Getting rid of yellow jackets isn’t that tricky. Recently, I was called out to quote a property that had an in-ground nest preventing them from finishing their mowing. No one wants to run over one of those nests. Any one nest can house thousands of yellow jackets and they are territorial and very aggressive pests. Not only can they sting, they can also bite. Unlike bees, their stingers are not barbed so they can sting multiple times and being attacked by a swarm can lead to hospitalization and even death. That being said, let’s look into some ways to rid your lawn of them safely. With any of these methods, it is recommended to work around them at the time of day that is least likely for attacks. In the evening after dawn or early morning just before dusk when they lie more dormant.
Traps
First up, you can purchase traps at any of your major home improvement stores. These traps will allow these wasps to fly in but they cannot fly out. With any trap, they work best with the right bait. For yellow jackets, they sometimes crave meat and other time they crave something on the sweet side. If you have ever heard of someone getting stung in the mouth because they left a pop can out, no you know why.
We recommend hanging at least two traps close to the nest. One with some meat remains and one with something sweet. You can use fruit, like a peach core or a banana peel.
Delta Dust Pesticide
Traps may not always get the whole nest but will definitely cut down on the pests to deal with. If you have located the hive, Delta Dust is a good way to hit them there.
Wearing protective clothing, you want to get the nozzle into the opening of the hive. Squeeze the powder a couple times to get it down there and get back. Any wasps that fly out or in will start to be covered with this powder. Warning: this is not an instant killer. It will take some time for the wasps to die from this and they will be agitated around the hive. There are types of devices you can get that will allow you to puff powder from a safe distance if you are not comfortable getting too close.
Delta Dust Pesticide
Traps may not always get the whole nest but will definitely cut down on the pests to deal with. If you have located the hive, Delta Dust is a good way to hit them there.
Wearing protective clothing, you want to get the nozzle into the opening of the hive. Squeeze the powder a couple times to get it down there and get back. Any wasps that fly out or in will start to be covered with this powder. Warning: this is not an instant killer. It will take some time for the wasps to die from this and they will be agitated around the hive. There are types of devices you can get that will allow you to puff powder from a safe distance if you are not comfortable getting too close.
DIY Trap for Getting Rid of Yellow Jackets
An easy solution to eliminate these pests, is to create a trap using items you may already have in your home. Here’s what you will need.
- A couple 2 liter bottles
- Water
- Sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Banana peel
- Chicken meat
The first thing you want to do is cut the top 1/3 off of your 2 liter bottles and move them to the side. You can use the bottom 2/3rds to make a mixture of sugar and water but only filling it up just less than half of the bottle. Let the sugar dilute. Alternately, you can use a separate bottle to make the sugar water mix and shake it to dilution adding the banana peel for extra scent. Once diluted, pour in a bit of apple cider vinegar and if you choose, add a little bit of the chicken.
After your mixture is done, take the top of the bottle that you cut off and insert it upside down like a funnel. This makes it easy for the wasps to get in but not back out. You can choose to either tape the top on or cut tabs to hold it in place preventing other creatures from knocking it over and spilling your mixture.
Once your trap is made, place it as close as you can to your problem areas and it will start attracting those pests. Make sure you do this from a safe distance and always wear protective clothing to minimize bites and stings.
Once the trap gets pretty full, you can empty it and reuse it until you see less and less wasps.
Precautions
With any of these methods, you want to make sure you do everything you can to minimize injury to yourself or others.
- Only try these methods when wasps lie more dormant. Earlier am or late evening.
- Vibrations and sound trigger their agitation and a nest can hold thousands.
- Swarm attacks can lead to hospitalization and sometimes death.
- Protect yourself by covering up every part of your skin. Use duct tape around clothing that can expose skin such as pants to shoes or gloves to shirt.
- Always have an area you can run to if you start to get swarmed.
If you can’t deal with getting rid of yellow jackets yourself, it may be time to call in a professional to do so. It is definitely something to take care of to protect people in the home and any service providers that work in your yard. We would rather not get swarmed ourselves.
