####### Yellow Jackets in the ground... (1 Viewer)

[Fat Nick]

I know this will take time and may not solve the problem, but you could put a big dent in the population. Who knows? Maybe if you killed enough adults, the nest would die out.

DIY yellow jacket trap.

I may have to make a few of these just to try it...I wonder if I could economy-size the bottle and use a larger gatorade bottle or something...I feel like I have enough bees to fill up a soda bottle very quickly.

Last year I bought one of those commercial traps. It worked OK...Caught a few bees, but not enough to justify the price.

 

[Stoneys]

had a yellow jacket nest in some ivy that i couldn't gas and blow up. I hit with 2 cans of hornet/wasp killer at night then put borax around the area that i thought the nest was in (couldn't see the hole) The borax supposedly sticks to their feet which they then take into the nest and it kills them in the nest. Haven't had an issue since.

 

[Johnny Rock]

Try to find a spray loaded w Pyrethrin

that guy on TV swears by it... the white trash guy from VexCon. Seems to kill everything.

If it works well, I'll probably just start spraying quarterly in the summer to prevent the bees from coming back.

Just try not to kill the bees.

 

[General Malaise]

I got a call a few weeks ago from the guy who was installing our new windows. He said one of his workers was attacked by ground hornets and I had a big problem on my hand. The hornets/wasps needed to go before we could finish the side of the house where his guy was attacked. He suggested I call an exterminator. I decided to take the matter into my own hands.

First, I did a little Internet sleuthing and came across this video. In short, it's a 4 minute clip of a guy who kills his ground hornets/wasps/yellowjackets using Dawn Dish Soap, a screen and a garden hose. Easy enough, right?

Anyhow, I decided to try this option at night, but just in case I bought a couple cans of spray. I also decided to do this after several beers to aid in my courage. Around 10pm, I put on two pairs of pants, boots, four layers of shirts, a hoodie and gloves. I looked like the kid brother from "A Christmas Story".

Got out my lantern, an old screen and tiptoed to the giant hole in the ground. I set up shop, got everything prepped, moved the screen over the hole and ZAP!!!!!!!!!! One of the basturds must have been keeping sentry at night because he jumped me without me even seeing him. Mother pusbucket found the one piece of skin on my body between my hand and glove and just sunk into that skin like deranged ferret, refusing to let go. So I stomped him to death, said "Screw it" to the environment and just sprayed the entire can into the hole.

For good measure, I then put the screen over the hole again, dumped half a bottle of dish soap down the hole and flooded it with the hose. The next day, there was nothing but carnage. I shoveled a bunch of dirt into and on top of the hole and put some big rocks on top of it. No more ground hornets there.

 

[coyote5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1GadTfGFvU

Really disappointed this wasn't your link...

 

[lod01]

Ground bees are the absolute worst. They have a thing against people.

Pour gas down hole, light it, watch yellow jackets shoot out hole, wings burn off and fall to ground.

 

[beer 30]

Only way to be sure

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

 

[Fat Nick]

I got a call a few weeks ago from the guy who was installing our new windows. He said one of his workers was attacked by ground hornets and I had a big problem on my hand. The hornets/wasps needed to go before we could finish the side of the house where his guy was attacked. He suggested I call an exterminator. I decided to take the matter into my own hands.

First, I did a little Internet sleuthing and came across this video. In short, it's a 4 minute clip of a guy who kills his ground hornets/wasps/yellowjackets using Dawn Dish Soap, a screen and a garden hose. Easy enough, right?

Anyhow, I decided to try this option at night, but just in case I bought a couple cans of spray. I also decided to do this after several beers to aid in my courage. Around 10pm, I put on two pairs of pants, boots, four layers of shirts, a hoodie and gloves. I looked like the kid brother from "A Christmas Story".

Got out my lantern, an old screen and tiptoed to the giant hole in the ground. I set up shop, got everything prepped, moved the screen over the hole and ZAP!!!!!!!!!! One of the basturds must have been keeping sentry at night because he jumped me without me even seeing him. Mother pusbucket found the one piece of skin on my body between my hand and glove and just sunk into that skin like deranged ferret, refusing to let go. So I stomped him to death, said "Screw it" to the environment and just sprayed the entire can into the hole.

