[treeswarper]

[moonspots]

[Ski]

^ last yellow-jacket nest I had to take out was in a rock retaining wall. tried the aerosol "bombs" first. they put a dent in the population, but didn't take them all out. about a pint of paint thinner and a match took care of the rest of them. I would have ordinarily used gasoline, but paint thinner was the only flammable liquid on hand at that moment. best to go after nest/hive after dark when all the little workers go home and check in for the night. otherwise you're leaving all kinds of stragglers who will be buzzing around for a couple days trying to figure out where home is. I would have just waited until after dark, gone in with a flashlight, and scooped the entire thing into a big plastic garbage bag and then disposed of the whole bag. If you're careful, you can "bag" those big paper hornet nests without damaging them - just in case you have friends or acquaintances who collect hornet nests.

[Tom]

[Hulksmash]

Bug zapper just out side their entrance. Once one gets zapped the rest attack the bug zapper.

[Stefan-K]

I got a wasp nest too out in the side yard that I've been rather laissez-faire about... so good to read about others. Followed up on Navy Salads tip on free wasp removal and found this - http://cascadiavenomcollection.com/ -- Cascadia Venom Collection "Cascadia Venom Collection specializes in the free removal of live, unsprayed hornet, yellowjacket, bee & wasp nests. The insects collected are sold to labs that extract their venom for use in allergy immunotherapy." Looks like the season is winding down for hornets (over) and wasps in October... but I'll give them a call tomorrow and see how that goes.

[Bedivere]

[Backpacker Joe]

Tom never does anything small!

[Blue Dome]

I've witnessed two exterminators deal with stinging insects: 1. Paper wasp nest a little smaller than a football, hanging under an eave: Guy in full white beekeeper suit climbed up a ladder, cut down the nest into a bucket of water, and put a lid on the bucket. 2. Yellow jacket nest behind outdoor siding of a building: Guy with big tank of liquid strapped to his back sprayed the entrance and around it for about 20 seconds -- the liquid was a virus. About a dozen yellow jackets came out and fell to the ground, dying. Over the next week or so, more came out every day, and died, with the number getting smaller every day, until there were none. They didn't return. Incidentally, the yellow jacket guy had to stand within four feet of the entrance of the nest to access it. Before he sprayed the virus, he said he had to get mad, because getting angry would replace the fear pheromone that he'd otherwise give off -- and that the yellow jackets would track toward. He said a couple of angry sentences with some intensity, and then sprayed, which made for a funny scene. I'd never heard of a virus being used to exterminate yellow jackets, nor had I heard of getting angry to mask a fear pheromone.

[JonnyQuest]

[Blue Dome]

The guy said it was a virus and we briefly talked about it. Might not take much to overwhelm such a little creature. It was definitely a yellow jacket apocalypse.

[AlpineRose]

I wonder if getting angry would prevent yellow jacket stings while hiking. You'd need to see the nest in time, and it's location would make it hard to avoid. So sneak past it while thinking angry thoughts.