Removal of Yellow Jackets Around You Might Be Wise

If there is one wasp that often keeps troubling humans and causing nuisance, then that is the yellow jackets! Though it might look like bees, it is very much aggressive than bees or paper wasps. They can get provoked easily and will sting you hard if they feel that you are a prospective danger. Though yellow jackets are considered as beneficial wasps, still they can be a complete nuisance and dangerous too if they get aggressive. Hence, killing yellow jackets has become a necessity for most of us.

Why Are Yellow Jackets Dangerous?
Yellow jacket nests can be dangerous as the wasps get agitated even for a slight vibration near their nest. There are separate wasps who diligently remain near the entrance and exit points as a lookout against danger. They communicate with the other wasps in the nest in case they notice something. When they get provoked, they sting many times, injecting venom into the victim’s body. In case the person is allergic to the venom, then the sting can cause severe pain, swelling, and itching sensations.

Better Not Remove A Treated Nest Soon!
After you have decided how to kill yellow jacket nest, you might tend to remove the nest as soon as treating it. But it is always better to leave it there for a few days before removing it. Many of the wasps might be outside while you had treated the nest. So, they might return within the next few days. If you remove the nest immediately, the returning wasps might keep flying around the area and might even sting anyone who comes near it. Instead, if you leave the treated nest there itself, the returning wasps will enter it, and they will also be killed in the residual remains of the treatment.

How To Distinguish Between A Wasp And A Bee
Yellow jackets and bees look similar in shape and size. They share the same color scheme of the bees. They also have alternate yellow and black bands on their surface. But, if you observe closely, yellow jackets have thinner body structures than the bees. They are less hairy and do not have the round appearance of bees. The wings of yellow jackets are very long and extend to almost the same length as their body. Bees are not as aggressive as yellow jackets. Bees sting only when they feel that their hives are in danger. Bees only sting once. But an aggressive yellow jacket can sting multiple times.

Killing A Solo Yellow Jacket
If you observe a single yellow jacket near you or flying around in your area, here is what you can do:

• If the yellow jacket comes and lands on your body, don’t freak out! Stay calm! If you make sudden movements, it will interpret it as a danger signal and sting you hard. Stay still. It will most probably fly away on its own. If it is not going, you can use slow movements or even slowly blow on it to make it fly away.
• Never agitate the wasp. You can kill it with fly swatters or rolled newspapers. But, we advise against it! If you miss by any chance, the aggressive wasp can sting you hard multiple times. Likewise, it is better not to use insecticide sprays on a lone wasp. It can harm anyone else standing nearby or can create a huge mess if used inside the house.
• If you kill a lone wasp using swatter, it releases a venom which sends an alarm to all the wasps nearby. Hence, all the other yellow jackets in the vicinity will be drawn towards the spot, and they will attack you aggressively.
• Using traps is one of the best ways to kill yellow jackets. So, if you are wondering how to eliminate yellow jackets, get a lure and set it in a trap. Yellow jackets are easily lured by the sight and aroma of sweets, fruits, sugary drinks, and meat. They often get easily lured at the sight of open trash cans or pet food. So, try using a piece of meat or a sugary substance as the lure and keep it inside a jar that can be sealed tightly, or get a soda bottle that can be screwed tight. After the yellow jacket gets trapped, close the bottle or jar tightly and dispose it off.
• Prepare a water and soap trap to kill the yellow jacket easily. It is an easy yellow jacket trap to lure and kill flying wasps. Fill up a bucket or bottle with water mixed with soap and then hang a piece of meat attached to a string about one or two inches above the water level. The yellow jacket will get lured by the meat and will fall into the soapy water as soon as it consumes the meat. If you have any pets and is concerned whether other animals might bite the piece of meat, then you can place a piece of mesh over the bucket.

Importance Of Allergy Test
If you have a yellow jacket nest in your property and are wondering how to kill yellow jackets in the ground, inside the walls, bushes, below window sills, etc. then, you can eradicate them as a whole without the help of any professional. But, ensure always that you are not allergic to the stings of yellow jackets. You can never expect what can happen when you try to kill them. Things can go wrong, and you might get stung. If you do not know whether you are allergic to the venom of the yellow jacket sting, you can seek the advice of a medical practitioner to take a test for allergy. The venom can be fatal if the person is very allergic to the sting. It can cause swellings, severe pain, itching and anaphylactic shock within minutes to getting stung. Hence, an allergy test is mandatory before treating the nest on your own.

