# Anyone know how to shake a yellowjacket? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681 "2004-08-26T22:07:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/1 "2004-08-26T22:07:46Z")
Alright, I’ve got this posse of yellowjackets who are bound and determined to make their nest/hive/whatever you call it, in the nook of my fence and have deemed my backyard their turf. Which means I can’t even go out into my own backyard without fear of being stung (since yellowjackets are mean little mo fo’s and don’t care if you’re not bothering them before they sting you). I’ve destroyed their nest/hive/whatever you call it a number of times with a jet stream from my hose, but every morning they’re back there, re-building the nest/hive/whatever you call it! I’m going crazy here, I can’t afford to call an exterminator and am looking for some home remedies to get rid of the bastards. Somebody, help, please! ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/2 "2004-08-26T22:30:55Z")
First, **let** them build a decent-sized nest. Then [Raid[sup]TM[/sup]](http://www.killsbugsdead.com/fop_w_h_k.asp) the suckers. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/3 "2004-08-26T22:48:01Z")
Specifically, Raid and other manufacturers make a Wasp & Hornet Spray that directs a stream of insecticide over twenty feet away so you can stand safely back and kill the nest and any wasps flying around it. They say to use it in the early morning or late evening when the little buggers aren’t so active. You can kill the nest and then knock it down the next day. The rest of the wasps move on down the line since the place they liked is now poisoned. I use the stuff in So. Calif and it works very well. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/4 "2004-08-26T22:50:28Z")
Gotta agree with **Joe Random** here. This is what those long-distance spray cans of insecticide are made for. They cost less than $5, and should kill the suckers fast. Follow the directions on the can – the stuff is not healthy for the environment, or for you. ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/5 "2004-08-26T22:50:31Z")
Gotta agree with **Joe Random** here. This is what those long-distance spray cans of insecticide are made for. They cost less than $5, and should kill the suckers fast. Follow the directions on the can – the stuff is not healthy for the environment, or for you. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/6 "2004-08-26T23:02:28Z")
You could try calling VECTOR CONTROL (a public agency like the Fire Department, Medic, etc.) A couple of months ago on the Discovery Channel I saw a program on VECTOR CONTROL, and their function is to take care of the very problem you’re presently having. In fact, as I remember on the program, the agency covered was in your part of the country – and they did it for free!!! They captured the swarm, froze them, and later on got them to a medical laboratory where they processed the venom into anti-venom. I hope this helps!! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/7 "2004-08-26T23:08:47Z")
> [@Backwater Under\_Duck](#): > > You can kill the nest and then knock it down the next day. Not necessarily; some nests may not be completely neutralised on the first application (I found this out to my cost once and was very badly stung). Whatever you do, even if you have a long distance spray, wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks, wear long sleeves and generally cover up as much exposed skin as you can; even when you are quite a distance away, you can be stung if the nest is damaged and the wasps go into ‘sting anything that moves’ mode. ---
**Author:** ![SiouxChief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@SiouxChief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiouxChief)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/8 "2004-08-26T23:09:22Z")
I had this same problem a few weeks ago, that I solved with a good saturating spray of RAID. Wait until the evening when they’re all at the nest. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/9 "2004-08-26T23:10:35Z")
> [@Backwater Under\_Duck](#): > > Specifically, Raid and other manufacturers make a Wasp & Hornet Spray that directs a stream of insecticide over twenty feet away so you can stand safely back and kill the nest and any wasps flying around it. They say to use it in the early morning or late evening when the little buggers aren’t so active. You can kill the nest and then knock it down the next day. The rest of the wasps move on down the line since the place they liked is now poisoned. I use the stuff in So. Calif and it works very well. Well, I feel pretty silly for not having thought of that myself. I will go and buy a can of the stuff today. Thanks, all. I knew this would be the place to seek advice! ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/10 "2004-08-26T23:15:55Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Not necessarily; some nests may not be completely neutralised on the first application (I found this out to my cost once and was very badly stung). > > Whatever you do, even if you have a long distance spray, wear long trousers and tuck them into your socks, wear long sleeves and generally cover up as much exposed skin as you can; even when you are quite a distance away, you can be stung if the nest is damaged and the wasps go into ‘sting anything that moves’ mode. Well, I can go in my backyard at night with no fear of being stung, even when I’ve knocked down yet another nest that very morning. See, I live in an apartment and my “backyard” is basically a patio with 5 square feet of grass on both sides, enclosed by a fence. There’s usually about 4 or 5 yellowjackets flying around during the day out there. Even after I’ve knocked down the nest there’s usually about 2 or 3 crawling around were the nest used to be. I’m guessing it’s still marked with some sort of chemical “marker” or whatnot. I just looked out there and they haven’t managed to rebuild the nest yet, so I’m thinking if I Raid it tonight, I should be cool. Sound like a plan? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/11 "2004-08-26T23:37:30Z")
It doesn’t actually sound like yellowjackets; their nest would be at least the size of a football by this late in the summer. Obviously,your continued destruction of the nest may have set them back a bit. There isn’t a concealed cavity inside which another section of nest could be, is there? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/12 "2004-08-27T00:06:09Z")
Kill them, kill them all. My love for nature ends at yellowjackets close to **me**. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/13 "2004-08-27T00:08:55Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It doesn’t actually sound like yellowjackets; their nest would be at least the size of a football by this late in the summer. Obviously,your continued destruction of the nest may have set them back a bit. There isn’t a concealed cavity inside which another section of nest could be, is there? A _football_? This thing is the size of a small acorn, if that! But I’m positive they’re yellowjackets. ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/14 "2004-08-27T00:59:57Z")
I have found that for pure knockdown power nothing beats a can of carb cleaner. I discovered this after using a sissy can of raid hornet nest enrager on some of the paper wasps we have here in the tropics. It wont kill em but it will knock down anything it touches. You foot has a practical use. Make a note that I am in Hawaii and am frenquently out of touch with the ferocity of the mainlands beasties. On the lighter side I always liked the way Paul senior handled the bee nest on his property. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/15 "2004-08-27T01:10:52Z")
> [@lezlers](#): > > A _football_? This thing is the size of a small acorn, if that! But I’m positive they’re yellowjackets. Sure; if resources are plentiful, wasp nests (we just call yellowjackets ‘wasps’ here) can get really very big; as much as several feet in diameter. I reckon you might have [paper wasps](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/images/polist2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/pap-wasp.htm&h=181&w=280&sz=39&tbnid=C6ydX9KQxNcJ:&tbnh=70&tbnw=108&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpaper%2Bwasps%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/16 "2004-08-27T01:14:24Z")
**Anyone know how to shake a yellowjacket?** First, you grab him by his little wings . . . ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/17 "2004-08-27T01:36:39Z")
Shaken yellowjacket syndrome! I also go for the raid bit… buy 2 cans, do it once, wait a few days, and do it again, if it’s a big nest… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/18 "2004-08-27T01:45:38Z")
We were on Shaw Island today, and there were many yellowjackets around. ( **Mangetout** : I call them “yellowjackets” to differentiate them from “mud daubers”.) As we were sitting in the van, a couple would fly in from time to time and we would waft them out. The boss said, “They’re mean. They’ll just sit on you for a while, and then sting you. Slowly.” ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/19 "2004-08-27T02:06:11Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sure; if resources are plentiful, wasp nests (we just call yellowjackets ‘wasps’ here) can get really very big; as much as several feet in diameter. I reckon you might have [paper wasps](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/images/polist2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/pap-wasp.htm&h=181&w=280&sz=39&tbnid=C6ydX9KQxNcJ:&tbnh=70&tbnw=108&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpaper%2Bwasps%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26sa%3DN) Aren’t you in Great Britain? The “yellowjackets” nests we have here in the colonies are often underground, about the size of a lemon, and have an entrance/egress hole about the size of a U.S. nickel coin. Gram for gram, I don’t think any flying insect packs the punch of a yellowjacket. I’ve been stung by several black “wasps” (although a YJ is a wasp) at once, but the burn isn’t anything like a yellowjacket sting. That said, I don’t care to mess with a hornet. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681/20 "2004-08-27T02:40:45Z")
Reading this thread reminds me just how scared I am of wasps. Anywho, I read somewhere that if you pour gasoline in their nest it makes them “drunk” so you can torch the hive or do whatever without the threat of being stung. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-how-to-shake-a-yellowjacket/261681.md?page=2)