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Gardening

In reply to the discussion: Experience with Ground Wasps? [View all]

beac

(9,992 posts)
6. Here's the solution that has worked for me 100% of the time:
Sat Jul 25, 2015, 11:28 AM
Jul 2015

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11592104
beac 2 , Yellow Jackets 0 -- It worked AGAIN!!

Some of you may remember my battle last summer to eliminate a ground nest of yellow jackets.

After many fruitless attempts and much frustration, I found a tip that called for pouring honey into the hole. The idea is that the sweet stuff attracts a nocturnal creature who then digs up the nest for you. And, lo and behold, it worked just as advertised!

Well, this year's Yellow Jackets made their nest right next to the picket fence surrounding the tree and mini-garden in my front yard. It made watering quite a challenge and it was impossible to add any nice annuals to the things already growing there.

So, first I marked the spot by dumping some diatomaceous earth into the hole (in the late evening, after the wasps had gone to bed.) This started the killing process by drying up the wasps who dug through the earth the next morning and made the hole really easy to see for the next step (diatomaceous earth is a bright white powder derived from fossilized microscopic algae , for those unfamiliar.)

The next evening, I poured the better part of a 1lb jar of cheap honey into and around the hole. Just like last year, nothing happened the first night. But the morning after the second night, I went out to find this:



What had been a quarter-sized opening with yellow jackets swarming in and out was now a 5" hole surrounded by the debris left from the ransacking.

I have no idea if it was a raccoon or a skunk who did the deed and I really don't care. The wasps are gone and the method was 100% organic and safe for all other creatures and insects.

Hope this will help some others out there battling ground wasps!*



*please note that I only do this with nests that are in areas that must be mowed or in places otherwise likely to cause a person to accidentally disturb the nest. Yellow Jackets are beneficials in general, so any that nest in the wilder areas of the property won't be harmed.



Our new home does not suffer from ground wasps but, alas, I haven't had much time for gardening either. I do check in here from time to time and love seeing what you all are up to!

-beac
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