What's the best/safest way to get rid of a yellow-jacket hive?

[Pendrench]

It seems like every year we have a yellow-jacket hive in our backyard - and I always find them after I run over the hive with my lawn-mower (and get stung a half dozen times).

So any advice how to get rid of them (without getting stung some more) would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is there any way to keep them from coming back once I get rid of them?

We have a lot of mole tunnels in our backyard, too, and I wonder if they build their hives in the abandoned tunnels.

Thank you very much.

Tim

[Inchworm]

1. I did a lot of bank clearing back in the day

I was always the one who had to use the flame thrower. It was a knack of mine. Any job noone wanted to do.. lets get -Inchworm-

I loved the flamethrower though. Probably not practical, but .. thought I'd share :)

:hi:

[Pendrench]

6. Not a bad idea...I remember when we were kids, my dad poured gas down the hole and then lit a piece

of paper and threw it down into the nest.

Maybe I'll give Dad a call. :)

Tim

[cwydro]

39. my dad did that too.

I feel bad for the bees now. We're running out of them.

[Wcross]

2. Link

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/yellowjackets.htm

All I can say is don't mess with them during the daylight hours. I would go with the chemicals on this web site. (Or what you can buy locally)

[Pendrench]

7. Thank you very much - I'll check out the info on the link!

I've also heard not to mess with them during the day...I heard that once you disturb their nest, they will follow you for 100 yards.

Thanks again -

Tim

[The Brethren]

31. ditto

I was just going to say that. Esp. about not disturbing during the day - they are more dormit during dusk and evening. The same goes with hornets and wasps. The chemical sprays work well - the ones I've used at least, but you have to also make sure you thoroughly spray the nest, in case any survive and seek revenge. :( Then let the nest set for awhile - liek the following day, and make sure to remove all of it. Not sure how to prevent them, if you don't the nest while you can, from my exp. it just becomes even more of a problem as the nest gets larger.

Btw, if you do spray them, keep your distance and run like hell afterwards, LOL, I don't care what the label says....if you miss one, you'll regret it.

[femmocrat]

3. Wait until evening, shoot their hive with an aerosol wasp killer that has a long range,

and then run like hell!

I don't think there is anyway to keep them from coming back. I have seen wasp traps at the farm store... maybe you could hang some of them around to at least decrease their numbers. I don't think they are using the mole tunnels, though. You might have "ground bees." :shrug:

[Pendrench]

8. Thank you for your reply....I actually have a couple of those traps, maybe

I'll try setting some up (after the sun goes down).

Is there a difference between ground bees and yellow-jackets? I just assumed that yellow-jackets has the in-ground nests.

Thanks again for the info.

Tim

[femmocrat]

18. Well, I just read Wcross's link, and stand corrected.

I did not know that yellow jackets nest on the ground. The ones I have seen make those gray paper hives in the bushes. We get "ground bees" here (PA) in the spring. They are darker and fatter than the one shown in the picture.

[Pendrench]

19. I'll have to check the link, too....I live in Maryland, so they might be the same kind

you have in Pennsylvania.

Tim

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Call an exterminator!

:scared:

[Pendrench]

9. Actually, we called our exterminator last year, and they told us that they would have to send out

someone in full "bee keeper" gear...but for some reason they never came out.

Anyway, if none of the other options work, I will definitely make that call!

Thank you very much.

Tim

[trof]

5. WD-40

No...wait...Maybe it was duct tape.
I forget.

[Pendrench]

I'll try both to see what happens. :)

[Blue-Jay]

10. Poke at it with a stick.

[Pendrench]

11. Or I could ask my kids to do that...got to earn that allowance somehow!

[In_The_Wind]

12. I spray the hell outta the nest after dark with a hornet/bee/wasp killer.

The next day I keep my distance until I'm sure the bees aren't active.

[Pendrench]

13. I think I might try that tonight....the nest is about 20 yards from my house, so maybe

I can spray (and run like hell) before they know what hit them.

Thanks!

Tim

[In_The_Wind]

14. You won't need to 'run like hell' after dark but clear your path first.

I'd hate to hear that you tripped on something on your way back after the kill. You also might want to block the hole in a few days to prevent a new group of bees from moving in.

Good luck, Tim.

[Pendrench]

21. Thanks...I was thinking the same thing (about blocking the hole).

Of course (knowing me) I'm still gonna run like hell anyway!

But I will make sure the path is clear first.

Thanks again -

Tim

[SPKrazy]

15. Get a Flame Thrower And A Flame Suit

and have at it!