For good measure, I then put the screen over the hole again, dumped half a bottle of dish soap down the hole and flooded it with the hose. The next day, there was nothing but carnage. I shoveled a bunch of dirt into and on top of the hole and put some big rocks on top of it. No more ground hornets there.

I have to get the picture off my wife's phone. I had on jeans with shorts over them (for the extra sensitive parts...), long-sleeve t-shirt, hoodie, hat, socks (with jeans tucked into them), and construction boots...THEN the full bee suit with hood and gloves. I then duct taped my ankles and wrists because those are two vulnerable spots. I also had a headlamp on which was a bad idea. Not only did the light attract them, but the glare off the hood mesh made it hard to see.

It's kind of crazy because they must have the ability to see some sort of heat signature or something. The thinnest part of my get-up was at my wrists...That's why I taped there. The gloves had thick leather palms, but the sleeve that went up to my elbow was thin, and where my hoodie sleeve stopped, there was a thin spot. When I was hacking the juniper out, there were 3-4 bees trying to sting me right at my wrist. They completely ignored everywhere else.

 

[Fat Nick]

Only way to be sure

I have a propane-powered torch from harbor freight. Shoots a 2-3' long flame. I use it for burning weeds off my driveway. It'd be awesome for this IF I didn't have landscaping around. That would be a lot of fun actually.

 

[Fat Nick]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

Oh those are a breeze. I like to just throw tennis balls at them. It's a challenge to hit it, but fun when you do. If I want to kill those, a simple blast of any bee spray does it.

My Mom has a nest of bald faced hornets over her garage that I'm going to have to deal with the next time I visit her. The sting has been described as similar to getting burned by a branding iron. Yay.

 

[psychobillies]

It's been my experience that every nest has at least two entrances/exits that provide the necessary ventilation for the nest. When I come across a nest, I pour a little diesel into one hole, then look for them to come up somewhere else. Once I diesel that hole up, problem solved.

 

[Fat Nick]

It's been my experience that every nest has at least two entrances/exits that provide the necessary ventilation for the nest. When I come across a nest, I pour a little diesel into one hole, then look for them to come up somewhere else. Once I diesel that hole up, problem solved.

I've read that. I kind of wonder if that's what happened with the Juniper bush nest...the 2nd nest I found under the grass is about 5' away. Could just be an extension of the same colony.

The one under the boxwood is about 10' from the front entrance...I HOPE that's not the same colony or else that's a BIG nest.

 

[Parrothead]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

Oh those are a breeze. I like to just throw tennis balls at them. It's a challenge to hit it, but fun when you do. If I want to kill those, a simple blast of any bee spray does it.

My Mom has a nest of bald faced hornets over her garage that I'm going to have to deal with the next time I visit her. The sting has been described as similar to getting burned by a branding iron. Yay.

I can speak to that - wife, dog and I were ambushed by these bald faced terrorists while hiking.. one nailed in the back of the head- felt like I was shot with a molten BB.. wife got stung twice on the arm- f'ers took flesh, because she was BLEEDING! Dog took a sting in the ### and wasn't happy..

 

[psychobillies]

It's been my experience that every nest has at least two entrances/exits that provide the necessary ventilation for the nest. When I come across a nest, I pour a little diesel into one hole, then look for them to come up somewhere else. Once I diesel that hole up, problem solved.

I've read that. I kind of wonder if that's what happened with the Juniper bush nest...the 2nd nest I found under the grass is about 5' away. Could just be an extension of the same colony.

The one under the boxwood is about 10' from the front entrance...I HOPE that's not the same colony or else that's a BIG nest.

Hard to say. I have definitely seen the holes further apart than that, but you should know once you aggravate the first hole.

 

[Parrothead]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

Oh those are a breeze. I like to just throw tennis balls at them. It's a challenge to hit it, but fun when you do. If I want to kill those, a simple blast of any bee spray does it.

