I found one Yellow Jacket nest.
I was out at 8:30 AM but there was no action.
I went out again an hour later. I was standing about 30 feet west of where I had been stung.
I heard bees whizzing around me but did not see any where I expected them.
I moved my perspective a little bit and the hole was six feet from where I had been standing.
Maybe there are two nests!
This one was pretty busy with a landing or departure every ten seconds.
I hosed it with the better part of a can of commercial spray. Going back several hours later it didn't seem to have any effect.
I don't see any point in looking for the second one until after I deal with this one.
110 Traps
I slacked off after I started harvesting hazelnuts. Getting a good picking was my sole motivation.
I was catching mice and the odd chipmunk but no red squirrels.
I think I need to get the trap up in the trees to catch them. William Reid in Kansas has a system.
The 5 gallon bucket that is 3/4 filled with water and topped with sunflower seeds has been the bees-knees for catching chipmunks. Many thanks to whichever reader suggested it in comments.
Only one way to kill these winged bastards. Pour gasoline in the hole and around the hole. Wait 5 minutes, repeat then light a paper towel and throw to the gas. When its burned out, pour in more gas, light and stir the ground with a pry bar or shovel. You'll find stacks of pancake like hive material.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best way I've ever used.
DeleteThere is a plethora of excellent homemade varmint traps that are very clever.
ReplyDeleteBelow ground yellow jacket nests can be quite extensive. Wire mesh over the hole, with a few rocks makes it easier to find the other opening(s).
ReplyDeleteWhen you get them all bottled up, then you start killing.
Out our way (southern NJ) I have enjoyed repeated success using a spray foam yellow jacket product available at our local big box stores. First, find the hole in the ground. Then come back after dark, dressed defensively in case things go sideways, spritz the one or two guards next to the hole, then empty about half the can into the hole, through the small diameter red tube attached to the spray head. Then, for insurance, I put a brick over the hole, leaving it there for six months or so. Seems to wipe them all out.
ReplyDeleteJim has the idea, I am tempted to advise a Great Experiment.
ReplyDeleteAfter dark, stick a oxy-acetylene nozzle in the hole, run it for about a minute with a cutting mixture, stick a fuse in there and daub up the entrance with some mud, light the fuse and run like hell.
Be sure to let us know how it all works out.
Rodenator, you don't need to run
DeleteDesigned for pocket gophers
Carbaryl (Sevin Dust is a common name brand) is wonderfully effective on wasps in the ground.
ReplyDeleteThis guy has a few innovative techniques:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rodalco+wasp
My favorite way to eliminate ground nesting yellow jackets is to flood them with water. Provided the soil is relatively flat and not too sandy, a slowish (1-2 gal/min?) running hose will drown the nest overnight. Wait until dark and you can approach the nest and position the hose so the water runs down into the hole. You have used enough water if the next day the whole area around the hole is muddy and is in standing water. Kills the queen and all the larva. It has never failed me - used it to kill 50+ nests over 30 years.
ReplyDeleteArt
I am going to operation "High Waters" for the next go-round.
DeleteThe hose is stretched as-of 8:00 local time. Water is running. I cracked the 1/4 turn valve enough to hear the water hiss.
I will crank it up a bit after ten minutes. I got lucky placing the exit-end and I don't want water spitting out to dislodge it.
I did not stick around to weight it down. For whatever reason the yellow jackets were much more active this morning than yesterday.
This should work well. My well water has a smidgen of iron in the Fe++ state which will prevent them from squeezing any oxygen out of the water. Insects are cold blooded and they don't need much.
As Tom Loomis my Chemistry Professor at Lansing Community College like to say, "Go through life as a cation because they are always positive"
I think someone needs to talk to Dr. Fauci about coming up with a vaccine for Yellow Jackets. And a booster for Bald Face Hornet variants. ---ken
ReplyDeleteAt least one can usually see the Bald-Faced Hornets nest. They're those big basketball sized nests up in a tree. Or sometimes found mounted on a wall over the cash register in old country stores.
DeleteAnyone have a reliable method for eliminating moles?
ReplyDeleteI've found that the spray works but takes mutiple applications over the course of several days.
ReplyDeleteFor squirrels, lean a nice size stick up at a 45 deg angle against the main part of the tree and wire a couple of 110 or snares in a row but set so if you catch one it will fall of leaving the next set ready for another
ReplyDeleteYellowjackets ? Grrr nasty little bastards . I had a nest in the front yard spray didnt work, just pissed 'em off i used fire , blasted them with flames repeatedly ,poured fuel down their hole a couple times and let them fry. After there were not too many flying around i dug out the nest and I was surprised at the size about as big as a basketball . the clever bastards had a right angle in their tunnel that helped stop fire and spray from directly hitting the nest area
ReplyDelete