How do I kill off an underground yellowjacket nest?

I found a nest of those basitds next to my garage door where I had shrubs planted. I waited until a cool evening and turned a 16 oz. soda bottle full of gas upside down into the entrance hole in the dirt.

Yellow jackets were all gone the next day. The shrub took a hit for a couple of years, but came back.

I hate those sumbucks!
 
My favorite wasp killer came about by accident. One day in the garage I was attacked. I grabbed the closest aerosol can. It was 3M Spray Mount Adhesive. Turns out that's an effective strategy. All glued-up they can't fly worth a ****. Maybe a wad of Gorilla glue (or whatever) would be an effective treatment and less toxic.
 
That video is one of my favorites. The dogs' reactions are priceless. I think he was using propane.

+1 on the gas I have only had one serious nest years ago at a lake house my parents owned. Got stung a couple of time cutting the grass, so I didn't even wait till dark grabbed the gas can and dumped a nice big gulp down the hole. We were playing volleyball later that day.
 
We had a HUGE nest one year,,
I had read about pouring gas,, and, I thought i would try something different.

I set a gallon paint can next to the hole, with a quart of gasoline.
I covered the hole, and can with a large cardboard box.

My hope was that the fumes of the gas would settle into the hole, and kill the yellow jackets.

The result was completely different, but BETTER!!

the yellow jackets came out of the hole, and DOVE into the gasoline!!
The next morning, I had a half gallon of dead yellow jackets!!

THAT was better than pouring the gas down the hole.
 
54070621638_6edcb91cf9_n.jpg

Call an expert.
 
Lonegle57 said:
Mark the hole, tonight after dark pour a half water bottle of gas down hole. Use a whole bottle if you want, should do the job. I usually walk up and stick bottle (upside down) in the hole and step back.
Click to expand...

I agree with the gasoline, but you forgot the fire part. I use a torch wrap on the end of along pole.

Burn 'em out! :)
 
I tried the wasp spray on a nest last month. I sprayed until the foam came up out of the hole and then I covered it up. The yellow jackets dug another escape hole the next morning.
Then I poured gas down both holes and covered them up. No more yellow jackets.
Forget about igniting it. The fumes do the job. Make sure you do it at night when they are all in the nest.
 
Some of y'all sound more scared of wasps than my daughter and a roach. Gas will kill the vegetation. Get a bottle of insecticide (I prefer Spectracide concentrate from HD), mix it in a liter bottle of water, stuff it in the hole at night. Wasps be gone. If not, pour a second bottle down the hole the next night. The roses will be fine.
 
I've got an active about 100 yards from my house. They put it in the wrong spot. It's under a pile of dead trees, limbs and brush that I've been piling up for about a year to eventually burn. It won't be long now. I was lucky enough to spot this one before they spotted me. The little black and yellow terrorist usually get me at least twice a year while mowing on my zero turn or bush hogging on my tractor. The little black bees are even worse. They chase you farther and hurt more.
 
Narragansett said:
I pour a little full strength 74% Chlordane into the hole and do a flat stone over the hole at night. Works every time.:D
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chlordane is classified as an organic pollutant hazardous for human health. It is resistant to degradation in the environment and in humans/animals and readily accumulates in lipids
 
OK...my $.02. A couple quarts of vegetable oil from your deep fryer. Heat it up for best penetration. It's non-toxic/non-flammable/non-explosive and it won't hurt your pets, and it works. I've used it around my Georgia yard on those nasty critters with great results.

If you ever accidentally put a shovel in their nest they will chase you down with a vengeance because they know it was YOU who attacked them.
 
After I got stung I dropped an M80 down a hornet's nest in my yard and plugged the hole with my boot. My foot stung for awhile but I didn't see any more hornet's! I haven't seen an M80 in years so now I use brake clean to kill them, if you hit them with it on the fly they drop like a stone.
 
Ed4032 said:
chlordane is classified as an organic pollutant hazardous for human health. It is resistant to degradation in the environment and in humans/animals and readily accumulates in lipids
Click to expand...