My Mom has a nest of bald faced hornets over her garage that I'm going to have to deal with the next time I visit her. The sting has been described as similar to getting burned by a branding iron. Yay.

final word of advice on the baldys- do not go anywhere near the nest! They have guards on duty that will attack you and they go for the face.. you have been warned..

 

[Fat Nick]

It's been my experience that every nest has at least two entrances/exits that provide the necessary ventilation for the nest. When I come across a nest, I pour a little diesel into one hole, then look for them to come up somewhere else. Once I diesel that hole up, problem solved.

I've read that. I kind of wonder if that's what happened with the Juniper bush nest...the 2nd nest I found under the grass is about 5' away. Could just be an extension of the same colony.

The one under the boxwood is about 10' from the front entrance...I HOPE that's not the same colony or else that's a BIG nest.

Hard to say. I have definitely seen the holes further apart than that, but you should know once you aggravate the first hole.

Does that mean the entire nest is that big? Or do they just have long entrance/exit tunnels?

 

[Fat Nick]

final word of advice on the baldys- do not go anywhere near the nest! They have guards on duty that will attack you and they go for the face.. you have been warned..

I'm thinking I can put on my layers and my bee suit and go under cover of darkness and just soak the nest with the insecticide one night, then hopefully go back the next night with a shovel and knock it off the roofline...

 

[psychobillies]

It's been my experience that every nest has at least two entrances/exits that provide the necessary ventilation for the nest. When I come across a nest, I pour a little diesel into one hole, then look for them to come up somewhere else. Once I diesel that hole up, problem solved.

I've read that. I kind of wonder if that's what happened with the Juniper bush nest...the 2nd nest I found under the grass is about 5' away. Could just be an extension of the same colony.

The one under the boxwood is about 10' from the front entrance...I HOPE that's not the same colony or else that's a BIG nest.

Hard to say. I have definitely seen the holes further apart than that, but you should know once you aggravate the first hole.

Does that mean the entire nest is that big? Or do they just have long entrance/exit tunnels?

I am certainly no expert, but I have taken out a bunch of these things over the years. I always assume long tunnels because I don't see "too many" escape, and I don't really use a whole lot of diesel. Maybe a cup or two.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

Yeah I have this same problem. So after the third straight year of getting stung while cutting the lawn in the summer, I found some nests and got medieval. They love the dry cracked ground, so next spring I'm going to make sure the lawn is watered every day and I'm gonna search and destroy their habitats.

 

[Stoneys]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

Oh those are a breeze. I like to just throw tennis balls at them. It's a challenge to hit it, but fun when you do. If I want to kill those, a simple blast of any bee spray does it.

My Mom has a nest of bald faced hornets over her garage that I'm going to have to deal with the next time I visit her. The sting has been described as similar to getting burned by a branding iron. Yay.

Ran into one these nests years ago while trimming hedges. Got nailed 9 times. Threw the hedge trimmers in the middle of the alley next to my house and ran like hell. Had one follow me into the house. Luckily it got confused by the ceiling fan. Hate those bastards and any other bee type insect.

 

[Fat Nick]

Yeah I have this same problem. So after the third straight year of getting stung while cutting the lawn in the summer, I found some nests and got medieval. They love the dry cracked ground, so next spring I'm going to make sure the lawn is watered every day and I'm gonna search and destroy their habitats.

This was one of my original hunches, and I think it's being confirmed now...We're bone dry here, and we were the same way this point last year when I started noticing them. I read a few things that confirmed your point - One article said that one of the reasons just trapping them in their burrows can work if done right is that they don't actually "dig." They rely on pre-existing holes to get things started...usually cracks, old root holes, mole holes, old ant holes, etc. They can excavate out loose dirt, but don't have the strength to actually DIG out a huge nest. So this makes sense...dry weather, and they find places to live.

 

[Fat Nick]

I know this will take time and may not solve the problem, but you could put a big dent in the population. Who knows? Maybe if you killed enough adults, the nest would die out.

DIY yellow jacket trap.

I may have to make a few of these just to try it...I wonder if I could economy-size the bottle and use a larger gatorade bottle or something...I feel like I have enough bees to fill up a soda bottle very quickly.

