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Yellow Jackets help!
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Author:  poet2u [ Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:36 pm ]
Post subject:  Yellow Jackets help!

Under side garage door
tryed everything
they keep coming back

Author:  northwesterner [ Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Yellow Jackets help!

"Everything" would, in theory, include something that worked, so it would help if you could tell us more about them and what you actually did try.

Yellowjackets (paper wasps) can be aggressive and their stings hurt (ask me how I know!) so if I were dealing with them I'd probably put some kind of soap (orange oil, etc.) in a hose end sprayer and spray down with a fair amount of pressure (from a safe distance) until the nest is either knocked down or soaked so it can't be lived in. And you may have to come back and do this several times. I had some of these wasps on my front porch and I knocked down the nest many times before they finally gave up.

I didn't let the nest get very big, but I also had long things like brooms or the handle for my limb saw to poke the nests down from several feet away. Even then, be prepared to drop the pole and scoot out of the way.

An interesting note: when the wasps are nesting in areas that don't harm people they are beneficial. I've knocked down nests. I also have mud daubers, (http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/743/) that are crammed full of dried spiders. If you'll look at Howard's Texas Bug Book you'll see the story of Malcolm Beck finding mud dauber nests full of black widow spiders.

As mentioned above, Paper Wasps are often called yellowjackets, and here is the dirt doctor entry about them:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/3516/

This answer is talking about wasps that are colloquially called "yellowjackets." There are hornets that live in the ground called Texas Yellow jackets (see the bottom of the Paper Wasp entry). Spray with orange oil to kill the nest.

Author:  Mr. Clean [ Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Yellow Jackets help!

northwesterner wrote:
....

Yellowjackets (paper wasps) can be aggressive and their stings hurt (ask me how I know!) so if I were dealing with them I'd probably put some kind of soap (orange oil, etc.) in a hose end sprayer and spray down with a fair amount of pressure (from a safe distance) until the nest is either knocked down or soaked so it can't be lived in. And you may have to come back and do this several times. I had some of these wasps on my front porch and I knocked down the nest many times before they finally gave up.

I didn't let the nest get very big, but I also had long things like brooms or the handle for my limb saw to poke the nests down from several feet away. Even then, be prepared to drop the pole and scoot out of the way.

....

Right there with you on the knowledge of the yellow jacket's aggressive tendencies and the punch of their sting. If they make a nest anywhere near where I walk, they are going down.

Your orange oil/soap recommendation works. I also agree with getting to the nest before it gets started well.

Author:  stuart [ Mon Aug 30, 2010 8:52 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Yellow Jackets help!

Paper wasps have infested a wood pile located under my wood fired pizza oven. As in directly below the oven which makes using the oven dicey, not to mention makes taking wood from that pile impossible without suffering stings. Most friends suggest chemicals, I'm not a fan of chemicals in general. To use them on the wood I intend to burn inside the oven with my food is out of the question. Most of the nest is out of sight, hidden between logs. I'm at a loss as to how I remove this other than hiring an expensive professional.

Author:  northwesterner [ Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Yellow Jackets help!

Sounds like you need to knock the pile apart and disturb the nest. Can you sneak up with a long rope or chain? Or do you know anyone who owns a front end loader with an enclosed cab? :|

Wimsey aside, when do you plan to next use your oven? Once the first freeze hits I imagine that nest will be inactive. But until then, you'll have to be careful and see if you can't drag the stack apart. I don't know if the orange oil would make food taste off if you sprayed a mix of water and orange oil, but I suppose simply pouring boiling water over the wood will kill the wasps and the wood will dry.

Good luck!

Author:  Mr. Clean [ Tue Aug 31, 2010 8:49 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Yellow Jackets help!

How accessible is the nest? Can you see it easily w/o having to squat or contort your body? If the wasps are on the nest, a good strong soapy water stream can knock them off the nest and their wings will be too heavy to fly away quickly. Use that time and a fly swatter to kill as many as you can before they regain their flight capability. If you can do this at night or in a darkened room, use a flashlight with a red filter.

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