# How to get rid of ground-nesting yellowjackets? Need answer sorta fast... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 5, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243 "2011-09-05T06:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/21 "2011-09-05T16:59:10Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > What about option 3 - call an expert to identify them first? I certainly didn’t say anything about “not questioning or upsetting the balance of nature”; I said that species are protected and have their place, and if they aren’t a danger to you, then why must everything that just _looks_ dangerous be eliminated immediately? Surely there’s a difference between a wasps nest in a kid’s sandbox and one on the edge of a 15 m garden where you can easily keep away? > > I also fail to see how it’s the fault of yellowjackets that you have a doctors bill - that’s the fault of your political health system. > > If you are allergic to the stings from these, then that’s a very different issue, an exception. > > But then I wouldn’t go near the nest for the extermination, either: call somebody competent and let them handle it, because if anything goes wrong, you’ll get stung again. ( I just watched a short segment where they showed an exterminator at work getting rid of wasps in people’s garden, and he cheerfully told of how many people burned down their garden sheds by trying fire, either with a flame-thrower or with gasoline, when he had a proven and safe powder, experience and knew what he was doing. Whoa. I didn’t mean to sound snarky, and if I did I apologise. I was trying to make a joke. I understand what you’re saying. I’ve never heard of yellowjackets being legally protected from homicidal homeowners, but I will look into it. Also, last night around midnight I donned double jeans, double chamois cotton shirts, cork loggers boots, leather work gloves, and a mosquito head net. All seams, joints and openings in my clothes sealed with duct tape 🆒. I took a mag-lite, wrapped the lens in that red automotive lens repair tape, grabbed a can of Raid, and went hunting. And… I couldn’t find the nest. I knew where it was, saw it in daylight, but for the life of me could not find the entrance. Do these guys fill the entrance to their nest at night? I didn’t think they did, but I have no other explanation. I’m going searching again today, and am going to take pics for reference. Yes, I will be careful. I am considering calling an exterminator. We don’t get freezing weather around here until January or so, not sure how long the nest says active. Do they stay active all winter in mild climates like ours? Anyone know if there are any exterminator or entymologist Dopers on the board that might be able to shed some light on this situation? ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/22 "2011-09-05T17:14:17Z")
I’ve been following [this guy’s](http://www.youtube.com/user/trevdak#p/u/12/6fHG-m6hY0k) saga over the past couple of days (yellow jackets in garden). ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/23 "2011-09-05T17:26:18Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Do they stay active all winter in mild climates like ours? What climate would that be? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/24 "2011-09-05T17:26:33Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > So it seems I have two options: > > 1. Accept that their existence… > 2. Screw nature. Nuke the bastards… or 1. Run in place and scream like a chicken. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/25 "2011-09-05T17:27:26Z")
assuming we’re talking about the yellowjackets which are a bit larger than honey bees, screw them. They’re crackheads. I won’t necessarily try to eradicate them, but if they mess with me I won’t be very nice. story time: when I was about 12 or so, my dad and uncle were re-shingling my grandmother’s house. they were at one end of the house, pounding nails in. Right over the place where there was a nest of yellowjackets. Were the bastards bothering my dad and uncle? Nope. I come up the ladder _at the other end of the house_ only to find about four of the tiny shits on my arms, stabbing at me madly. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/26 "2011-09-05T17:40:53Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > What climate would that be? Southwest Oregon. Rarely freezes, lots of rain ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/27 "2011-09-05T17:42:43Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > I’ve been following [this guy’s](http://www.youtube.com/user/trevdak#p/u/12/6fHG-m6hY0k) saga over the past couple of days (yellow jackets in garden). Now, this is cool. I want to see how this ends! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/28 "2011-09-05T17:45:21Z")
