HELP! Hornets, Wasps, Yellow Jackets, Bumblebees, OH MY!!

[elevan]

They are trying to take over!! I can't walk out of my house, enter my garage, head for the coop or barn without being dive bombed by a flying bug with a sharp stinger!!

Yellow Jackets have taken up residence under my siding. Wasps are trying to take over the garage. Bumblebees and Yellow Jackets are trying to take over the barn and Wasps are trying to make a home of my coop!

Somebody please tell me the most effective way to get rid of these invaders!! I've never had to deal with so many before and they are so aggressive!

 

[goodhors]

I guess I would spray them. This is done at NIGHT, when they are all in the nests.

You take a flashlight, aim it at the nest, leave it sit and walk away to spray. Wasps will head for the light when disturbed, YOU are not close! Get a good brand wasp spray, that can shoot for a distance. Soak the nest down.

For the siding, you may try spraying, but often best to call an exterminator. I tried spraying our siding last year, but never got the nest area, wasps kept appearing in the house. If this happens this year, I will call an exterminator instead of wasting my spray and time doing it myself.

Bees usually are NOT agressive, but wasps are. Wasps come in all sizes, tiny to quite large. Try not to spray those wasps or bees that are not in your way or trying to get you. With Bee Colony Collapse going on, wild bee hives are getting to be real scarce and there is nothing to pollinate the plants of crops and flowers. Wasps do some of that pollinating, killing them ALL off is harmful to the ecology.

If you have never seen them, there is a HUGE wasp, the Cicadia Wasp that is active in mid-summer. They nest in the ground, but are NOT going to hurt you! We have a couple nests around here and they are quite fascinating, have NEVER stung anyone. The kids got quite excited watching them fly about, interact with other wasps, and even annoyed them a bit with no problems. I caught them bothering the wasps, and asked if kids WANTED to have GIANT stings? They knew about regular wasps, and these are 2" long, with bigger stingers, more poison to hurt! Well that talk ended the wasp harassment, but the kids did continue to watch them. We walk the horses by twice a day, shake the ground, NEVER had any of the big wasps react in any way to people or animals around them. The cats catch and eat a few. Ours are a reddish color, bigger than those shown below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_cicada_killer

 

[rockdoveranch]

I guess I would spray them. This is done at NIGHT, when they are all in the nests.

You take a flashlight, aim it at the nest, leave it sit and walk away to spray. Wasps will head for the light when disturbed, YOU are not close! Get a good brand wasp spray, that can shoot for a distance. Soak the nest down.

For the siding, you may try spraying, but often best to call an exterminator. I tried spraying our siding last year, but never got the nest area, wasps kept appearing in the house. If this happens this year, I will call an exterminator instead of wasting my spray and time doing it myself.

Bees usually are NOT agressive, but wasps are. Wasps come in all sizes, tiny to quite large. Try not to spray those wasps or bees that are not in your way or trying to get you. With Bee Colony Collapse going on, wild bee hives are getting to be real scarce and there is nothing to pollinate the plants of crops and flowers. Wasps do some of that pollinating, killing them ALL off is harmful to the ecology.

If you have never seen them, there is a HUGE wasp, the Cicadia Wasp that is active in mid-summer. They nest in the ground, but are NOT going to hurt you! We have a couple nests around here and they are quite fascinating, have NEVER stung anyone. The kids got quite excited watching them fly about, interact with other wasps, and even annoyed them a bit with no problems. I caught them bothering the wasps, and asked if kids WANTED to have GIANT stings? They knew about regular wasps, and these are 2" long, with bigger stingers, more poison to hurt! Well that talk ended the wasp harassment, but the kids did continue to watch them. We walk the horses by twice a day, shake the ground, NEVER had any of the big wasps react in any way to people or animals around them. The cats catch and eat a few. Ours are a reddish color, bigger than those shown below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_cicada_killer

Great answer!

We always have a stinging insect problem down here in nowhere Texas. This includes scorpions.

 

[elevan]

These wasps are aggressive. The yellow jackets are VERY aggressive. The bumblebees (huge, furry bees...some people call them borer bees?) are more aggressive than I've ever seen them...and they don't sting they take a bite out of you! I have a scar on my face from being bit by one.

I hate the thought of spraying in the barn or the coop...anyone have other ideas for those areas?

 

[Goatmasta]

If you have wood bees (big furry suckers) and they are boring into wood, almost nothing short of a badminton racket will kill them....
As for the rest of them.... I am allergic so I would call a professional !

 

[helmstead]

The carpenter bees - we had those BADLY in GA (log home). Our exterminator used silica powder in the holes on the front porch - it was amazing to see them fall out and die! The powder was an effective repellent for the whole year - we could actually sit on the porch and enjoy ourselves!

As for yellow jackets - they're the meanest sting I know of...if they're in your siding, I'd call someone in. Wasps, just stock up on wasp spray and do your best to find the nests...fill holes with expanding foam to keep them from holing up.

 

[rockdoveranch]

I read through this thread again because we have such a bad problem with stinging insects. My husband got stung by a Yellow Jacket just yesterday.

In the barn we have two large pigeon lofts and then we have a 104 foot long pigeon loft with a walkway that goes the length of the building.

We keep a close eye out for new nests being built outside the lofts and in the walkway and spray with the spray that shoots out at a long distance. When there are nests in the lofts we carefully spray them with the regular insect spray with care. Knock on wood, we have not injured any birds spraying this way.

I did not know Carpenter Bees stung. Back in my youth when I used to sun bathe they would check me out. I could feel the wind from their wings on my body. I always stayed very still and they would eventually leave me alone.

I agree with the posters who suggest getting a professional. Good luck.

 

[elevan]

helmstead - Thanks for the silica powder hint...I'm definitely gonna look into that.

goatmasta - Guess for a short while I'll be carrying a tennis racket to the barn :/ I've used this "weapon" against them before (as a kid)...

Guess, I'm going to the barnyard armed for a little while...Do they make a holster for wasp spray and tennis rackets? "Cover me, I'm going in loaded!"

Does anyone recommend any yellow jacket traps? I'll see if I can find an expert to take care of them in my area...but in the meantime...

Thanks!

 

[helmstead]

I did not know Carpenter Bees stung.

The ones with a white spot on their backs don't sting...the ones without spots DO and it's a MEAN sting. Here in Indiana we have some with 3 white spots on them (the ones in GA only had 1 white spot) and I dunno if they sting, so I just avoid them!

 

[Roll farms]

Kate, what is this silica powder you speak of? Is it like silica sandlblast powder? Our wraparound porch is infested and rather than duck and run I don't know what to do....