Get Rid of Yellowjackets

"Ghislain" wrote in message ...
Will the "family" please advice me on how to get rid of the yellowjackets
nesting around the fish pond.

We had hoards of wasps around our pond a couple of years ago. I got
one of those glass insect traps that has a hole in the bottom of it.
You fill the trap with something insects like (e.g sugar water) and
just set it out away from where you like to hang out in the yard. The
insects crawl or fly up through the hole in the bottom of the jug in
search of the sweetness inside, and then they can't find their way
out, so they buzz around inside the jug, get tired, drop into the
water, and drown. I probably caught over 300 wasps over the course of
the summer using this little device. For the past 2 years, I haven't
had nearly the wasp population that I have had in the past. This trap
doesn't appear to attract bees, which is good, because I like to have
them hanging around to pollinate. Also, last year, the trap was death
on the little black ants we have.

A lot of yard and garden supply places carry the traps, as well as
mail order catalogs. I think I got mine from Jerry Baker for about
$20. I'm sure there are less expensive alternatives - I just like the
looks of the glass jar sitting in the garden. It does seem that it is
not as effective early in the season when there is more natural food
around, but it works particuarly well in Aug. & Sept. Maybe I have a
masochistic streak, because I admit that I get some small joy out of
watching the wasps buzz around in the jug until they give up and drop
dead. It's paybacks for all the times I got stung!

Lee Brouillet
writes:

For an underground nest, spray whip cream in the entrance at night. I am
not
kidding. Millions of years of evolution have not prepared yellow jackets
for
whipped cream.

OK, I'll bite! What does whipped cream do to them? Is it the density or
something? Shoot, they dig through the dirt easily enough.

First, the ones trapped inside die of asphyxiation. I assume the ones that try
to travel through whipped cream spin their wheels (so to speak) and can't get
anywhere. I had a nest right by the pond edge a few years ago, and I went out
at night with a bright flashlight covered in red plastic (insects can't see in
red light), put on a rubber glove (I didn't take chances), and sprayed canned
whipped cream in the entrance. This was a big underground nest, with workers
coming and going by dozen every minute during the day. They would attack if
you were within a few feet of the entrance. Miracle of the modern world,
canned whipped cream to the rescue.

I used a whole can so there was quite a mound there. In a day it shrank down
and dried; no yellow jacket ever emerged, as far as I know. If one did, it did
not fly very well!

Hmmmm - I 'd
REALLY have to keep the dogs away!

Yes. If they ate their way down to the bottom it could become a surprisingly
spicy dessert.

Mark Ervin