I noticed a underground yellow jacket nest in my yard this morning and need to get rid of it ASAP. What's the best way to get rid of them? Someone mentioned pouring gas into the hole but,Id rather not do that. I was thinking of putting my garden hose in the whole at night and drowning them. I really don't want to pay someone if I can avoid it but if that's the best COA I guess I'll have to go in that direction. What say you?

Put some dawn soap in the water. It helps to drown them

I’ve had to fight them as well.
Fire is your friend. I would mix gasoline or diesel with transmission fluid wait until dark when they are all returned and then light it.
You can do water later.

We had a yellow jacket nest in a hollow tree stump. I made a really strong mix joy dish detergent in a 1 gallon bottle of water and stuck the mouth of the bottle into the hole.

It kept them in the nest. The next morning there weren't any more yellow jackets.

I was surprised it worked so well. Your milage may vary.

Boil water then add dish soap. Stir and pour down the hole on a cool night. Then cap to seal in the freshness. A cool kight is better as all the wasps will be sleeping.

Had to do it a couple years back. Problem solved.

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Originally posted by calugo:
I noticed an underground yellow jacket nest in my yard this morning and need to get rid of it ASAP. What's the best way to get rid of them? Someone mentioned pouring gas into the hole but,Id rather not do that....

Why not? Go out after sunset and pour just 1 teaspoon of gasoline in the hole, then close the hole over with your foot or a small wad of paper. The fumes kill the whole nest.

Another vote for boiling water. Worked for me on a ground hornets nest on the foundation of my house. Obviously, fire was not an option. Boiling water worked just fine.

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Originally posted by ridewv:

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:
I noticed an underground yellow jacket nest in my yard this morning and need to get rid of it ASAP. What's the best way to get rid of them? Someone mentioned pouring gas into the hole but,Id rather not do that....

Why not? Go out after sunset and pour just 1 teaspoon of gasoline in the hole, then close the hole over with your foot or a small wad of paper. The fumes kill the whole nest.

I was thinking I'd have to ignite the gas, didn't realize I just needed a small amount and the fumes would do the rest. Im going to try and go with water and dish detergent and if that doesn't work I'll try gas. Thanks

Look around for a secondary entrance and plug it if you find it. I've poured a couple oz of gas down the hole at dusk and that works.

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Originally posted by doublesharp:
Look around for a secondary entrance and plug it if you find it. I've poured a couple oz of gas down the hole at dusk and that works.

I just poured a couple gallons of boiling water mixed with dish detergent into the hole so I'll see if that does the trick. I didn't really think of a secondary entrance but ill check.

When I discovered an in ground nest in my yard (I was stung by six as I walked by it), because I am mildly allergic to bee stings, I called a professional. It cost me $85.00 but he sprayed the openings at sunrise on a cool morning from a distance then proceeded to dig up the nest to ensure it was all neutralized.

It took me about four weeks to heal from the stings I received having to take OTC medication three a day (swelling, open wounds, and of course the itching). What I did not have then, but I do now, are several “stinger suckers”. Trying to get them out with a credit card is not a pleasant process.

Best $85.00 spent - at least for me….

I'm not allergic to bee stings but I've been stung before and its not a fun experience. The nest was right next to my walkway and driveway so to close for comfort so it had to go ASAP.

Locate the entrance hole.
Wait until a half hour after dark.
Pour about a half cup of gasoline into the hole.
The end.

Rinse and repeat as needed if others are found.

I like the Caddyshack way.

There’s a guy on YouTube that pours molten aluminum down the hole. He digs it up later, cleans it off and displays the casting as art.

I've always dumped gas in the hole and lit from a distance.

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Originally posted by chellim1:
I’ve had to fight them as well.
Fire is your friend. I would mix gasoline or diesel with transmission fluid wait until dark when they are all returned and then light it.
You can do water later.

This right here.

Dish soap and water sounds nice, until you get stung. The trifecta of petroleum will take care of them without any fuckery.

After dark when they are mostly home- there will be two or three sentinels guarding the hole- pour a gallon of chlorox down the hole (hit the sentinels)- and run like hell. Nest is dead the next day.

There are always 2 holes, both must be addressed. And whatever you do, please don't put your foot over one of the holes as was suggested above, you would regret doing that.

Here is my recipe that always works and doesn’t involve chemicals. Get a large, clear glass bowl (as large and clear as possible). Fill with hot water and a little dish soap. Pour down the hole; once you start pouring, the little bastards can’t get out. When it’s all gone, place the bowl centered over the hole and tamp lightly into the now damp ground. They can now get out of the hole but are fooled into thinking the hole isn’t obstructed. Leave the bowl in place for a week or two- monitor for activity.

Because they can see daylight when they fly out, the glass bowl fools them into thinking the hole is open and they won’t dig a new entrance. It’s a slow process but has always worked well enough for me that I have a clear glass mixing bowl from goodwill that is only used for this task. The key is a good seal to the ground so they can’t find a way out easily.