:rofl:

[Inchworm]

17. I like the way you think

see #1

:rofl: :rofl:

:hi:

[Wcross]

16. delete

[nuxvomica]

20. Soak it with orange oil

It will prevent them from coming after you and they won't come back. I'm afraid it will also kill every yellow-jacket in the nest. Get the concentrated orange oil cleaner at a health-food store or in the natural-food section of a supermarket. Don't get the mass-market stuff that just looks orange.
It's pretty lethal to wasps and such. I have sprayed it at wasps flying toward me and they just drop on contact. I used to get wasp nests on my porch every summer but this stuff stopped it. The up side is that it's just orange oil and it's biodegradable.

[Pendrench]

22. Thank you for the information...I've never heard of orange oil cleaner, but I will see if I can find

some. Do you have any suggestions as to how much I should get/use?

Thank you.

Tim

[nuxvomica]

23. I get a spray bottle and just keep spraying till it's soaked

What's left over can be used for household cleaning. The first time I used it on a nest, I mixed it with soapy water in a "super soaker" rifle that shoots a steady stream at 6 feet. I had just used soapy water in the past -- slows them down but doesn't kill them -- and tried the orange oil because I was out of dishwashing liquid. To my surprise the orange oil cleaner was more lethal and the wasp nests didn't return the next summer. Also, it's best to do it at twilight cuz wasps are less active then. I abandoned using insecticides years before when I got a cat and this stuff actually works better than Raid or Black Flag and is safer to use. The orange oil also works on ants -- makes foam come out of them, which was an ugly surprise -- but appears to have no effect on beetles or spiders.

[Pendrench]

24. Thank you - that's good to know.

I might have to wait until tomorrow night to try to get them...but I'll let you know how things work.

Tim

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

25. Take off. Nuke the site from orbit. Only way to be sure.

:shrug:

[Pendrench]

32. If all else fails, I will give this serious consideration.

Thanks for your reply.

Tim

[Bunny]

26. Wait until dusk, when all the bees have returned to the hive, then

pour gasoline down the hole and light it on fire. It will burn itself out, and kill the hive. When I was married, back in the Dark Ages, the former Mr. Bunny did this and it worked wonderfully. We live in Western PA. I see you are in MD, this should work there so long as it's not too dry. Good luck.

[Pendrench]

33. My dad actually did the same thing when we were kids...right now I think it might be a

bit too dry to try this, but it's definitely an option.

Thanks!

Tim

[Critters2]

27. They hate ground hogs.

I have a few you can borrow.

[Pendrench]

34. Really? That might explain why they've shown up the last couple of years....

We used to have a ground hog living under one of our sheds, but I haven't seem him in awhile. Maybe when he left the bees moved in.

It's a shame they don't like moles, we've still got plenty of them!

Thanks for your reply.

Tim

[badgerpup]

28. It's too bad they're in a place where they're causing problems...

...have you ever had a chance to really LOOK at one of the paper nests that they make?
They're all different kinds of shades of grey from all the different woods they had to chew to make it...and the incredible intricacy of all the little cells inside is just amazing.
Beautiful, really...
:wow:

[KT2000]

30. Insects really are fascinating

aren't they?
Some of those nests are huge and I am sure potters are envious of their beautiful shapes.

Ants are something too - they are always carrying dead things back to their nests, always bigger than they are. I was watching two ants carry a dead fly and they traversed my deck, up and over a cement block, up and over a 2x4, in perfect unison. They did have to stop once so one of them could run around in circles, but he got right back to the job.

[Pendrench]

37. Since this nest is underground, I'm not able to see what it look like, but I agree, insects are

truly amazing.

Tim

[Pendrench]

36. I agree - in fact, last year I didn't even bother trying to get rid of them, because the nest was

next to our back fence (and I just avoided cutting that area until the fall).

Unfortunately, this is right in the middle of the yard, and I'm afraid one of my kids might stumble across it and get stung.

Thanks for your reply.

Tim

[KT2000]

40. Kids first!

As a child I rolled over one of those ground nests and got massively stung.
I have spent the rest of my life with pretty bad reactions to those stings. It is a good thing to avoid.
Good luck.

[RushIsRot]

29. Post a sign at the entrance:

No admittance without

Jacket AND Tie!

[Connonym]

35. lol

:rofl:

[Pendrench]

38. If I thought it would work......

Thanks for the reply!

Tim

[leftofthedial]

41. get a soda straw

use that to suck the yellow jackets out of the hive, one at a time. be sure to bite their heads off before spitting them out.

then, grab the hive firmly with both hands, preferably while standing on the top rung of a rickety wooden ladder.

stuff the hive down your pants, jump to the ground and walk very slowly to wherever you keep your garbage cans.

shake the hive and any remaining yellow jackets down through your pants leg to the ground.

stomp on the hive aggressively. jump up and down on it to rouse and dislodge any sleeping yellow jackets.

then, carry the squashed hive into the kitchen and place it in the microwave along with a large metal serving spoon

microwave on high for 10 minutes or until the fire department arrives.


glad I could help.