Last year I bought one of those commercial traps. It worked OK...Caught a few bees, but not enough to justify the price.

So I tried the DIY Yellow Jacket Trap. Made 3 of them. Put them around the front where the bees are. Thus far, after a 36 hour "soak," zero interest from anything. We'll see....I remember the traps I put up last year took a few days to start getting hits. Neighbors probably think I had a big party as there are half-full bottles of wine all over the yard...

My insecticide comes tomorrow. I'm going to blanket spray all my landscaping. I'd feel bad if I EVER saw honey bees, but all we have are yellow jackets, horse flys, and carpenter bees, so I don't care too much about them.

 

[Guest]

I know this will take time and may not solve the problem, but you could put a big dent in the population. Who knows? Maybe if you killed enough adults, the nest would die out.

DIY yellow jacket trap.

I may have to make a few of these just to try it...I wonder if I could economy-size the bottle and use a larger gatorade bottle or something...I feel like I have enough bees to fill up a soda bottle very quickly.

Last year I bought one of those commercial traps. It worked OK...Caught a few bees, but not enough to justify the price.

So I tried the DIY Yellow Jacket Trap. Made 3 of them. Put them around the front where the bees are. Thus far, after a 36 hour "soak," zero interest from anything. We'll see....I remember the traps I put up last year took a few days to start getting hits. Neighbors probably think I had a big party as there are half-full bottles of wine all over the yard...

My insecticide comes tomorrow. I'm going to blanket spray all my landscaping. I'd feel bad if I EVER saw honey bees, but all we have are yellow jackets, horse flys, and carpenter bees, so I don't care too much about them.

Damn, you've got the worst kind of bees. The infamous Stinging Teetotalers. Best wishes.

 

[TheIronSheik]

I know this will take time and may not solve the problem, but you could put a big dent in the population. Who knows? Maybe if you killed enough adults, the nest would die out.

DIY yellow jacket trap.

I may have to make a few of these just to try it...I wonder if I could economy-size the bottle and use a larger gatorade bottle or something...I feel like I have enough bees to fill up a soda bottle very quickly.

Last year I bought one of those commercial traps. It worked OK...Caught a few bees, but not enough to justify the price.

So I tried the DIY Yellow Jacket Trap. Made 3 of them. Put them around the front where the bees are. Thus far, after a 36 hour "soak," zero interest from anything. We'll see....I remember the traps I put up last year took a few days to start getting hits. Neighbors probably think I had a big party as there are half-full bottles of wine all over the yard...

My insecticide comes tomorrow. I'm going to blanket spray all my landscaping. I'd feel bad if I EVER saw honey bees, but all we have are yellow jackets, horse flys, and carpenter bees, so I don't care too much about them.

Damn, you've got the worst kind of bees. The infamous Stinging Teetotalers. Best wishes.

Great band name?

 

[Garrett]

They make new nests/locations every year.

In the Spring go around and dust any rodent holes or likely places for a queen to get started with Sevin...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-lb-Ready-to-Use-5-Dust-Garden-Insect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

If you find any established nests in the ground through the year, just sprinkle that Sevin powder around the entrance and leave it along for a day or two. It will be completely dead in 48 hours. That Sevin powder is complete death to just about any insect; I'd keep it away from any dogs or cats too.

If they get up in the house or in the soffiting, you pretty have to use the sprays which do alright as well.

Either way, do that every year and you will not have any yellow jackets.

 

[TheIronSheik]

#YellowJacketLivesMatter

 

[BowieMercs]

Just pee in the hole. Report back here if/when the swelling goes down. For anaphylactic shock lasting more than 4 hours, consult your doctor immediately.

 

[Fat Nick]

They make new nests/locations every year.

In the Spring go around and dust any rodent holes or likely places for a queen to get started with Sevin...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-lb-Ready-to-Use-5-Dust-Garden-Insect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

If you find any established nests in the ground through the year, just sprinkle that Sevin powder around the entrance and leave it along for a day or two. It will be completely dead in 48 hours. That Sevin powder is complete death to just about any insect; I'd keep it away from any dogs or cats too.

If they get up in the house or in the soffiting, you pretty have to use the sprays which do alright as well.

