CrimsonRose
Lovin' The Homestead
dump gas down the hole and run! that's what hubby does... just hope it won't kill the roots of the apple tree... but that's the ONLY way I know of to kill those suckers... Raid won't even phase them.....
Val's SS journal- Fair food! Yea!
- Thread starter valmom
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It's the wrong season, but we had a wasp nest under our deck a couple of summers ago and hubs just waited till the weather was freezing and dug it out then. There are sprays that will kill wasps, you need to do it after dark while they are "sleeping", but they aren't 100% foolproof--our neighbour bombed a nest that was under his fence a few years ago and it took several goes with the spray to get rid of the wasps, then he had to dig the nest out.
In the future, hang a paper lunch bag puffed out to the shape of a wasp nest from the eaves of your house and any outbuildings (or there are fake nests you can buy from hardware stores)--wasps won't nest where there is already a visible "nest".
In the future, hang a paper lunch bag puffed out to the shape of a wasp nest from the eaves of your house and any outbuildings (or there are fake nests you can buy from hardware stores)--wasps won't nest where there is already a visible "nest".
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
You can make a yellow jacket trap, or possibly purchase them at the Tractor Supply, Home Depot or feed store.
Usually, you would do this in spring to attract the yellow jackets away from your area. Around here, people usually place them at the edge of their property (not near the neighbors) to lure yellow jackets away from the farm buildings when looking for nesting sites in spring.
The traps you purchase usually require an attractant that is placed onto a cotton ball, which is then placed inside the trap. We kept these up by the bee hive all last year and none of the honey bees bothered with them.
But this year, the yellow jackets started attacking our hummingbird feeders during the 2nd week of August, so that is when we set the traps up.
To make yellow jacket traps, you need plastic soda/pop/coke or water bottles ... pick some up at the local recycle center if you don't have any.
Cut the top 1/3 off the bottles, and invert the top to work as a funnel into the bottles. Make sure the fit is snug around the sides. Leave 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space at the bottom of the bottles.
Combine about 1/8 to 1/4 cup water 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon vinegar (I used raw cider, because that's what I have) for each bottle. There should be enough space so that when the yellow jacket hits the cider syrup, they can't reach the edge of the funnel to pull themselves back out of the trap. You may need more cider syrup, if using larger bottles.
Place the traps near the location the yellow jackets are nesting. Check them late at night to see if they need emptied and more cider syrup put in them. If it rains, you will have to check them to make sure there is a space between the end of the funnel and the cider syrup.
We set up 4 and trapped 120 yellow jackets the first day! We also trapped 2 moths and a fly. None of the local honey bees came near the traps.
To get rid of the nest....you have to wait until after the first freeze or snow. Carefully remove it and burn it away from the tree.
hope this helps.... let me know if you have questions.
edited for typos
Usually, you would do this in spring to attract the yellow jackets away from your area. Around here, people usually place them at the edge of their property (not near the neighbors) to lure yellow jackets away from the farm buildings when looking for nesting sites in spring.
The traps you purchase usually require an attractant that is placed onto a cotton ball, which is then placed inside the trap. We kept these up by the bee hive all last year and none of the honey bees bothered with them.
But this year, the yellow jackets started attacking our hummingbird feeders during the 2nd week of August, so that is when we set the traps up.
To make yellow jacket traps, you need plastic soda/pop/coke or water bottles ... pick some up at the local recycle center if you don't have any.
Cut the top 1/3 off the bottles, and invert the top to work as a funnel into the bottles. Make sure the fit is snug around the sides. Leave 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space at the bottom of the bottles.
Combine about 1/8 to 1/4 cup water 1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon vinegar (I used raw cider, because that's what I have) for each bottle. There should be enough space so that when the yellow jacket hits the cider syrup, they can't reach the edge of the funnel to pull themselves back out of the trap. You may need more cider syrup, if using larger bottles.
Place the traps near the location the yellow jackets are nesting. Check them late at night to see if they need emptied and more cider syrup put in them. If it rains, you will have to check them to make sure there is a space between the end of the funnel and the cider syrup.
We set up 4 and trapped 120 yellow jackets the first day! We also trapped 2 moths and a fly. None of the local honey bees came near the traps.
To get rid of the nest....you have to wait until after the first freeze or snow. Carefully remove it and burn it away from the tree.
hope this helps.... let me know if you have questions
.edited for typos
- Thread starter
- #214
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
How goes it with the destruction of yellow jackets, valmom?
MorelCabin
Quilting Extraordinaire
Bleach and water solution chased my wasps from thier nest on the eves of my house, but I have no idea how it would affect the apple tree or the bees....
Britesea
Sustainability Master
I thought yellow jackets were ground nesters?
Denim Deb
More Precious than Rubies
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Not always. We had them in a pipe over the door to the dog kennel. The dogs and I were both attacked.Britesea said:
- Thread starter
- #219
These yellow jackets are inthe ground- under my Macintosh apple tree!
And old farmer around here suggested to pour ammonia down the holes after dark and cover them with plastic ziploc baggies filled with water to seal the holes. The ammonia shouldnt' kill the tree he said, and the ammonia will kill the wasps. So, I suited up in my entire bee kit and poured a jug of ammonia and covered the holes. I hope I got all the holes- I waited to see if any wasps came out from anywhere I didn't cover up, but it looked ok. I am working for the next 5 days, but I will remove the baggies at some point and hope they are dead!
And old farmer around here suggested to pour ammonia down the holes after dark and cover them with plastic ziploc baggies filled with water to seal the holes. The ammonia shouldnt' kill the tree he said, and the ammonia will kill the wasps. So, I suited up in my entire bee kit and poured a jug of ammonia and covered the holes. I hope I got all the holes- I waited to see if any wasps came out from anywhere I didn't cover up, but it looked ok. I am working for the next 5 days, but I will remove the baggies at some point and hope they are dead!
Britesea
Sustainability Master
Definitely let us know if that works... that sounds a whole lot cheaper and safer than calling in a pest control company