I was on a job (painting) once when one of the guys replacing boards on the back deck inadertently disturbed a paper wasp nest. Whatever those wasps are that build big, ball-like nests suspended under decks or from trees. They are really aggressive insects and will chase you down! The carpenter working on the deck had wasps up his shorts :eek: …he went into shock and we had to call an ambulance for him. He was in the hospital for about 24 hours. Frankly I don’t care if some insects are ecologically useful; if they pose a real danger and are on my property, they’re toast. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/29 "2011-09-05T17:53:15Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > I was on a job (painting) once when one of the guys replacing boards on the back deck inadertently disturbed a paper wasp nest. Whatever those wasps are that build big, ball-like nests suspended under decks or from trees. > > They are really aggressive insects and will chase you down! The carpenter working on the deck had wasps up his shorts :eek: …he went into shock and we had to call an ambulance for him. He was in the hospital for about 24 hours. Frankly I don’t care if some insects are ecologically useful; if they pose a real danger and are on my property, they’re toast. yellowjackets are a type of paper wasp, so yeah if they were aggressive that’s what they could have been. The skinny dark brown/dark blue/black wasps are usually mud wasps, I think. Never been hassled by those. Matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve been stung by anything _but_ yellowjackets. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/30 "2011-09-05T18:03:21Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > I’ve been following [this guy’s](http://www.youtube.com/user/trevdak#p/u/12/6fHG-m6hY0k) saga over the past couple of days (yellow jackets in garden). So the answer seems to be…5 traps and a skunk. ETA, I just watched the last episode, something tells me he’s going to need a few more visits from that skunk to kill all those eggs. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/31 "2011-09-05T18:16:57Z")
Here’s the nest. The hole in the center if the frame; its about the size of a 50 cent piece. [![](http://m1138.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/Lancia1/IMAG0336.jpg.html?src=www&action=view¤t=IMAG0336.jpg?pbauth=1_uLEBonVPfaLdh1h3YMYz2esgEc81sjo6YKmTsbd4Alil7p%2FscAJPVI7AK1QJx%2BpHYI3jPCmXxgC3xH8Vg9y26jwwXxKknOKX2v10pyD4rfP2rT2I8Jzm4Tv%2FQZ%2B7yqIrI%2Bgk36ROXlN5Syfl41E8Lt1R4mzvI17agxf5l0E%2F3yw%3D) ](http://m1138.photobucket.com/albumview/albums/Lancia1/IMAG0336.jpg.html?src=www&action=view¤t=IMAG0336.jpg?pbauth=1_uLEBonVPfaLdh1h3YMYz2esgEc81sjo6YKmTsbd4Alil7p%2FscAJPVI7AK1QJx%2BpHYI3jPCmXxgC3xH8Vg9y26jwwXxKknOKX2v10pyD4rfP2rT2I8Jzm4Tv%2FQZ%2B7yqIrI%2Bgk36ROXlN5Syfl41E8Lt1R4mzvI17agxf5l0E%2F3yw%3D) Whatever is flying out is small, about the size of a honey bee. I can’t tell if they’re yellow or orange. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/32 "2011-09-05T18:30:31Z")
I’m thinking what I’ve always called ground bees (the ones that got my dog) but [this site](http://www.thebeehunter.com/types-of-bees.html)calls them yellow jackets. The nest I killed was just like that - a little hole in the ground while underneath was a huge hive containing hundreds, if not thousands, of yellow jackets. Nasty, aggressive, stinging insects. Some wasps are completely benign and feed on truly harmful insects like flies and mosquitoes; IMO those should be left alone. But yellow jackets and any insect capable of delivering painful bites/stings or transmitting disease - kill, kill, kill. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/33 "2011-09-05T19:04:18Z")
There are only two insects I won’t tolerate nesting in my yard: yellowjackets and fire ants. For yellowjackets, I’ve successfully killed a nest only with Spectracide Pro (it has to be Pro, not the regular stuff). No other hornet killer has worked. I’m sure the stuff is horribly toxic, but I’ve been attacked by these territorial little beasts too many times to risk it again. In August, everything upsets them: mowing the grass, watering, just walking by. Not worth the risk in my opinion. They can nest in someone else’s yard. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/34 "2011-09-05T19:25:46Z")
> [@Pasta](#): > > I’ve been following [this guy’s](http://www.youtube.com/user/trevdak#p/u/12/6fHG-m6hY0k) saga over the past couple of days (yellow jackets in garden). Well I watched all his videos and I think the short cut is - Lay bacon over the wasp nest and wait for a skunk to do the work for you. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/35 "2011-09-05T19:49:42Z")
Shop vac. Just stick it in the entrance and agitate. Sucks them up as they come out. You can suck up the nest when it is empty. The dust in the vacuum incapacitates them effectively. The next day they will all be dead and you can empty the vacuum into a bag. Used this trick many times. Never been stung this way. No poison, no messy garden hose mishaps. Fast. Easy. Safe. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/36 "2011-09-05T20:22:50Z")
