Where are the yellowjackets?

[CarbonSteel]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Are those the ones that nest in the ground and you run over their hole with a mower they get riled? Happened to me as a teenager. Even in a full-on escape sprint, they tore my arse up !!
I had the exact same experience--the mower vacuumed them up and sent them in an arc that came down right on top of my head. It took a few stings before I realized what was happening. In my neck of the woods, we call those ground hornets whereas yellow jackets and red wasps are above ground paper nest based and typically build their nest under the eaves of the house. With that said, I have not had to eliminate a single nest this year, which is not normal.

 

[IndyIan]

I tried eating one this weekend before the Blue Jays game... I was eating a hotdog and a dopey one must've landed on it as I bit down. I got stung on the side of my tongue, and then hustled over to the first aid guys 20' away who gave me a couple benadryl and we waited to see if anything was going to happen... I usually get a bit of swelling when stung on the hand or where ever, but fortunately got almost zero swelling on my tongue but it did hurt for 12 hours!
At home though we only have 1 big nest and way up in the peak of a dormer and none anywhere else. Some years we'll have a dozen little nests all over but maybe a big nest defends its territory and scared the rest away.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Donald
They are annoying and often usually aggressive. Bee killer spray after dark. Tiny amount of gasoline in nests in the ground. Do not light. Gas fumes will kill.


Fixed it for ya.



It's the truth about going after them (or any nest of a stinging wasp) after dark. They can't see well enough in the dark to fly. I once had an underground nest in a shed, set up a flashlight on a chair about 20' away. When I opened it up they flew straight down the beam and covered the flashlight. A few left the beam and fell to the ground....but were still walking and stinging (ask me how I know).


I've only seen a few this year so far, it's been a wet summer and they're busier when it is dry.

 

[4WD]

Man, that hurt just reading this. I know it really smarts to get one on the ear - and since then I spend more time hunting them - but this year they were plentiful along with red wasps ...

 

[HemiHawk]

I actually kind of wondered the same thing. last year they were all over. had to spray nests, and setup those traps with attractant.

This year, not so much. I think maybe the key was I set off a couple bug foggers in the shed, and hit the usual nest spots with wasp/hornet spray early on. Only reason I can think they aren't terrorizing me.

Just like a couple of you I hit a ground nest with the tractor as a teen. Took two stings before I realized it wasn't ricochets from the mower. Ran down the street pretty fast.

 

[kschachn]

Well we still have plenty here, I just annihilated a large nest they were building in my fireplace air intake. We kept finding them in the house and I finally tracked them down to there.

 

[KrisZ]

We have way more of them than usual this year. I guess it's area specific.

 

[4WD]

That's classic stuff they do - whoever coined "pests" had to be thinking of them ...

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: cb_13
Funny you should ask. My ankle and foot are both swollen right now due to a couple yellow jackets getting inside my shoe while I was mowing yesterday.


That had to REALLY hurt .

Best wishes ,

 

[WyrTwister]

As to hunting / fighting them after dark , I have a different theory .

They are apparently " cold blooded " . Not very active when the temperature drops .

I have gotten up at first light , when the temperature is cool . Use a garden hose ( cold water ) to knock small nests down , under the eve of the house . Then either stomped on them or sprayed them with something to kill them .

WD40 does not work that well . Once , on a service call , that was all I had . It did weight / wet down their wings & they could not fly as well . Most supply houses now sell insect killer in rattle cans .

As far as them having poor vision & being attracted to light , I do not know .

 

[gman2304]

1 quart of gas poured down their nest/hole after dark. No need to light the gas. No yellow jackets when the sun comes up.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
As to hunting / fighting them after dark , I have a different theory .

They are apparently " cold blooded " . Not very active when the temperature drops .

I have gotten up at first light , when the temperature is cool . Use a garden hose ( cold water ) to knock small nests down , under the eave of the house . Then either stomped on them or sprayed them with something to kill them .

WD40 does not work that well . Once , on a service call , that was all I had . It did weight / wet down their wings & they could not fly as well . Most supply houses now sell insect killer in rattle cans .

As far as them having poor vision & being attracted to light , I do not know .



You're right about the temperature; honey bees won't fly below about 58°F(14.5°C) and yellowjackets are similar.

In my flashlight example, they weren't attracted to the light, but I hacked them off and that's the only thing they could see to attack....

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
Are those the ones that nest in the ground and you run over their hole with a mower they get riled? Happened to me as a teenager. Even in a full-on escape sprint, they tore my arse up !!


Around here,those huge fuzzy bumble bees are the ones that live in the ground. I stepped on a nest one time when I was a kid and got stung in the face 9 times,ouch!

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: gman2304
1 quart of gas poured down their nest/hole after dark. No need to light the gas. No yellow jackets when the sun comes up.


Fun fact: They actually fly into the fire. I am not sure if they can't comprehend that it's hot, dangerous, and that they should stay away, but it burns their wings off then they just fall onto the ground. It's somewhat interesting to watch.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: Donald
They are annoying and often aggressive. Bee killer spray after dark. Tiny amount of gasoline in nests in the ground. Do not light. Gas fumes will kill.
Gas is excellent for the ground nests.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
That had to REALLY hurt .


It's a very hot burning sensation like strong acid being poured on the skin.

 

[Errtt]

There were a bunch all over my backyard not long ago. Our little dog met them and the dog ended spending most of a day at a emergency vet center. So then I went to war, spraying, bug zapper (kind that looks like a tennis racket), more spraying, even whipped a few with a fishing pole. I kept at it for a couple weeks and now we only see an occasional fly-by. I guess I won the battle this time. I left the honey bees alone.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Remember when everyone had these?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
As to hunting / fighting them after dark , I have a different theory .

They are apparently " cold blooded " . Not very active when the temperature drops .

I have gotten up at first light , when the temperature is cool . Use a garden hose ( cold water ) to knock small nests down , under the eve of the house . Then either stomped on them or sprayed them with something to kill them .

WD40 does not work that well . Once , on a service call , that was all I had . It did weight / wet down their wings & they could not fly as well . Most supply houses now sell insect killer in rattle cans .

As far as them having poor vision & being attracted to light , I do not know .


I discovered that Brake Kleen kills them quite quickly and has the advantage of shooting a stream with quite the range.

 

[spasm3]

A year or tow ago, i found a large nest beside my house. I am lucky i never got into it. I only found it because a skunk did me a favor an dug it up.

I don't know how they resist the stings in order to eat the larvae.