How to Eradicate Yellow Jacket Nests

Call a professional to remove yellow jacket nests if there is a chance of allergic reaction to their sting.

Yellow jackets are a type of wasp identified by their "yellow jackets" and thin waists. Most nests are built underground, but yellow jackets are known to build nests in walls, trees, attics and hollow logs. They travel across distances of up to 1,000 feet to feed on meats and sweet foods. Nests average 3 to 6 inches in diameter but can grow larger. The safest method to eradicate a nest is to have a professional pest-control technician remove it. Keep in mind that nests decompose naturally after a season.

Things You'll Need

• Insecticide spray for wasps
• Insecticide dust
• Protective eyewear
• Work gloves
• Utility mask
• Glass bowl or cake dish cover
• Brick
• Nest markers
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Putty
• Putty knife

Instructions

Locating Nests

1. Remain still and train your eye to the sunniest part of the yard. Look for a series of insects flying in a direct line and going to the same place. Follow the insects and look for an entrance and exit location.

2. Bait the yellow jackets, if you don't see them flying. Use a protein food like tuna in the spring and summer. Use sweets like fruit jelly in the fall. Place the bait where you think the nest may be hidden.

3. Follow the insects once you see them taking the bait. Mark the location of the nests with anything that will be visible at night. Continue looking for more. Mark each one found.

Natural snd Chemical Eradication

1. Cover a nest with a large, clear bowl or clear, cake dish cover. Weight it down with a brick or other heavy object. The insects will not dig another entry hole because the sunlight fools them into believing there is hope of escape. They will die from starvation in a week or so. This method works only with ground nests.

2. Treat an aerial nest with a "quick freeze" wasp or hornet spray. Soak the entry hole and the nest with the insecticide spray.

   Treat ground nests the same way, but follow up by sprinkling insecticide dust into the entrance hole.

3. Use the "quick freeze" method followed by the insecticide dust for indoor nests located in walls or voids where the exact location cannot be detected. Make sure the spray and dust is recommended for indoor use.

4. Drill a hole into the indoor nest site, if you have located the nest. Shoot insecticide spray or dust directly into the hole. Seal up the hole with putty. Look for the outside hole, too. Treat it the same way as the indoor hole, if you find it. Do not seal.

   Remove nests, if practical. Treat nests with a long-lasting insecticide, then seal the hole if the nest will not be removed.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep trash receptacles covered at all times to prevent food foraging by insects.

• Treating nests at night reduces the chance of being stung.

• Some spray insecticides are designed to spray up to 15 to 20 feet, which helps to reach higher nests.

• Yellow jackets are very aggressive. Stinging can be painful and have serious consequences for those who are allergic. Seek immediate medical treatment if you have difficulty swallowing or breathing after a sting.

References

• Do Your Own Pest Control: How to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets
• Tech Letter: Tracking Yellow Jackets Back to Their Nest
• Rescue: Yellow Jacket Nests
• Mother Earth News: Yellow Jackets vs. Cake Cover -- A Success Story