With the coming spring and summer season, the problem of yellowjackets taking up residence in your yard is sure to come. Yellowjackets are among the most aggressive and excitable bees in the United States, and if you are not careful they can swarm you and put a serious hurting on you. When you do get a nest of yellowjackets in your yard, how do you get rid of them without being stung or hurt?
The first thing you should know is that the chances of you coming across a yellowjacket nest and not getting stung is relatively low. Usually people do not even see them until they are stung, as the yellowjacket will usually make a home in a hole in the ground. Due to this, it is important that you are very careful about approaching a yellowjacket nest.
If you are unsure about whether or not you are allergic to yellowjacket stings, then you should stay away and call a professional to deal with the nest. If you are not allergic and are careful, then you can usually get rid of yellowjacket nests yourself. Here is how to do it:
1. Locate the yellowjacket nest from a distance. You can usually see them coming in and out of the nest in the ground relatively clearly. Mark the nest as closely as possible with something so that you know exactly where it is.
2. Put on some protective clothing that covers your skin. If you have anything to cover your face, then by all means do so. The more skin you can cover the lower your chance of getting stung.
3. Get a clear plastic or glass bowl.
4. Wait until late evening when it is almost dark, but not so dark you can not see where you are going. This is the best time to attempt to kill yellowjackets as they are at their least active, and are likely to be “home” in the nest.
5. Spray the inside of the glass or plastic bowl with bee killer spray. The better the brand, the better the job it will do. Coat the inside of the bowl as thickly as possible so that it will drip when you turn it over.
6. Slowly approach the yellowjacket nest and quickly place the bowl over the hole in the ground. The bees may have a backdoor escape, so be ready just in case.
7. The yellowjackets will either suffocate or the bug killer will do it’s work. Leave the bowl in place for a few days, and you will likely have eradicated the bees. Still, be careful when you finally approach the nest again. The bees will be fooled by the see through bowl, and try to escape through the closed hole.
Again, if you are allergic or think you could be, then you should never attempt to eradicate bees yourself. Pay some extra dough, and get a professional to take care of that yellowjacket nest. Your health and well being are far too important to risk a major problem with allergic reaction.
Wasps are not Bees. WASP=/=BEE
Comment by Marty — June 7, 2009 @ 8:16 pm