Either way, do that every year and you will not have any yellow jackets.

So Sevin is my go-to for cheaper in-store stuff. Works fine if you can see the hole and just dump a ton there.

The commercial strength dust and dusters are far superior though. Delta Dust is what I've been using. Worked on the one hole that I could sort of see, and works GREAT under siding where it knocked out that nest. The difference in the two is very noticeable. Sevin is kind of like powdered sugar. If you sprinkle it, it falls down...The commercial stuff is like chalk dust. If you sprinkle it, you get some that falls, but a lot of it rides in this big cloud. It's the "clouding" that, when combined with a good duster gets the stuff way into the cracks and crevices.

I know my products pretty well at this point...I just haven't had as much luck getting rid of my problem due to location.

I just got the notice that my Cypermethrin stuff came in. I'll be filling up my pressure sprayer and going to town on the landscaping as soon as I get home tonight.

 

[Garrett]

They make new nests/locations every year.

In the Spring go around and dust any rodent holes or likely places for a queen to get started with Sevin...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-lb-Ready-to-Use-5-Dust-Garden-Insect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

If you find any established nests in the ground through the year, just sprinkle that Sevin powder around the entrance and leave it along for a day or two. It will be completely dead in 48 hours. That Sevin powder is complete death to just about any insect; I'd keep it away from any dogs or cats too.

If they get up in the house or in the soffiting, you pretty have to use the sprays which do alright as well.

Either way, do that every year and you will not have any yellow jackets.

So Sevin is my go-to for cheaper in-store stuff. Works fine if you can see the hole and just dump a ton there.

The commercial strength dust and dusters are far superior though. Delta Dust is what I've been using. Worked on the one hole that I could sort of see, and works GREAT under siding where it knocked out that nest. The difference in the two is very noticeable. Sevin is kind of like powdered sugar. If you sprinkle it, it falls down...The commercial stuff is like chalk dust. If you sprinkle it, you get some that falls, but a lot of it rides in this big cloud. It's the "clouding" that, when combined with a good duster gets the stuff way into the cracks and crevices.

I know my products pretty well at this point...I just haven't had as much luck getting rid of my problem due to location.

I just got the notice that my Cypermethrin stuff came in. I'll be filling up my pressure sprayer and going to town on the landscaping as soon as I get home tonight.

Assuming you haven't grown a third eyebrow from inhaling that perfect cloud, I am going to track down some of the Delta Dust just to try it out.

I've got a few hills that slope down into heavy woods so I'm constantly watching for those f###### making new forts in every underground abode they can find.

Somebody mentioned bald faced hornets earlier. I am curious how they knock those out, because the one time I tried I got lit up bad.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Nick, you're a detonator short of Caddyshack at this point from the sound of things.

 

[Sputnikv8]

At what point have you spent more on chems and equipment than you would have to just have a pro do it? :shrugs:

 

[Ratbert]

Chlordane used to be the go to pesticide. I remember buying a big jug of liquid concentrate before it was pulled from the market. Not sure how we survived breathing chlordane dust & the fumes from Sunoco 260 leaded fuel, but I'm guessing that's why the gene pool was stronger then. Natural selection through chemicals.

 

[Garrett]

They make new nests/locations every year.

In the Spring go around and dust any rodent holes or likely places for a queen to get started with Sevin...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-lb-Ready-to-Use-5-Dust-Garden-Insect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

At what point have you spent more on chems and equipment than you would have to just have a pro do it? :shrugs:

You can handle an average lot with $6 worth of off the shelf stuff from Walmart. What have you paid for a pro?

 

[cheeseypoof]

Just pulled off a night time assault on a yellow jacket nest. Emptied almost a whole can of wasp killer into the underground nest. Didn't encounter any sentries and didn't see any escapees while spraying. Victorious round one. Tomorrow may prove to be a different story.

 

[MikeIke]

I guess I'm lucky, I didn't even know that yellow jackets loved in the ground

 

[Sputnikv8]

They make new nests/locations every year.

In the Spring go around and dust any rodent holes or likely places for a queen to get started with Sevin...

