About a gallon of gasoline into the hole. Get some distance and hit them with a flaming arrow. Give them a real Viking burial!

Just mix up a little pyrethrin and pour it down the hole at night. No need to use fire.

Personally, I've always used the gas+fire method, but the absolute most effective way, and less risk for stinging, is to sprinkle powder-formulated Sevin insecticide around the holes. The drones get this on their skin when they enter, and take it down to the queen, killing her. Killing the queen is the only sure way to destroy the nest. The Gasoline+fire risks missing the queen's chamber which the gasoline might bypass, and channels that might divert combustion gases. I imagine flooding the structure with a air-displacing gaseous compound would be effective, but likely to be expensive.

And, as noted above, big nests always have multiple entrances, see the castings people have made of yellow jacket nests, they are very complicated in structure.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
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'd be more inclined to try this first, but place a brick over the hole and come back in a few days.

Using gasoline AND fire reminds me of the "Fuck Around - Find Out" adage.

quote:

Originally posted by ugeesta:
Boil water then add dish soap. Stir and pour down the hole on a cool night.

I use this method for fire ant mounds, it works.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Locate the entrance hole.
Wait until a half hour after dark.
Pour about a half cup of gasoline into the hole.
The end.

Exactly. Even better super early, before sunup, so they are all home, at max low temp and chilling.

The whole IDEA behind gasoline is you do not have to light it. The only reason to is if you like fire or are trying to get yourself on YT. Just the fumes will kill them, and trap them.

Now, this teaspoon-and-see bullshit is pointless. Put a goodly quantity in a large-mouth, fast-pouring container and dump it all at once. A pint is fine, a quart is great. Dump and retreat. This is not the time for your dripdripdrip EPA approved gas can.

A lot of gas, soap and other stuff mentioned but I have always used the spray can foam for yellow jacket/bee/hornets. Shake the can, dispense's in about a 20' foot foamy stream and no more pests. Have used it in trees and underground nests. The foam kind of blasts the area and makes an even wider pattern on impact and coats any flying bugs.

Available at any local hardware store.

And you wont burn down the neighborhood

quote:

Originally posted by myrottiety:
About a gallon of gasoline into the hole. Get some distance and hit them with a flaming arrow. Give them a real Viking burial!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT4LF7wCTtA


This looks like the best way I've ever seen. But handling (and even acquiring) this stuff is not for the careless nor negligent.

I can only offer up the "solution" tried years ago by my then 10 yr old son and his cousin:

Battle Plan - Attack the nest with firecrackers - from a safe distance.

Summary of data from above research:

a. 20-foot throwing distance is adequate on the
first firecracker only!

b. 2:00 PM on a summer day is NOT the ideal time
to conduct raid.

c. A motivated 10 yr old does not outrun a
motivated yellowjacket.

d. Concussion effects will NOT kill all the
airborne yellowjackets in the vicinity.

e. Second and third stings hurt more than the
first one.

f. NEVER follow suggestions of a 12 yr old just
because he is older and is your favorite
cousin.

g. Never seek sympathy from two dads who are, at
a safe distance, laughing so hard they can't
even get out a hearty "We told you so!"

Moral of the story: Age doesn't imply higher intelligence. It does offer experience gained after years of doing stupid stuff.

We recently went through this with a type of wasp that kills cicadas and buries them in their nest. No amount of soap and water would get rid of them. I finally just waited until they were flying around and killed them with a fly swatter.

When I was 16 or so my dad and I went to his rich buddies house to shoot some trap. We met up with the rich guy and 3 other friends of my dad. After a few hours, the rich guy discovers a nest in the ground. How do 5 guys with shotguns get rid of said nest, blasting the hell out of it!

Neighbors called the police and complained of automatic gunfire. 2 deputies came round the side of the house with their hands on their guns, but thankfully not quite ready to shoot first.

Bees gone at least.

quote:

It does offer experience gained after years of doing stupid stuff.

I’ve always had good success with a small amount of gas poured in the hole at dark. No need to ignite it. Never had to redo it either.

Be aware that many times there is more than one entrance , and during daylight hours there is always a few of them flying patrol around the area . I have had them bust my ass more than one time and they will chase you a long distance .

Any advice on finding the entrance? I have many yellow jackets buzzing around my yard. Have looked and not been able to locate the nest. Worried that my little boy will “find it” when he is out playing.

Try to watch them toward the end of the day from a safe distance and try to pinpoint the spot where they’re coming and going. Typically they’ll have a small hole on a slope with dry ground. You can always toss a marker of some sort close to the opening so you can find it at night to pour in the gas. Good luck. They’re mean little devils. I had two nests last year and one so far this year.

Thanks, will look tonight. Makes sense because my backyard slopes down about 20 feet from the house. And familiar with how nasty those buggers are. I got in a nest at my grandparents house when I was a kid. That’s why I want to get them before they get my boy.

Two words of advice.

Tsar Bomba.

I would always get a 2-liter soda bottle (with the label removed) and stuff the neck of the bottle in their entrance hole.

They look like a popcorn popper for a few hours and slowly tire out and fall back in to the hole.