Here we go again "yellow jackets"

[annette]

sorry

I did a search and learned a lot on how to get rid of them.  they have turned extremely aggressive lately on one of my hives and are pushing the honey bees off the landing board onto the ground and then 100's of them attack in a frenzy.

Today I went up with a shovel and was smashing them, I am sure it did no good, but sure made me feel better.

Anyway I made up 2 traps today following the post of MB, banana, vinegar and sugar in a bottle.

My question is, about those store  bought traps from the hardware store.  Do honey bees stay away from them, and are they effective as well?

Awaiting your reply

Thanks
Annette

[manfre]

If you have a video camera, you should capture that. It sounds like it would be interesting to see.

I take a more proactive approach to killing yellow jackets since I only want to get rid of the ones in certain locations, which I usually find when they sting me while mowing. Wasp spray in to the nest at dusk works every time.

[alfred]

I use the store bought traps and they work great. The bees are not attracted to them. They work best in early spring when you can catch the queens. I also directly spray any nests that I find.

[annette]

Wish I could find the nest!!

[Mason]

I saw a television program once about yellow jackets in Hawaii.  They are not native to Hawaii so they were out trying to kill them.  They would put a piece of meat on the ground and wait for a yellow jacket to come along.  When the yellow jacket left they would walk a ways in the direction that it flew and put down another bait.  They repeated the process until eventually they cam across the hive.

The theory being they eat and then head back to the hive.

Might work..........

might just be a walk through the woods with a can of dog food

[annette]

Interesting and if all else fails, you will see me walking around with a piece of meat (which is no small feat as I am a vegetarian )

[jojoroxx]

fellow veggie here, yet i have no qualms about killing (and eating?!? ) yellow jackets!

We searched out a nest last year that was pestering and robbing a weak hive. Didn't use bait, but followed in the general direction and did progressively broader circles. They were nesting in the ground, in some open field terrain; which I learned is common. And these underground nests can be HUGE!!

NOTE: the clear indicator there was a nest was GREEN GRASS encircling a hole (mouse hole size) in the earth. The grass all around was brown but for the nest entrance. Evidently the moisture generated by them living in there (and transporting water?) was enough to keep the grass somewhat lush.

Hope this helps & good luck! They are wicked and deserve to die! p.s instead of spray we used 1 pint of gasoline: Pour and seal entrance with soil. It is the fumes that kill. ...OK, no arson humor now...

[RayMarler]

The last nest I found got a can of hairspray flame thrower treatment!

[ElectricVette]

I hate Yellow Jackets!  Haven't seen any lately thank goodness.  Let us know how the traps work.  If your having trouble finding the nest just take your riding mower and cut everything in sight.  Sooner or later they will let you know when you get there.

[Rebel Rose Apiary]

The last nest I found got a can of hairspray flame thrower treatment!

WD 40 or starting fluid and a lighter was what my dear old grandpa used to use....seconded by the gas poured on them! I would not recommend either one! Just too many things can go wrong and someone or something might get hurt or worse.

Brenda

[MustbeeNuts]

I have a nest in my house right now. I am getting wasp spray, they are in the walls, two holes two nests. dont think gas or hairspray is a good idea LOL ,, then again maybe it is. hehehe

[kathyp]

annette, you might want to try something like cat food (canned) or some other kind of meat leftovers in your trap.  the sweet bait might attract your bees as well as the yellowjackts.  i have them too.  they get in the hay, under stuff on the ground, etc.  my husband got stung up one year when he scraped up an old tarp with the tractor.  they had made a nest in the ground under the tarp and they came out mad!  be careful.

[Natalie]

Does anyone know a type of bee that looks like a minature yellow jacket?
I have seen some bees that look like miniature yellow jackets working the flowers in my front yard, along side my honeybees and some bumbles.
I have actually seen all 3 working the same flowers at the same time but I am wondering what type of bee it would be.
It has the shiny black and yellow bodies but looks to be at least half the size of a regular yellow jacket.
Any ideas?

[c10250]

I have a nest in my house right now. I am getting wasp spray, they are in the walls, two holes two nests. dont think gas or hairspray is a good idea LOL ,, then again maybe it is. hehehe

I've found that the BEST way to get them out of a house is to take a little SEVIN dust and put it on an evergreen branch.  Place the branch over the entrance so that the bees need to crawl through the dust prior to entering their nest.  It works wonders.

I can't tell you how many cans of wasp killer I would go through, and still see bees coming and going.

Ken

[RayMarler]

C10250...
That sounds like a Great idea, thanks for that tip!

[c10250]

No problem for the tip.  Glad to be of help.

Anyway, after using a couple of cans of wasp killer in my house wall (outside), I decided I was going to really teach them a lesson, and taped a shop-vac hose right outside their entrance.  I let the thing run all day.  It was pure enjoyment watching that hive entrance!  It didn't do much to kill the hive off.  That's when I had the idea of the branch and sevin dust.

Ken

[gwalker314]

Before I became a Beekeeper this year I waged all out war on Yellow Jackets. I had several underground nests in my yard. I read a researcher in CA found that Frontline dog & cat flea killer (1-2 drops to a can of cat food or tuna) will kill the nest by the foragers taking baited meat back to the nest where they feed the brood. I tried the method a year & half ago and I have not had a yellow Jacket problem since. I would only do this towards the middle or end of summer because thats when the YJ's are searching for meat more than sweets. To keep local pets and critters from getting the baited meat I placed the can in a birdgage to allow the YJ's in and out.
I tried the store bought traps and they captured a lot of yellows jackets but just like honeybees the YJ's kept putting out new foragers. Hope it helps

GW

[annette]

Well the banana, vinegar and sugar in the bottle did not work to good.  Just a few dead YJs, so today I bought a store bought trap and will install it today.

On a more positive note, the yellowjackets are not acting as aggressively these past few days.  Could it be that the hive is getting stronger??? I had just combined this hive with another nuc and now the populaton is much better
The Yellowjackets sense this and act differently??

[shemer]

sorry

Anyway I made up 2 traps today following the post of MB, banana, vinegar and sugar in a bottle.

What kind of bottle? Do you have a picture? I am having exact same problem with hornets. Could you please post a picture or drawing of your trap?

[annette]

I am at work now, but will explain it

1 cup sugar, 1 cup vinegar, 1 banana peel. Mix together and place inside a plastic water bottle.

Take a knife and cut out a little hole near the top of the bottle, about the size of your finger.

Hang a few feet from the hives.

OK that is how to make the trap, but actually it never really worked that great. Only caught a few yellowjackets with the trap. I went to the hardware store and bought a trap there that works like a charm and hundreds of yellow jackets are now floating in water.

The trap I purchased is non toxic and just has an attractant you place in the water.  Boy, oh boy it worked so great.  I am actually going to purchase a few more this week.