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sevin-1-lb-Ready-to-Use-5-Dust-Garden-Insect-Killer-Shaker-Bottle-100508222/100662149

At what point have you spent more on chems and equipment than you would have to just have a pro do it? :shrugs:

You can handle an average lot with $6 worth of off the shelf stuff from Walmart. What have you paid for a pro?

Hey, do what you want. I may be reading wrong but the dude in here is talking about a bee suit, dusts, another order of chems, etc. That sounds like more than 6 bucks and seems like a lot of time/risk. I got stung in the neck by some little (not sure) yellow jackets and had to go to an ER. This sounds like all out war.

 

[parasaurolophus]

I have posted on here before about my extreme fear of yellow jackets. Hearing posts where people bought a "couple of cans" makes me chuckle. I buy about six boxes of wasp and hornet killer every year. I wait for this stuff to go on sale and I clear them out of it.

It isn't the greatest spray, but at a buck a can it becomes a numbers game. If I get a nest, I have my brother help me. We each have two cans in our hands and spray like crazy. We usually go through about 20 cans when there is a nest.

Last year I tried this

I placed a tarp over the general area at night. Weighed some of the edges down with some bricks. Setup three of those cans. Sealed the tarp off completely then by weighing down all edges and then ran inside. My brother was just randomly spraying cans in all directions while i was doing this. When we removed the tarp we never saw another one fly in or out.

 

[[icon]]

Wait..you guys have wasps that live in the ground?

Wait...you don't? I want to move where you live.

Getting rid of wasps is easy when they just have nests up high.

Not that I'm aware of. We just have these SOBs. http://abcwildlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/removing-paper-wasp-nests.jpg

Easy and almost fun to take out.

Oh those are a breeze. I like to just throw tennis balls at them. It's a challenge to hit it, but fun when you do. If I want to kill those, a simple blast of any bee spray does it.

My Mom has a nest of bald faced hornets over her garage that I'm going to have to deal with the next time I visit her. The sting has been described as similar to getting burned by a branding iron. Yay.

I can speak to that - wife, dog and I were ambushed by these bald faced terrorists while hiking.. one nailed in the back of the head- felt like I was shot with a molten BB.. wife got stung twice on the arm- f'ers took flesh, because she was BLEEDING! Dog took a sting in the ### and wasn't happy..

Yep. We called them white faces up in mass. Aggressive sons of #####es, too. Had a nest of them in a tractor tire as a kid. Threw rocks at it with my little brother. I got away when we hit it, he didnt. Took about 8-10 stings.

 

[BoltBacker]

Basketball court?

 

[BoltBacker]

Pic of Nick in the bee suit please.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/BlindMelonBlindMelon.jpg

 

[Courtjester]

Now I am not shy about saying my backyard is a dump. It is about the size of a postage stamp. My neighbor and I had been planning on doing a fence to divide our little worlds, but he had a massive stroke and died just a few months ago. His yard is a just a tribute to the Land of Unfinished Projects--a half built pond, a sort of gazebo structure, the base of a shed--you get the idea. We get direct hot sun all day and the only thing that grows back there are these huge thistles with thorns and oh, these creepy red vine things no pesticide alive can kill. So basically we steer clear of this place other than to grill. Did I mention the corner of my backyard houses the transformer, all the cable and phone lines and the water meters for all surrounding houses. I do cut the backyard 3-4 times a year--only when the weeds get around stomach height mind you.

However, what is thriving back there is a world any entomologist would just love. The types and numbers of bugs back there are amazing. Last weekend when I ventured out there we had a preying mantis that was at least 8 inches long sitting right on the wall by the door and at least 10,000 grasshoppers.

But back to the subject at hand, every slat and post back there seems to be a home for multiple species of wasps and hornets. We have the paper wasp ones. We have these big, ugly red ones that have these long legs that hang down. We have some kind of wasp that has a home in the tree that just decided to come up in the middle of the yard. Those suckers are aggressive and nasty. I have killed some of the paper wasps with the long spray type killer. But the ones in the tree are problematic. I started cutting the tree down, but the area where they are at is right at the top and I know when the tree goes down, they are going to be looking for blood. I think I am going after the red guys next. I have the yard all cut down with the exception of the corner where all the utilities are and I kid you not, the weeds over there are over 7 feet high, but the red guys control that turf. I am just afraid the utilities guys are going to come read the meter and get more than they bargain for back there. I hate bugs. I really do.