Get To Know How To Kill A Yellow Jacket Hive Easily

After getting the allergy test done and ensuring that you are not allergic to the sting, you can get set to kill the yellow jacket nest. If by any chance you prove to be allergic to the sting, never do the task by yourself. Ask anyone else or hire an exterminator to do it. Here are some of the ways to kill yellow jackets:

Locate
The first step is to locate the exact position of the nest. Yellow jackets usually nest in cavities found in the ground, below the porches, eaves in houses, and even inside the small holes in walls. The ways of treatment depend on the location of the nest. If you are not able to locate the nest, then you will have to lure the yellow jackets by using sweets or a piece of meat. Yellow jackets often fly directly into or out of the nest when they are entering or exiting the nest. Hence, you can observe their flight and locate the nest. Usually, yellow jackets build their nest in secluded and shady places. So, don’t forget to check such places.

Assess It!
After you have located the nest, try to assess its size. If it is a small nest, you can quickly spray some insecticide on it and escape fast. But, if you are handling a large colony of yellow jackets, then it is better you take protective measures before starting the treatment. Often, the places chosen to build nests by these wasps will be hard to reach and do the treatment. A solo queen yellow jacket begins the nest, and it keeps on multiplying throughout the year. If your place does not have freezing winters, and the place remains warm throughout, then the nest will keep on growing from year to year. Thus, it will grow into a largely populated colony. However, such an incident only happens rarely. If the nest is spiral shaped and large, then it might be a hornet nest. If the nest looks like a honeycomb, but off-white, then it must be a paper wasp nest. These are cousins of yellow jackets but are less aggressive than them.

Time!
The time you choose to treat the yellow jacket nest is extremely important. In case the temperature drops below fifty Fahrenheit (ten degrees Celsius), the yellow jackets won’t fly around much. They remain inactive inside their nest. Hence, they remain in hibernation during winters, start gaining strength by late spring and active during summers. They fly around to find food for their larvae and start getting aggressive by fall season as the food supply starts to deplete by this time.

• Perfect Time
  The perfect time to kill a yellow jacket nest is during late spring season or early summer season. During this time, the newborn colony of yellow jacket queen will remain inside the nest. Yellow jackets are very much active during daytime. Hence, it is better to treat the nest during the night. If your area gets cold during winters and won’t remain warm throughout the year, then you are lucky! The yellow jackets will die off on its own by the time winter approaches. If you are trying to treat the nest by late fall season, then it is better to wait till they have gone out of the nest. Yellow jackets get agitated easily during the fall season.

Protective Clothing
Wear protective clothing before you venture out to kill the yellow jacket nest always. You can’t always predict how things might turn out. Hence, it is always better to be prepared for the worst. Ensure that you expose as little skin as possible. You can wear long pants, long sleeves, boots, high socks, gloves and a beanie pulled over the ear. You can also make use of a scarf to protect the lower portion of your face, including the nose and mouth. Use safety goggles for your eyes.

• Why Avoid Bright Clothes?
  Yellow jackets can be a real pain in the neck if they nest in your area. But, it also contributes to nature by actively participating in the pollination of flowers. They collect the nectar of flowers to feed themselves and their queen. Hence, if you wear bright clothes, they might mistake you for a flower. So, better avoid using it. Wear light-colored clothes instead.
• Red Light
  When you venture outside during night time to treat the yellow jacket nest, use red lights always. If you don’t have one, just stick a red cellophane paper over your flashlight. Yellow jackets won’t be able to recognize red light. Hence, they won’t understand that you are approaching their nest.

Attack!
Now that you are fully prepared for the treatment attack the nest! You can make use of synthetic yellow jacket nest sprays. It can be sprayed directly inside the nest. But, the downside here is that these sprays are extremely poisonous and should be used with extra care if pets, kids, food substances or any other people are around. You can also opt for organic yellow jacket killer sprays that make use of biodegradable acids and oils that won’t cause harm to others. Both the types are available in powder and spray forms.

• You can make use of aerosols to spray from a distance of about twenty feet. Hence, you can make use of this and spray directly into an aerial nest while standing on the ground itself. Ladders can limit your ease of mobility and can turn to be dangerous if a wasp attacks you.
• If the yellow jacket nest is on the ground, spray or dust over it and then cover it quickly with mud or dirt.
• If the nest is an exterior one, you can spray the aerosol into the wasp nest. Ensure that you read the directions on the label before using it.
• An easy and natural way is to spray the nest using soapy hot water. It may not be as fast-acting as an aerosol, but it works well. Take half a gallon of water and mix one-third cup of a detergent into it. Now, take a spray bottle and fill it with this soapy liquid. Spray it over the nest and inside it. You will have to repeat the process many times in a day and continue this process for a few days.
• Be prepared to run for safety! The yellow jackets can get aggressive, and it is better to be safe than sorry. Hence, plan the easiest way to your house. Remember that you will only get maximum ten to fifteen seconds to run back to safety after spraying on a wasp nest.

