# yellow jackets



## speedster123 (Oct 18, 2006)

bees above the door, under the sheathing, above the gutter.
:upset::upset::upset:
i blasted them with hornet spray, and while its cool, i will caulk up the seam [sheathing] where they are going in. :sigh:


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## sobeit (Nov 11, 2007)

they are going to be hard to get rid of. Good luck and try not to make them too mad when mowing.


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## sandman55 (May 28, 2005)

I don't know how you would go in your climate but when bees got into our wall through a vent, I made a square wood frame about 300mm X 300mm and used this to hold the entrance of a black plastic garbage bag against the wall and left it for a few days. The bees when they exited the wall were stuck in a hot bag and eventually they perished and no more bees in the wall.


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## RainbowCrayon (Jul 7, 2008)

I effin hate these things! Ugh! Good luck!


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## Jason (Dec 30, 2001)

Make sure you do it around dusk. You'll get better results as thats when the bees rest in the nest.


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## birdjaguar (Aug 1, 2008)

speedster123 said:


> bees above the door, under the sheathing, above the gutter.
> :upset::upset::upset:
> i blasted them with hornet spray, and while its cool, i will caulk up the seam [sheathing] where they are going in. :sigh:


Most likely those critters are not yellow jackets, which nest underground. They are probably some variety of wasp that builds a paper-like cone of small "cubbies". Unless they are some species that burrows into wood or are very badly placed to sting you, in general it is best to just leave them alone and let them eat the bad insects.


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## mack1 (Nov 27, 2007)

Hi Speedster,

I ran into this post you made last month. I had a severe problem a couple of years ago with yellow jackets around humming bird feeders. Didn't want to poison them there because of the birds, so I decided to try to make a bee trap. I tried several versons using the idea of trapping the bees in a bottle with nector in it. I'll not bore you with the ones that didn't work well. The final version was a success to the extent that I had planned to submit an article for publish in Birds and Blooms magazine. Before I got it written, someone published one showing the use of a small plastic bee blocker that fits on the bird feeder. I wasn't aware of the inexpensive blocker and decided that my trap would be of no value to bird folks, so I stopped the article effort. 

In your case, it might help. 

The trap is made from an empty Simply Orange plastic bottle. Using a knife to make X type cuts in the side of the bottle about 3 inches up and then using a hot glue gun to melt the plastic inward at each X, I made funnel type holes allowing easy access but harder to find the way back out. Notice that the funnel shaped holes are on a flat part of the bottle. I noticed that bees will crawl upware and around protrusions on the sides. They go to the top and become airborn then fall back down into the nector. After a few trips, they can no longer get out of the nector and they drown in it. For hanging the trap, I drilled a hole in center of the top and used a string with a knot on the end. Glue, of course, is not needed in the gun unless you want to try to improve the entry funnel. 

Just use sugar water about 1 inch deep in the bottom. Shake the bottle just enough to get some of the sugar water on the outside of the holes. The yellow jackets will find it soon and take care of themselves.

I've attached some pictures that might help.

Best regards,
Mack1


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## sandman55 (May 28, 2005)

We don't have that problem here but it is a clever idea.


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## mack1 (Nov 27, 2007)

Well hi Sandman,

You don't need to trap them if you can bag them:grin:

I thought Speedster might use it to catch yellow jackets. You are lucky if you don't have them in Australia. They really badger you if you have a coke or beer open outside and will go down into the can and cause you to drink with your teeth closed for straining purposes. They are persistant and will sting you if you happen to touch them. 

I caught several hundred bees that year I needed it. I haven't needed it since, guess that was a one year infestation.

Best regards,
Mack1


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## sandman55 (May 28, 2005)

Hi mack1 we have bees here but your fellas sound like what we call European wasps. I've never seen one but they are in some areas and I believe are unwelcome guests at a barbecue http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=283


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## sunnee (Aug 16, 2008)

I cannot stand the site of these things, thank you for the great information!


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## woody44 (Aug 20, 2008)

Honey bees will invade a house. Yellow jackets live inground.
A yellow jacket is rather small, looks yellow, and has some black stipes. They usually build a nest in the ground near a tree that they build near a open root system. They wont bother you when they are out looking for food but If you step on their home hole 
or near one you may experience their nasty stings. I made that mistake two weeks ago while wearing shorts and a tank top. I got hit or stung about ten times immediately and they chased me 75 feet. 
I went back out to that area later to locate the hole. (You can see ten or 20 coming out and in or up through grass or other at a hole sight) They got after me again and I got one up my shorts and managed to slap it before i got the shaft. When a bee stings it leaves a smell or other that guides other bees to the hunt. 
I thought these were killer bees at first.. Early the next morning I poured a cup of gasoline into the hole area. They are gone. But some of the sting points are still itching. Take care and LOL


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## sandman55 (May 28, 2005)

I take back what I said. I was in the hardware store today and I saw some traps for them and I asked one of the guys that worked there and he said we will see them when the weather warms up a bit and that he had a nest in the ground of his front yard and he called a pest exterminator thinking it was honey bees and the exterminator said it was what we call European wasps (Yellow jackets) so if I see any I will try your idea Mack and if I can locate the nest I will go out at night and pour a cup of petrol in the hole.