 

[Fat Nick]

OK...time for some updates.

I got some Cypermethrin in the mail on Thursday. I loaded up my pressure sprayer and started misting all my landscaping. I know it killed some bugs off...in general, a lot less bugs. I started seeing some dead bees too, but the main nests were still going strong.

Just to re-cap, I have:

Nest 1: Under dead Juniper

Nest 2: Under shrub next to dead Juniper

Nest 3: Under pine tree by front door

Nest 4: Under Boxwood

Nest 5: Under another Boxwood

Nest 6: Under siding around back.

Nest 1 was eradicated very early on through a combination of basic bee spray, and Delta Dust. I could access the hole. Nest 6 was eradicated via Delta Dust shot under the siding.

Nest 3 I thought I had killed at one point with Delta Dust, but it was back. I read about a new method...rather than spraying the cypermethrin, some folks said to just mix up a gallon or so and just dump the gallon right on the hole...so, last night, I suited up and went at it. I dumped a gallon down Next 3, 4, and 5's holes. 4 and 5 sucked because I literally had to crawn under the boxwood to get to the holes. I saw them in daylight and had to go back at night.

Amazingly, I didn't see any bees when I was dumping the cypermethrin. I'll be interested to see if it works. Hopefully I go home today to no more bees. If it does work, I'll use some Delta Dust to keep them from coming back.

For those talking about cost - I've spent ~$120 so far. $60 or so on a bee suit and gloves, and another $60 on chemicals (Delta Dust, Cypermethrin, and store-bought stuff) What I'm finding is that the store bought stuff kills bees quickly, but doesn't last, and in general is more toxic. The Delta Dust and Cypermethrin take a little while to work, but last for a long time. Both DD and Cyper are relatively harmless to mammals and birds.

 

[Courtjester]

And as a bonus you have a Halloween costume you can wear for years to come....

 

[QuizGuy66]

I see this ending with Nick house becoming one big yellowjacket nest with him turning into their leader.

-QG

 

[mr roboto]

I see this ending with Nick house becoming one big yellowjacket nest with him turning into their leader.

-QG

Yeah this totally sounds like the first 5 minutes of every one of those Infested storied on Animal Planet. Bees in Chimney http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/infested/videos/not-so-sweet-honey-bee-invasion/

 

[Fat Nick]

OK...so update after my inspection last night:

Nest 1: Gone. I dug it up and planted a new shrub.

Nest 2: Gone. I've treated that one 2-3 times, and I think the bucket of Cypermethrin finished it off.

Nest 3: Unsure - Volume of bees is WAY down (from 2-3 every 10 seconds to maybe 1 every 15 seconds or so now), but there are still bees around. Will possibly go in tonight and actually clean out all the mulch/leaves and bucket-dump again.

Nest 4: Volume of bees is down, but still substantial activity. Will treat like Nest 3.

Nest 5: Seems unaffected by Cypermethrin bucket. Will re-treat and possibly clean out as with Nest 3/4.

Nest 6: Gone. I used to see a bee here and there, but now there's nothing.

I'm not overly happy with the Cypermethrin. I feel like if it's as good as they say, it would've done them all in with one bucket. That's WAY over the recommended amount for general treatment. I guess the trade-off is that it's relatively harmless to anything except bugs, where as the store-bought stuff will brown leaves, etc.

 

[glock]

OK...so update after my inspection last night:

Nest 1: Gone. I dug it up and planted a new shrub.

Nest 2: Gone. I've treated that one 2-3 times, and I think the bucket of Cypermethrin finished it off.

Nest 3: Unsure - Volume of bees is WAY down (from 2-3 every 10 seconds to maybe 1 every 15 seconds or so now), but there are still bees around. Will possibly go in tonight and actually clean out all the mulch/leaves and bucket-dump again.