Well, apparently curiosity and bloodlust trumps common sense. In an inspired moment of questionable genius, I decided to build a wasp trap. Photos in the above link. The bucket is about eight feet away from the nest. The nest is in the shadows at the base of the big lilac in the background of the first pic. I managed to place the trap without seeing any yellowjackets. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/37 "2011-09-05T20:30:17Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > What about option 3 - call an expert to identify them first? I certainly didn’t say anything about “not questioning or upsetting the balance of nature”; I said that species are protected and have their place, and if they aren’t a danger to you, then why must everything that just _looks_ dangerous be eliminated immediately? Surely there’s a difference between a wasps nest in a kid’s sandbox and one on the edge of a 15 m garden where you can easily keep away? Have you read the post in the Pit about where this nest is and what happened when the OP blundered into it? > [@](#): > > I also fail to see how it’s the fault of yellowjackets that you have a doctors bill - that’s the fault of your political health system. What? > [@](#): > > If you are allergic to the stings from these, then that’s a very different issue, an exception. Again, apparently you haven’t read the post that started all of this, that the OP linked to in his first post here. These things are called meat bees here, because that is all they are interested in. They may pollinate by accident, but they are in no way a substitute for honeybees. They are highly aggressive and can sting/bite repeatedly, to the point that one needs to get medical attention even without a pre-existing allergy. For example, a friend of mine just had to take two of her dogs to the ER vet due to shock from the number of stings/bites they got when they stumbled into a nest, and as I said in the Pit thread, I essentially lost the use of a leg for awhile due to getting stung/bit by meat bees. The problem with these things is that they are highly aggressive (they will continue to follow even after you remove yourself from the vicinity of their nest), they can sting/bite multiple times and they nest in the ground where you aren’t likely to see them prior to being attacked. They may have a use in the wild, but in one’s lawn, they need to be nuked from space. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/38 "2011-09-05T20:54:50Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > What about option 3 - call an expert to identify them first? I certainly didn’t say anything about “not questioning or upsetting the balance of nature”; I said that species are protected and have their place, and if they aren’t a danger to you, then why must everything that just _looks_ dangerous be eliminated immediately? Surely there’s a difference between a wasps nest in a kid’s sandbox and one on the edge of a 15 m garden where you can easily keep away? He’s been attacked already and wound up needing medical attention, with continued pain and suffering. Granted, he probably mowed over their nest, which qualified as provocation, but they pursued him into the house. This does not sound like benign insects to me. > [@](#): > > If you are allergic to the stings from these, then that’s a very different issue, an exception. If they issued an epi-pen there is reason to believe a life-threatening reaction is a real possibility. So yeah, apparently he’s allergic. Which means the wasps have to go. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/39 "2011-09-05T20:55:26Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > Any dopers out there have experience dealing with these types of nests? All info is much appreciated. I really don’t want to go to the hospital again. > > Thanks. My approach (had a bad nest several years ago). Procrastination. > [@](#): > > From [UC Davis](http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7450.html). > > \*“Normally, yellowjacket and paper wasp colonies live only one season. In very mild winters or in coastal California south of San Francisco, however, some yellowjacket colonies survive for several years and become quite large.” > \* ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Stilettos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Red\_Stilettos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Stilettos)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243/40 "2011-09-05T21:34:20Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > We don’t get freezing weather around here until January or so, not sure how long the nest says active. Do they stay active all winter in mild climates like ours? I live in Atlanta and yellowjackets are only problematic through about mid-September. I don’t think the temperatures are killing them, because it’s nowhere near freezing at that point. Perhaps they are responding to shortened daylight? Regardless, I would expect that your yellowjacket’s nest days of activity are numbered for this year. Of course, they could overwinter and come back next year, so I still wouldn’t ignore them. Spectracide Pro at dusk. It will also kill returning hornets, if any are out scavenging when you spray. Oh, and it will also kill the surrounding grass. Just FYI. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-rid-of-ground-nesting-yellowjackets-need-answer-sorta-fast/595243.md?page=3)