I didn't think you could still buy this stuff for these reasons. When I was a kid my dad used it on burrowing hornets in our yard and it was very effective, but I wouldn't use it now.
 
67tempest said:
After I got stung I dropped an M80 down a hornet's nest in my yard and plugged the hole with my boot. My foot stung for awhile but I didn't see any more hornet's! I haven't seen an M80 in years so now I use brake clean to kill them, if you hit them with it on the fly they drop like a stone.
Click to expand...

I have used the OTC 20' range stuff for years.

About 25 years ago we had to do a emergency repair job at a large chemical plant and there were a couple nests of stingbees close by. Job was about 35 ' in the air .

I went to the parts room and got a few cans of a good bee killer.

Basically my job was to "ride shotgun" for the man that was doing the repair job. I had a can of that spray in each hand and was knocking them out of the air. Guess my years of skeet shooting helped me:D. Neither of us got stung but we did have a few very close encounters!
 
yaktamer said:
I didn't think you could still buy this stuff for these reasons. When I was a kid my dad used it on burrowing hornets in our yard and it was very effective, but I wouldn't use it now.
Click to expand...

You can't still buy it, although Chlordane it is still manufactured and sent overseas where it is not banned. We used this stuff in liquid and powder form for 40 years to do everything including spraying the food we eat. I just happen to have a gallon or so of it in my insect arsenal.

We are probably still ingesting it it when you buy 3rd world foods in the market. I doubt the teaspoon I use here and there on very limited occasion is going to destroy the planet
 
I would think a bottle of laundry bleach would work as well as gasoline and be a little less hazardous.

I have a townhouse and had a yellow jacket problem about 7 years ago. I think their nest was in ground in some bushes. I got stung on the back of my arm. I found an article on the internet showing how to make yellow jacket traps with a half gallon plastic soda type bottle and some honey/sugar water. I put 4 of these traps on my patio and in three days I caught over 100 yellow jackets and that was the end of them.

If you can't find their underground nest an article I read said to put out a little bit of hamburger out. A yellow jacket will pick some up and fly real slow back to their nest due to the weight and you should be able to easily follow the yellow jacket.
 
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I have had great luck using a road flare, touch it off and lay it at the opening, as they come out they get burnt, you just have to keep it close to the opening as it burns.
 
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As others have mentioned, from late evening to early morning is the best time to approach the nest. The cooler the temperature the less active the little critters will be. Hornets and yellow jackets seem to be much more protective of the nest than wasps. Nasty little critters when they feel threatened.

I've always used chemical sprays like Ortho or Raid products, but haven't dealt with in-ground nests; around here the nasties nest above ground. Don't know how the chemicals (basically nerve agents) might work in dirt, maybe not the usual persistent action for extended periods.

I also have a weed burner, basically a torch with hose and regulator for portable propane tank. Basically a flame thrower with a range up to about 6 or 8 feet. Hanging wasp nests don't stand a chance.
 
hatethose things...a small thermonuclear device is the best...We had a nest this summer. I poured diesel on it llt it off...then piled about 10 pounds of sticks and leaves we raked up and enjoyed the campfire. Wife got stung twice. She enjoyed the campfire
 
Ed4032 said:
chlordane is classified as an organic pollutant hazardous for human health. It is resistant to degradation in the environment and in humans/animals and readily accumulates in lipids
Click to expand...

Good friend was forced into retirement because of that stuff.
Some previous owner dusted under a patio slab and he was digging in it because of a water leak under the slab.
He started to have physical and mental reactions, and lost his job as a Marine A-4 Pilot. Things got worse and eventually he was medically retired.
An investigation showed the issue and he had to have the entire back yard removed as a Hazmat hazard.
 
If any of you have one of those hose-end sprayers they can be very effective. I took the diffuser off and mixed my insect spray as directed into the container. That sucker will squirt about 25 or 30 ft. once you take that diffuser off. I took out a yellow jacket nest in my large flower bed from about 25 ft. I didn't even know that underground nest was there until I walked through the flower bed and got stung twice and chased out of the bed.
 
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