| For the past few years my yard and outside of my house has been invaded by pesty large yellow jackets.... my 10yr old son has gotten stung on several occasions. Besides not being out side and not gardening how might I get rid or keep a bay this stinging bugs? I have already consulted my Citys expert and as to be expected they out sourced me to a beekeeper.... I havent contacted him as of ye |
| The first step is to find the source of the yellowjackets. Are they building nests in the trees or the eaves of your house? If so you can discourage them by destroying the nests as they attempt to build. Knock them down with a long handled broom or hose them off with a strong stream of water from the hose. Be persistent in destroying the nests as they are being built and the yellowjackets will eventually go elsewhere. If they are nesting inside the siding of your home you'll need to find out exactly where and chase them out (see above) and then plug up any holes that they can use to gain access to behind the siding. If they are ground nesting wasps rather than yellowjackets, you can cover the entrance hole with a glass bowl or mason jar. Do this after dusk when they are all at home. In the morning they will try to exit but won't be able to. They won't excavate an exit hole but instead the colonly will die out. When you see no activity, it's safe to remove the bowl or jar. I'm not sure why you were outsourced to a beekeeper. Yellowjackets are not the kinds of things a beekeeper would be interested in! Early spring, when they are actively looking for new homes is the best time to watch for them and destroy their nests before they are completed. Hope you're able to get control of the situation! |
