Keystone Pest Solutions

Lately I have been seeing a lot of people giving advice on the treatment of yellow jacket nests on the Mount Joy, Hershey, Ephrata, Lititz and Conestoga community pages on Facebook. Sometimes the advice is close to being good advice, and sometimes the advice is just plain bad. I thought I would take a few minutes to discuss some of the recommendations I have recently seen, and make some comments about those recommendations. 1) Plug the hole where they are going in If the yellow jackets are flying into and out of your structure, this is absolutely the worst course of action you can take. I have an old saying that I have developed over the years; “Nothing ever just lays down and dies”. The instinct to survive at all costs is powerful in all living things. If you obstruct the yellow jackets’ ability to freely come and go from their nest, they will immediately begin looking for another way out. Oftentimes, that way out is a way into your home, and you can wind up with a house full of yellow jackets that will continue to trickle indoors for weeks on end. This obstruction strategy also greatly complicates the ability for a professional (who almost always gets a call when the house is full of yellow jackets) to properly handle the situation. DO NOT PLUG THE HOLE! Even if they are in the ground, yellow jackets will make another entrance hole if you plug the one they are using. This never works. 2) Spray a whole can of wasp spray at the hole This is a slightly better idea than plugging the hole, but not much. The key to successfully eliminating a yellow jacket nest is to get some type of insecticide into the nest area. Once the yellow jackets enter your structure, it can be very difficult to know which way they are turning. While you will kill some wasps with this technique, you will not be able to get enough material into the nest itself to eliminate the problem. Furthermore, many of these aerosol sprays are highly repellent, and can create the same effect as plugging the hole, which is to encourage the yellow jackets to seek an alternate route of exit. Aerosol insecticides are also often oil based, and can leave stains on certain surfaces that are difficult to remove, if not permanent. If the nest is in the ground, this strategy may work because you have gravity working with you, but it seldom works for a nest in the structure. 3) Put insecticidal dust into and around the hole This is the one that is closest to the truth, but what kind of dust should you choose? How are you going to get the dust into the hole? I see many people recommending Sevin dust. I would not recommend Sevin. It is too heavy to float back into the heart of the nest, and it is not designed (labeled) for that purpose. Using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with the label is actually a violation of the law. I have also seen recommendations for Delta Dust. This dust is readily available in small containers on the internet and it floats like smoke, but I have not had good luck using Delta Dust against yellow jackets. I saw one person who recommended Tempo dust, which would probably work, but I have no personal experience with Tempo dust, and most Tempo products create respiratory distress for me. My favorite dust to use when I am choosing a dust application is Drione Dust. It drops yellow jackets quickly, which is important when mitigating the risk of stings. The second question is how to get the dust into the hole? For this you are going to need a bulb duster or a bellows duster. To get the dust to float back into the heart of the nest is going to require you to get up close and personal with the entrance hole for a period of time. Several good puffs are going to be needed, making sure you are applying a mixture of dust and air into the hole. Because yellow jackets tend to get aggressive when you get close to the nest, some personal protective equipment like a bee suit is also recommended. 4) Treat the nest at night when they are all there This is a good idea, in theory, but it also presents challenges. First of all, you are going to need a flashlight to be able to see the nest opening, and the presence of that flashlight may put the yellow jackets on high alert, and they may even emerge from the nest. If they do that, they are going to move directly towards the light, and the person holding the light. There is no yellow jacket law against leaving the nest at night, and they certainly will if they need to defend the nest. If you are going to try this night treatment, make sure there is only one entrance hole, be well prepared (failing to plan is planning to fail), be quick and decisive (don’t put the light on them until a split second before you are ready) and make that first squeeze of the duster count. The bottom line is treating yellow jacket nests successfully takes training and practice, and for all of the risk and expense the average homeowner will have to endure to make an attempt, why not just call in a professional to help you? In most cases treating a yellow jacket nest is not an expensive service, so the best advice I can give you is to leave it to the pros at Keystone Pest Solutions, LLC!