Hi,
I have discovered a ground wasp(?) nest near my house. So I went to HD and got a spray can, but when I read the instructions it seemed to deal with nests in trees. The instructions say to "saturate the nest" but I only have a small opening.
What's the best strategy?
Thanks,
Aaron
At night, place a clear glass or plastic bowl over the opening, press it slightly into the ground, and set a weight on top if it's plastic. As long as the wasps can see daylight, they won't dig another exit, and within about a week , will all starve and die.
Ortho Seven poured in, but unless its an area you frequent like when cuting grass or they bother you why kill them, all they eat are bugs now, later they do in fall go for all food even your lunch
You could start spraying as close as you dare to opening to knock down and confuse wasps or yellow jackets in the air and continue to move down and spray into opening. Dumping in a quart or more diluted Sevin would be frosting on the cake.
Yellow Jackets are a common form of "ground wasp."
The "old school" solution was to pour a cup or two of gasoline in the hole you found. The gasoline vapors displace the oxygen and the critters die, die, die! Aftrward, the gas evaporates. It's likely illegal today.
Kerosene will not work because is doesn't generate the vapors and because it contaminates the soil forever.
The best solution is to leave them alone. If that won't work (they are in a high-traffic area) use an insecticide dust. Something not *too* fast acting (sevin is good, so is methoxychlor.) Wait until dusk and throw a nice-sized pinch down the hole. They will get it on their feet and contaminate the whole hive in just a day or two.
Bob
They are awfully stupid aren't they?
After spraying the nest for several nights without any visible effect, I gave up and paid a professional, and I'm glad I did.
that's what our county extension agent tells people. But he adds, "of course i'm not allowed to tell people that anymore"
On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 22:03:56 -0400, against all advice, something compelled "John Gilmer" , to say:
We put a window screen over the hole so they couldn't get out, and then poured a cup of chlorine bleach and a cup of household ammonia through the screen and into the hole. This makes chlorine gas, which will kill you as well as the critters, so one needs be careful, but it's heavier than air so it sits down there right nice. It won't kill the plants the way regular unleaded will.
Go out at night and pour a sudsing ammonia and detergent solution down the hole, so they can't fly, then stick a garden hose down there.
Turn the hose off in the morning.
Jon
And then go rent a pump to empty out the basement, around my place at least.
That pink powder, poofed into the hole after dusk 2-3 days in a row, has always worked for me. I always keep a few cans of the squirtgun spray around too, for immediate revenge and gratification after they mass-sting me. Seems to happen about once a year when mowing- this year they flew up the sleeve of my shirt, and stung me from inside. Awful hard to brush away under a shirt.
Always, within a week, something (skunk?) digs up the dead nest to salvage the honey.
-- aem sends...
I had two nests this year. One in the ground, the other in an exterior wall. I read about diy options but decided to opt for the pro. Pro came out and took out the ground nest easily and permanently in one visit. Never saw another yellow jacket from that nest. The wall nest took a few applications of dust, but eventually he got it neutralized.
Total cost: $90. Huge bargain.
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