen where some of the yellow jackets survived and got to the culprit that was a bit shaken from the soil that blew in his face....
![[Hearth.com] underground yellow jackets don't want to die](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/329/329431-e7afe57caa76e59049b686e8e532d77b.jpg?hash=6TbGIu-5iO "[Hearth.com] underground yellow jackets don't want to die")
We had these solitary dark ones that were the size of dragon flies in wing width, and fat as my thumb in body in TN. They always flew left to right over the grass in the hill behind our home. I believe they did dig holes but have never caught one going in the holes we saw.
Look up cicada killers.
Terrifying when you look at them, but harmless. If you have them, long term, it’s easier to add compost to the soil and change the habitat. They like sandy soil.
Terrifying when you look at them, but harmless. If you have them, long term, it’s easier to add compost to the soil and change the habitat. They like sandy soil.
So I did the bucket thing.
With cat food, not successful. It didn't stick to the board.
With a raw sausage, using twine to secure it in place, not successful. No yellow jackets went to it in 4 hrs before dark. Ants did find it.
And overnight a raccoon or so had a good snack.
Maybe it's too late in the season for protein lure, and I should find something sweet instead. Problem is that I don't want to attract the honeybees of the neighbor.
Big fail so far.
With cat food, not successful. It didn't stick to the board.
With a raw sausage, using twine to secure it in place, not successful. No yellow jackets went to it in 4 hrs before dark. Ants did find it.
And overnight a raccoon or so had a good snack.
Maybe it's too late in the season for protein lure, and I should find something sweet instead. Problem is that I don't want to attract the honeybees of the neighbor.
Big fail so far.
I’m not sure when they switch away from protein. I always thought it was a forced thing. When the frost comes all the flowers go away. Late season nest kills still have eggs in them. By October they only have apple orchards and soft drinks for sugar.
But the population of adults is much larger late in the season so not enough larvae may be present to produce sweet for the adults - that was my understanding.
I've had good luck by waiting until after dark and then blocking the entrance to their underground nest with something they can't chew through like a piece of steel plate or masonry.
I've also tried the gasoline thing and learned quickly how dangerous that was as gasoline vapors hugging the ground lit off and spread to where I was standing at least 12 ft. away
I've also tried the gasoline thing and learned quickly how dangerous that was as gasoline vapors hugging the ground lit off and spread to where I was standing at least 12 ft. away
I've done that before but they dug an entrance away from that.
On a lawn I could do this (3*3 ft or so), but not where it is.
I asked my dad what they use there to kill nests inside the space between two brick walls- used to be vented, though they put insulation inside nowadays-, and it's deltamethrin.
Found it on Amazon, ordered it. After that I see that "can't ship to NY". However it was delivered today. .🤷♂️
So I put that in the entrance after the rain had stopped.
I also put a bottle with apple juice and borax nearby.
We'll see.
On a lawn I could do this (3*3 ft or so), but not where it is.
I asked my dad what they use there to kill nests inside the space between two brick walls- used to be vented, though they put insulation inside nowadays-, and it's deltamethrin.
Found it on Amazon, ordered it. After that I see that "can't ship to NY". However it was delivered today. .🤷♂️
So I put that in the entrance after the rain had stopped.
I also put a bottle with apple juice and borax nearby.
We'll see.
I had to stop at a house today to treat a bumble bee nest that was in the ground under a set of stairs. That had been covered by a set of wood stairs. It’s a hard spot to get to, you can’t really, and it’s been treated 2x already by other guys.
I was able to get to it a little working with a pole and dust… I think, lol. It’s not like I could see and have any dexterity.
Hopefully I got it. No idea though. It’s not like it wasn’t zapped 2 other times.
Ground nests can be hard.
I was able to get to it a little working with a pole and dust… I think, lol. It’s not like I could see and have any dexterity.
Hopefully I got it. No idea though. It’s not like it wasn’t zapped 2 other times.
Ground nests can be hard.
Yesterday I still saw a reasonable amount of yellow jackets flying in and out of the hole. It hasn't rained since I put the powder there, and I did add some more on Tuesday.
I hope that it just takes longer when it's a big nest...
The previous one that I was able to use spray on was a nice paper sphere of 7" diameter when I dug it out with all flying ones dead. The larvae were still wiggling though.
The apple juice with borax isn't attractive to any insect so far. Maybe I put too much borax in....
I hope that it just takes longer when it's a big nest...
The previous one that I was able to use spray on was a nice paper sphere of 7" diameter when I dug it out with all flying ones dead. The larvae were still wiggling though.
The apple juice with borax isn't attractive to any insect so far. Maybe I put too much borax in....
Adult wasps have breathing ports down their sides called Spiracles. Larvae don’t have these. They can’t be killed with the same stuff. Kinetic energy works great though!
That’s the generation that can rebuild the nest after you kill the adults.
!That’s the generation that can rebuild the nest after you kill the adults.
Yesterday while working on hydro hoses for my plow truck
I got stung and found the little devils they had made a nest in
one of the trip springs, I Had a little hydraulic oil in a pan and
poured it into the top of the spring Now no more wasps.
I think that 1 oz. of oil Just enough to coat the spring
I got stung and found the little devils they had made a nest in
one of the trip springs, I Had a little hydraulic oil in a pan and
poured it into the top of the spring Now no more wasps.
I think that 1 oz. of oil Just enough to coat the spring
