Finally Its Pay Back Time - Yellow Jackets

[alldodge]

About 12 or so years ago, I'm in French Lick IN following my nephew on an old Korean war Army Mule across where natural gas pipe line crosses the country. The Mule is not fast, top speed maybe 20 mph. My nephew is riding some 4 wheeler but not going fast.

He goes over a bump in the field and I see what appeared to be a dust could. Once getting closer I find out it was not a dust could but a swarm of Yellow Jackets (YJ). I hit 3rd gear real fast and move out a bit faster but not much. I'm swatting and beating my self and as I pass my nephew, he said my side looked all yellow.

Ok I did make it thru the issue and here it was yesterday. I see an old and unused kettle grill in the corner of the walkout basement. Should have thrown this thing away a long time ago. But I notice YJ going in/out under the lid. I get a rope and stick and get the lid off the grill and see a large swarm, and also used charcoal on top.

Charcoal and then thing starter fluid. So I wait a while for them to settle down, and come up with a large bottle of starter fluid and soak the charcoal. You can guess what happened next when I lit it up, and grinned the biggest grin in a long time.

There was a hung nest under the grill, so I'm thinking I got more of them then they get me years ago. Now just got to watch out for their next time, maybe

 

[poconojoe]

Ahh... the sweet taste of revenge!

Here's a yellow jacket story for ya....

I was at a barbeque probably 30+ years ago. We saw yellow jackets flying into a hole in the eave of my friend's garage. There was a hook screwed in near the hole so we hung his bug zapper there. The YJ started attacking the zapper. They would die, fall to the ground and more would come out to attack. They were very organized attacks and a few guards always stood posted by the hole.
When it was over there was a very substantial pile of dead YJ on the ground.
Very entertaining to say the least.

 

[bigdee]

My favorite is the shop vac. Put the hose close to the nest and they all will be attracted to it....and sucked up. Just wait a good while before emptying the vac!!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Alldodge, I take it the grill was outside? if not, you may have yellow jackets in the basement

bigdee - put duct tape on the end of the hose and let it run for a bit. it will create quite a good vacuum and will kill them.

when I lived out in the country, every day I would take an aluminum tray, pour in a can of mountain dew and a few drops of dawn dish soap. those yellow arseholes were attracted to the mountain dew, however the dawn dish soap coats their wings and they drown. every night I would dump about 1000 yellow jackets into the firepit

 

[alldodge]

The grill was outside. It was an old one we had not used in many years and should have just recycled it. Did find out the wasp and hornet spay doesn't seem to bother them

 

[DeepCMark58A]

I live in sand country so the ground is very conducive for underground bees nest. I have a lean to for firewood and one year there was a nest in there I could not stack wood unless it was dark. One morning I go out to the lean to and the nest was torn out, nothing was damaged. I talked to an old trapper about what would tear out the nest figured a bear would do damage. Skunks will wait till the hive is loaded with larve in the fall and dig the nest out and eat it. So if you are patient skunks will do the dirty work.

 

[dingbat]

I hate those things....stung 26 times mowing my parents yard as a kid and 21 times a number of years later on the barn.

Found an under ground nest under a bush in the front yard a few years back. Waited until dark to gas them. To add injury to insult decided to burn th as well. Tossed a match in the hole and wooff.....pieces of nest fly by....stung twice. So much for my revenge

 

[alldodge]

I've done the gas thing a couple times in the ground, but didn't do the match. At least it appears gas will stop them

 

[AlabamaNewbie]

Several years ago I ran over a nest while mowing. I jumped off and ran as fast as I could. Something I never knew about yellow jackets - they can control whether or not they leave their stinger. So 1 can sting you multiple times. Also, they leave a pheromone so the others can find you even if they didn't see you. So I was stung something like 50 times. Half of them were on my head. I ran in the house and was in agonizing pain, but lucid enough to realize that it was going to hurt for weeks if I couldn't get the stingers out of my head, and that would be impossible through my hair. Plus, it was already so bad that I swear my hair hurt. So I real quick jumped in the shower and shaved my head. Then took about 18 benadryl and slept for 3 days.