Wait!
Wait for at least one week to ensure that all the yellow jackets have died away and your mission was a success. In case you have used a chemical spray, then you have to leave it as it is for one week. There can be yellow jackets which were flying outside while you treated the nest. Hence, give them time to return and get killed in the residual remains of the chemical inside the nest.

Dispose off!
After waiting and ensuring that all the yellow jackets are dead, you can now dispose off the nest safely. Ensure that you handle the nest safely. Do not knock it down as the pets in the neighborhood can get exposed to the harmful chemicals inside it. Knock it down slowly using a shovel or a broom and put it safely inside a large bag.

If You Wish To Keep It
If you prefer not to dispose the nest, but to keep it there itself, then that is also not an issue as yellow jackets usually won’t nest again in an already used nest. You can display the nest and keep it provided you ensure that the nest has become inert without any larvae or eggs remaining inside it.

Learn How To Get Rid Of Yellow Jackets In Bushes, Walls, Ground, Roof And Eaves

If you have got a yellow jacket nest inside a shrub or a bush, stay about fifteen feet away from it and observe the flight path of the wasps. If they have an in and out path, then you can ensure that there is a nest in there. It is better that you stay in the out path and not in the path. The best way to kill the nest would be to use insecticide dust or powder. Opt for non-irritant insecticides like Permethrin. Usually, professionals make use of powders that contain one percent of Bendiocarb. Cover up the whole nest using the powder either by using the pack directly or by using a Duster Bellow. Professionals can make use of aerosol wasp and hornet killers from a distance of six to eight feet from the nest.

Yellow Jacket Nest In Ground
If you have got a yellow jacket nest in the ground, then remember to use extra precision and care while removing it. Even a single nest might contain thousands of wasps. Always opt for nontoxic solutions first as the toxic chemicals can harm even useful insects like honeybees. Usually, the yellow jacket nests underground will have many chambers inside it. The chambers can be about nine to twelve inches below the level of the ground. It looks similar to a hornet nest. It won’t have the protective outside covering as it is built underground. Here is how to kill yellow jackets naturally and also by using insecticides:

• Yellow jacket nest underground can be easily dealt with without the use of any equipment. Get insecticide dust and puff it inside the nest and in front of the nest entrances and exit. In case you are not able to find the entry and exit points, puff the powder into all the holes you find on the nest.
• Wait till dusk so that all the wasps will be inside the nest and pour gallons of hot water into the yellow jacket nest.
• Get your garden hose and insert the end of the hose into the nest. Now, switch on the tap. The nest will be filled with water and drown the wasps.
• Choose one of the best wasp killer insecticides available but won’t harm any animals. Take one gallon of water and mix two bags of the insecticide in it. Now, wait till it is night, and the wasps turn inactive and drowsy. Pour the insecticide mix all over the nest. Make sure the nest is completely wet. Yellow jackets will think that is just rain and won’t react. Soon, they will get killed.
• Make use of insecticide dust. Apply the dust in front of the nest entrance. The wasps entering into the nest will carry it inside the nest as the dust get stuck on their body. Thus, all the wasps inside the nest will be killed.
• Wait patiently till dark and get a flashlight to search for the nest entrance holes. Get a bottle and add some liquid that evaporates fast. You can use alcohol or any gas. Insert the bottle into the entrance hole of the nest. The vapors of the gas will get stuck in the hole and kill the yellow jackets.
• Get some diesel and pour or spray it into the nest. Either the wasps will get killed or leave the nest. They will never come back into the nest.
• Put any meat or liver all around the nest. Most probably a skunk will get lured by the aroma and eat up the nest also along with it.
• Get calcium carbide and spread it all around the holes of the yellow jacket nest. When calcium carbide comes in contact with moisture, it turns into a gas of acetylene. The calcium carbide will be carried inside the nests by wasps entering the nest. Thus, it comes in contact with moisture and forms the gas, killing all the wasps inside the nest.
• Get dry ice and place a large block on top of the nest. The pests will get killed.
• Pour gasoline inside a plastic bottle. When the night creeps in, open the bottle cap and insert it into the nest entrance. The bottle will block the entrance while the gas will fill the nest.

Getting Rid Of Yellow Jacket Nest In Eaves
If you are wondering how to kill yellow jackets in house eaves, then we have got the perfect solutions for you! The eaves are one of the most common spots where yellow jackets build their nest in. If you observe the wasps coming into and outside the eaves of your house, then that implies that there is a yellow jacket nest in there. You can treat the nest through the roof of the house. Most probably, the nest will be located down the eaves area over the edge of the loft area opening. It is better not to switch on the lights of the loft area. You can make use of a torch to find the position of the nest. But, switch off the torch as soon as you locate it. Else, the wasps will come directly towards you when they see the light.

