+*%#@^&# Yellow Jackets

[Dozernut]

I was out brush mowing today and ran into a nest of Yellow Jackets. I found that it is hard to change the tractor from low to the "lets get the heck out of here gear" when you are swatting Yellow Jackets away from your face. They followed me for a couple of hundred feet before they gave up, probably out of pity. One of the little darlings managed to sting me inside my left ear. It only hurts when I hear something and takes my mind off the other stings .

This is my wife's fault, I wanted a new cab tractor and she wanted the house remodeled, guess who won that one. I decided that the brush could wait until after a precision night time strike on the suspects abode. Wish me luck!

 

[Larro Darro]

I feel for you. I got into a nest of wasp while I was bush hogging about 30 years ago. They were the kind you see on the river with nests the size of dinner plates. I got 23 stings, but my exit from the tractor hurt my back so bad I {almost} forgot the wasp stings.

But yellow jackets are must worse. Once while I was deer hunting I happened across a nest that had been dug up by a bear. They were all over the ground, and gave chase. My buddy was behind me on the trail, so I ran his way. When I passed him, the yellow jackets left me and went for him. Isn't that what friends are for?

 

[Earl Ohl]

I was out brush mowing today and ran into a nest of Yellow Jackets. I found that it is hard to change the tractor from low to the "lets get the heck out of here gear" when you are swatting Yellow Jackets away from your face. They followed me for a couple of hundred feet before they gave up, probably out of pity. One of the little darlings managed to sting me inside my left ear. It only hurts when I hear something and takes my mind off the other stings .

This is my wife's fault, I wanted a new cab tractor and she wanted the house remodeled, guess who won that one. I decided that the brush could wait until after a precision night time strike on the suspects abode. Wish me luck!

This is one reason why I love my Kubota B3030 HSDCC. The first year I had it (2007) I attacked a huge hornets nest with the front end loader bucket. I was inside my cab with the A/C on while I was crushing their nest with the bucket. The ones that weren't killed were trying to sting the tractor, but I don't think the tractor felt it because it didn't yell! LOL!

 

[LD1]

I hate yellow jackets. They are one of the most agressive. There are all kinds of ways that have been discussed on here about how to get rid of them.:thumbsup:

 

[oosik]

Who hasn't had an experience with yellow jackets. Had a hugh nest in the carport - lit it on fire, burned the entire nest and almost the carport. We have a type of hornet in this country - bald faced hornet. At least 2X the size of a yellow jacket with black & white "tribal markings" on its face. I've learned from direct experience to stay away. They pursue, sting like mad and are also carnivorous. They graciously eat all the pocket gophers I'm able to trap. Fortunately, I've never seen any ground dwelling yellow jackets on my property.

 

[Whitnel]

Yellow jackets especially, will eat so much they cannot fly. They fall into the water and meet their maker.

I learned something new today.

 

[AaronS]

I mowed over a nest in the woods about 10 years ago while clearing trails with a walk-behind DR brush mower. It was a "nice" hot July day in the mid 90s and they were happy to sting me 10 times. Gotta love em.

 

[kf4uda]

But yellow jackets are must worse. Once while I was deer hunting I happened across a nest that had been dug up by a bear. They were all over the ground, and gave chase. My buddy was behind me on the trail, so I ran his way. When I passed him, the yellow jackets left me and went for him. Isn't that what friends are for?

Remind me not to go hunting with you

 

[hawkeye08]

They even had a spot on the news last night, yellow jackets much worse than normal this year due to warmer spring, many queens survived and now the children are all busy and hungry. It seems we get a couple of the traps, couple cans of foaming spray and don't have much real problem. The traps are empty (nothing in spring either) and the spray is long gone. I need to get some more spray and remember to clean the traps be ready next spring to trap the queens.

 

[rekees4300]

Got nailed in the back a few days ago weed whacking. No nest around so he just did it for grins.

 

[LD1]

They like fruits too. We set up a bucket this year with an apple skewered over at my parents cause there were alot of Yellow Jackets eating the rotten fruit on the ground. Had maybe 50 of them suckers in a few hours time.:thumbsup:

 

[sshaw]

I hate yellow jackets as well. I got stung the other day too, and I've got two ground nests I need to take care of myself.

Anybody try the Waspinator? It's a fake hornets nest that's supposed to scare away wasps. I'm not sure if it works for yellow jackets.

I put one near the hummingbird feeder, which always had some sort of bees or wasps on it. The Waspinator seems to be working great so far at keeping them away from the feeder.

Amazon.com: Tanglefoot 300000430 Waspinator: Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[MH8675309]

I've got two ground nests I need to take care of myself


DYNAMITE EM!!!

 

[DJ54]

On horseback is even worse..!! They seem to like to build nests on bridle trails, and around tree roots. If you're riding with a group, usually the 4th or 5th horse & rider gets stung. It takes the first one's to get them all stirred up... The drier the summer, the more problems we encounter with them. Usually try to keep some Benadryl in the horn bag, just in case. And mainly for my horse..!!

 

[Sysop]

As a teen I was running a string trimmer at my parents. Watching to not cut down my mother's flowers, I totally missed a basketball sized hornet nest in an Azalea bush I was near. Once they started stinging, I went into a panic sprint. Went full speed about 300 or so feet and jumped over a fence and stopped. After a couple seconds the stinging began again, I took off running again, about 300 or so more feet to where there was a swimming pool. Jumped in and waited them out. Just would shoot up for some air as needed and gave them about ten minutes to lose interest. Once out I was a bloodied mess with nearly a hundred stings on various places of my body. Hornet stings are easy to count, they draw blood...

 

[Ivan49]

I was bull dozing a new trail thru my woods a couple weeks ago and found a nest by a stump that had been cut at ground level and they were not happy. Usually when I make a new trail I go thru once and work on widening it later but this time I widened it as I went. I am glad I did because backing a dozer up in third gear needs more room. It was so dry that the dust was thick and they did not chase me. Went back the next day with the truck and a can of house fogger taped to a 10 foot piece of pvc and stuck the end in the hole and took care of them. They had a big nest in the roots when I pushed the stump out