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## mack1 (Nov 27, 2007)

Hi sandman,

I haven't seen a yellow jacket this year and we are in late summer this side of the equator. Nor have I seen a honey bee. Something is killing the honey bees and they can't figure out what. It might be killing the yellow jackets as well. I've never encountered a hive of killer bees but they say that they have migraged into Texas now. 
I've seen no news broadcasts about them this year, so they may be dieing off also. I followed your link on the European wasps and they look very similar to our common yellow jacket. They may be the same species.

Woody44 is right on target about them attacking you at the nest. Normally their sting is not as bad as a wasp, but hurts bad enough. I wasn't aware that they left a smell so the others could join the hunt and unlike honey bees, they can sting more than once. 

Hope you don't get stung.
Best regards,
Mack1


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## sandman55 (May 28, 2005)

Hi MacK1 I hope I don't get stung too but after this thread I'm more aware of what to look for.


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## wintersnow (Aug 30, 2007)

Those yellow jackets are really annoying.


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## deesl4e (Feb 5, 2008)

I am a bit confused by the definitions here. From what I understand a yellowjacket is what we call here in Oz a European wasp. They are different from bees. I have had a great deal of experience with wasps and have gotten rid of quite a few nests. Not hard as long as precautions are taken. Best way to identify a wasp nest is to find the guard. A guard will fly a direct line backwards and forwards from the entrance to the nest. The distance travelled by the guard is on a few meters. Once the entrance to the nest has been discovered then a night time extermination is the best way. Using infra red ( red celophane paper over a torch is adequate ) approach the nest and simply squirt wasp powder in the nest and block off. This is the best way for nests inside housing structures.


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## mack1 (Nov 27, 2007)

> Using infra red ( red celophane paper over a torch is adequate ) approach the nest and simply squirt wasp powder in the nest and block off. This is the best way for nests inside housing structures.


Hi deesl4e,

What part does the infra red play when approaching the nest? Do the bees attack it instead of you? 

Per Sandman's post and link, I saw what the European wasps look like. They look exactly like the bees we call Yellow Jackets. I've never seen a yellow jacket nest in a house or other structure, so there may be a difference between the two. 

There are three types of wasps in this area. One nests in trees, typically bushes around the edge of ponds and lakes. They are about twice as large as the Yellow Jacket. Needlessly to say, their nest is water resistant. The other two build in structures that will shead water. The most common one is red and will build in the atic of your house if it can find a way in. They are also about twice the size of the yellow jacket. In the late afternoons when the attic is hot, they gather around the entry point to the attic. Here, you can kill them off with spray if you stay at it. They are agressive when the young are hatching. The last one is a smaller wasp and darker in color. It also builds nests in structures. Unlike the fuzzy bees and yellow jackets, the wasps are slick and breath trough their body. You can kill them with a spray of soapy water or garden poison. If you have a garden sprayer with adjustable spray nozzle, you can mist them and they won't fly untill they get wet. Until you understand that they are in the escape mode, it is exciting when they fly toward you. :grin:

Best regards,
Mack1


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## deesl4e (Feb 5, 2008)

G'Day Mack1

I'm pretty sure the American Yellowjacket is the same as the European Wasp we have out here. If not they are closely related. Generally they are bigger than Bees and can sting multiple times without dropping dead unlike the Bee.
As for the infrared they can't " see " it. Hence you can shine an infrared on them at night when they are docile and they won't react. At my old house which was an old weatherboard home we had a nest in the wall of the living room.It got to the stage you could hear them and we were able to identify the nest by the guards activities. Had to take off the outside boards to the haouse after a few day as it stank. Also had a nest in the cieling a couple of years before the one in the wall. 
Yes they do mostly nest in the ground and in logs, tree stumps etc but will find a wooden house to their liking.
Last winter just before we moved out of the house I found 3 wintering queens in one the sheds over the space of about a month. These one are slow and in winter are looking for a suitable nesting place. Kill them and you'll greatly reduce the chance of having wasp nests over the summer. Also wet weather knocks them about but unfortunately rain over summer down here is as rare as hens teeth. :wave:


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