• Use Wasp Powder
  If the wasp nest is not deeper than five hundred millimeters, you can make use of a wasp powder to kill the nest. If the nest is deeper inside, use a bellows duster. In case, you are unable to even access the nest, try getting a ladder. Climb up the ladder and use a duster pump to direct the wasp powder into the nest. You can get an applicator with high reaches, like about a reach of fifteen to twenty foot. If you are treating the nest from top of a ladder, don’t forget to use protective clothing.

Yellow Jacket Nest In Roof Voids
Yellow jackets can nest under the roof flashings or roof tiles. They might nest near the dormer windows. They can also nest at the point where dormer roof and main roof meets. If the main roof in easily accessible, the nest can be located. Though it can be located easily, it cannot be treated easily as it will most probably be a large nest of angry yellow jackets. They might get aggressive and attack you as a group.

• Use Aerosol
  The best way to kill wasps, in this case, is to use a spray of aerosol. It will kill the angry wasps quickly. You can also use a wasp killer dust or powder to kill the yellow jackets. It is better not to use a puffer duster as it can turn out to be risky. Get a bellow duster and coat the outsides of the wasp nest with the powder. If the wasps get agitated, use the aerosol spray to kill them. Cover up the whole nest with the aerosol foam and escape from the spot immediately. The wasps will get killed soon.

Yellow Jacket Nest Located At Higher Levels
In cases where the yellow jackets have nested over the roof, and you are not able to access it easily, you can try attacking the nest through the roof voids outside. Get a high reach dust application device with a reach of fifteen to twenty feet. Extensions can be fitted to increase and decrease the aim from three to twenty feet. This helps in applying the dust precisely and killing the yellow jackets inside the roof voids. You can even opt for less costly variants of the dust.

Yellow Jacket Nest In Air Bricks
If you are wondering how to kill yellow jackets in a wall of air bricks, then there are many easy methods to do so. You might observe the yellow jackets entering through air bricks. But the nest will be located maybe six feet below the building or maybe in a cavity inside the wall. You can make use of dust or powder to kill the yellow jackets. You need not use any equipment to kill the wasp but will have to make many attempts to eradicate all the yellow jackets. This is because the powder won’t stay on the way to nest and coat all the wasps entering the nest. Hence, a repeated application will be necessary. Apply the powder three times a day. Soon, the wasps will all get killed. It is better to do the work at night for safety reasons.

Some Extra Tips

• In case the yellow jackets find it difficult to enter their nest, they will probably find another queen and live in their nest. If they are not able to find another queen, they will die off by fall season as they won’t be able to survive the cold nights.
• If you have a hummingbird and use a feeder to feed it sugary water, then place a trap a bit away from the feeder so that the yellow jackets get trapped inside it. Ensure that you don’t place the trap near the feeder as the hummingbird will take it as a feeder and get trapped instead.
• The smell of orange or peppermint can help in keeping away the wasps. But, it might not be a practically easy way.
• If you happen to find a wasp nest below a bush or shrub and do not want to destroy the shrub, then place the nozzle end of a vacuum into the shrub and keep it running until all the wasps get sucked into the bag of the vacuum. Now, you can remove the wasp nest. But, ensure that no wasps are still lingering inside it.
• Gasoline can be very dangerous, and hence it needs extra care. It is better to seek the help of an exterminator if you plan to use gasoline. Alternatively, you can get any wasp killers available in your nearest store.
• If you have edible plants or fruits near the wasp nest, then the chemicals you spray on the nest will contaminate them too. No matter how much you wash it, the contaminant remains. Hence, it is better to use non-toxic substances to kill the wasps.
• If you are using an insecticide dust, it may need to be applied two to three times for several days to ensure that all the wasps have been completely killed. The insecticide dust will stick to the body of the wasp entering the nest and kill other wasps too. You can prevent the wasps from flying out of the nest by placing a window screen near the opening of the nest. Ensure that the screen remains in position by using rocks to weigh it down.
• Make use of disposable traps to kill yellow jackets if you going out on a trip or a picnic. You can get rid of the wasps that fly around you and dispose it off later.

Make Use Of An Epipen If You Are Allergic
If you are allergic to the venom of yellow jackets, then always carry an epipen inside your bag to prevent anaphylactic shocks. If you notice anyone suffering from breathing problems after being stung by yellow jackets, enquire about their epi-pen and use it immediately. Ensure that you always read the label of products used to kill wasps carefully so that you can know whether these products will contaminate water or soil.