Nest 4: Volume of bees is down, but still substantial activity. Will treat like Nest 3.

Nest 5: Seems unaffected by Cypermethrin bucket. Will re-treat and possibly clean out as with Nest 3/4.

Nest 6: Gone. I used to see a bee here and there, but now there's nothing.

I'm not overly happy with the Cypermethrin. I feel like if it's as good as they say, it would've done them all in with one bucket. That's WAY over the recommended amount for general treatment. I guess the trade-off is that it's relatively harmless to anything except bugs, where as the store-bought stuff will brown leaves, etc.

What did you use on the siding? I have vinyl horizontal clapboard siding on the side of my house and it appears that the nasty ####ers are going under the bottom course where there is more room. The canned wasp killer I have used in other places doesn't like to spray "uphill", so I haven't been able to get a good blast up in there. :(

 

[Fat Nick]

OK...so update after my inspection last night:

Nest 1: Gone. I dug it up and planted a new shrub.

Nest 2: Gone. I've treated that one 2-3 times, and I think the bucket of Cypermethrin finished it off.

Nest 3: Unsure - Volume of bees is WAY down (from 2-3 every 10 seconds to maybe 1 every 15 seconds or so now), but there are still bees around. Will possibly go in tonight and actually clean out all the mulch/leaves and bucket-dump again.

Nest 4: Volume of bees is down, but still substantial activity. Will treat like Nest 3.

Nest 5: Seems unaffected by Cypermethrin bucket. Will re-treat and possibly clean out as with Nest 3/4.

Nest 6: Gone. I used to see a bee here and there, but now there's nothing.

I'm not overly happy with the Cypermethrin. I feel like if it's as good as they say, it would've done them all in with one bucket. That's WAY over the recommended amount for general treatment. I guess the trade-off is that it's relatively harmless to anything except bugs, where as the store-bought stuff will brown leaves, etc.

What did you use on the siding? I have vinyl horizontal clapboard siding on the side of my house and it appears that the nasty ####ers are going under the bottom course where there is more room. The canned wasp killer I have used in other places doesn't like to spray "uphill", so I haven't been able to get a good blast up in there. :(

Delta Dust. Stuff works great for the siding because it's a really fine dust. A few blasts up under the siding, and it took 3-4 days to finish them off. The Delta Dust is such a fine dust that, when you use it with a duster, it almost turns into a cloud and probably goes way up into the wall further than a liquid can. Plus, since it's dry up there, the dust will last for a really long time.

 

[glock]

OK...so update after my inspection last night:

Nest 1: Gone. I dug it up and planted a new shrub.

Nest 2: Gone. I've treated that one 2-3 times, and I think the bucket of Cypermethrin finished it off.

Nest 3: Unsure - Volume of bees is WAY down (from 2-3 every 10 seconds to maybe 1 every 15 seconds or so now), but there are still bees around. Will possibly go in tonight and actually clean out all the mulch/leaves and bucket-dump again.

Nest 4: Volume of bees is down, but still substantial activity. Will treat like Nest 3.

Nest 5: Seems unaffected by Cypermethrin bucket. Will re-treat and possibly clean out as with Nest 3/4.

Nest 6: Gone. I used to see a bee here and there, but now there's nothing.

I'm not overly happy with the Cypermethrin. I feel like if it's as good as they say, it would've done them all in with one bucket. That's WAY over the recommended amount for general treatment. I guess the trade-off is that it's relatively harmless to anything except bugs, where as the store-bought stuff will brown leaves, etc.

What did you use on the siding? I have vinyl horizontal clapboard siding on the side of my house and it appears that the nasty ####ers are going under the bottom course where there is more room. The canned wasp killer I have used in other places doesn't like to spray "uphill", so I haven't been able to get a good blast up in there. :(

Delta Dust. Stuff works great for the siding because it's a really fine dust. A few blasts up under the siding, and it took 3-4 days to finish them off. The Delta Dust is such a fine dust that, when you use it with a duster, it almost turns into a cloud and probably goes way up into the wall further than a liquid can. Plus, since it's dry up there, the dust will last for a really long time.

Thanks. Going to give this a shot real soon.