A few days later it was time for sweet revenge. I completely covered myself (even more than I do when grinding fiberglass), took my weed burner and was going to torch their little home. As I approached, they started coming at me. I started holding up the weed burner and burning them out of the sky- then I had a light bulb moment. I turned up the gas a little bit and started making circles in front of me - creating a "wall of high heat". As the little harbingers of death and pain came at me, the heat was enough to singe their little wings, but not enough to just kill them.

So, I stood about 5 feet away from their nest and created this wall of heat, and watched them drop by the dozens. Eventually the queen came out and I fried her like a piece of bacon. Then I walked away, giggling like a school kid at the sight of probably 300 or so wingless yellow jackets, lying on the ground kicking and screaming.

And no, I don't feel any guilt whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it has become one of my favorite summertime tasks.

 

[alldodge]

Guess your more allergic then me, my whole side was covered with them clear up to my head. When I got back to the sister in laws house, told them what happened and sat for about 30 minutes or so. Then decided o take a shower and when removing my socks there was still one in it still stinging me, two finger squish ended him.

Felt some of my mussels (back, arms) get a bit tight but not a whole lot of pain. Drove home that evening (4 hours away) The next morning I was fine the next day.

My sister in law made me one of those "you make it" license plates with a big YJ and the word stinger under it. Put it on my side by side

 

[AlabamaNewbie]

My ENT said that I was stung so many times that it overwhelmed by immune system. I wasn't allergic to them before but he said it was just too much. He said now, there is about a 50/50 chance that I will have an allergic reaction when stung, so I get to carry that stupid epi-pen with me everywhere now. This is why I have personally declared war on all things that fly and sting. No Mercy. lol

 

[sphelps]

Spray adhesive works on them also .
Makes there little wings stick together and they hit the floor .:lol:

 

[alldodge]

Spray adhesive works on them also .
Makes there little wings stick together and they hit the floor .:lol:

I like it :thumb:

 

[oldrem]

Had a swarm a couple years ago that found a small crack in the corner of my foundation at home. Had to walk (run) past it every morning and night to the front door. I tried long range sprays for several days to no avail. I finally waited until after dark one night, got up close and emptied a fresh can of flying insect killer into the hole then sprayed it shut with Great Stuff foam. Never saw another one after that.

With one previous encounter many years earlier, I was cutting out some old bushes we wanted to replace in front of our picture window when I started getting attacked on my legs. They were nested in the ground and luckily started coming about the time I had finished. Loaded the ground with gas and burned the crap out of the nest.

 

[AlabamaNewbie]

I am not going to post it here because it does have some bad language, but if you aren't easily offended, google "this is a wasp meme". Its pretty much how I feel whenever I see any flying stingy thing now.

I'll burn out ant mounds with gas. And I am in full support of introducing all flying stingy things to the wonders of fire. But I am NOT getting close enough to a YJ nest to pour gas on it.

 

[alldodge]

Kind a funny

I watch the YJ but so long as there not next to the house I'm ok with them. Those dang wasp are killed on sight if I can. Get on a piece of equipment and next thing you know, they are coming out next to the controls. Inside battery boxes, even found them with a nest in my dang mail box (one small dang hole to get in/out)

Now those son of something really hurt. At least with YJ, if its only one, its not that bad.
But HEY, you can drop them dead with wasp and hornet spray.

I have some large wasp hornets, mostly black that dig under the concrete slab if my garage. There about 2 inches long and have not found a pic online, but have been there for years. There on the other side of the garage so I hardly ever see them. There not as big as those Asian type

 

[BWR1953]

 

[oldrem]

We have a lot of dragonflies around here. It's fun watching them attacking and killing off wasps - their favorite food.

 

[poconojoe]

We have a lot of dragonflies around here. It's fun watching them attacking and killing off wasps - their favorite food.

Dragonflies also feast on mosquitoes. I wonder if there's a way to attract dragonflies. Mosquitoes have been relentless this year with all the rain. I just purchased a bat house in hopes of attracting these mosquito feasting buddies.

 

[oldrem]

Dragonflies also feast on mosquitoes. I wonder if there's a way to attract dragonflies. Mosquitoes have been relentless this year with all the rain. I just purchased a bat house in hopes of attracting these mosquito feasting buddies.

Don't give up on the bat house - they can take many years before bats ever accept them. Best skeeter eaters ever