Yellow Jacket Ground Nest

I was badly allergic to bee and wasp stings as a kid. I got better as I got older.

I was bushogging on our deer lease several years ago, long time before cell phones. I was on a Ford 3000 tractor with a 6 foot mower. I hit a yellow jacket ground nest with no clue it was there. They covered me up instantly and I did one of the stupidest things ever--I bailed off the tractor with it still running and mower turning. Went right over the right side fender and headed for parts unknown. When I got well away from the tractor and swarm, I realized I had not been stung a single time.

The tractor only went a few yards and stalled out. I was close to a mile from my truck (2700 acre parcel) and the tractor was still swarming with yellow jackets. I walked out, left the trailer at the lease, and came back the next morning with gas can in hand. Seems either a skunk or coon had found the nest that night and there was nothing left of the nest and zero yellow jackets to be seen.

Stupid move that turned out OK. No intention of trying that move again.

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Originally Posted by windstone

you don't want to mess around with jackets. had a young sq dog i was training walk right into one. dog went into immediate shock. i went to pick her up and got hit three or four times. by the time i got back to the truck i was sick as a mule. got some benadryle down the pup and headed to the er. they gave me a shot and a script. by the time i got back in the truck the pup was sitting up, but unresponsive. we both survived but believe me you don't want to mess around with these critters.

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I have two rat terriers that will dig the nest out of the ground. The more they get stung the madder they get. They will get so swollen up they can't see. I carried my female to the vet last summer because both eyes were swollen shut. It beats all we had a nest in one of my wife's flower beds. I wasn't sure how I was going to get rid of them with out killing her flowers. I was out looking at them right at dark one afternoon. My male rat terrier was out with me. The next morning I went outside several of her flowers were dug up and the nest was out of the ground. I watched my male and female dig a nest out of the ground that was between two tree roots last year during daylight hours while getting stung. I don't know how they can take it.

They will wear snakes out also we have copperheads around our place. I have watched them kill two copperheads as far as I know they have never been bit. Both times I have tried to get to a shovel to kill the snakes but the dogs have killed them before I could get back with the shovel. The only problem is my that my male rat terrier also hates cats and he will kill every one of them he sees. My wife is not real happy about that!

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Originally Posted by SlabMeister

I have two rat terriers that will dig the nest out of the ground. The more they get stung the madder they get. They will get so swollen up they can't see. I carried my female to the vet last summer because both eyes were swollen shut. It beats all we had a nest in one of my wife's flower beds. I wasn't sure how I was going to get rid of them with out killing her flowers. I was out looking at them right at dark one afternoon. My male rat terrier was out with me. The next morning I went outside several of her flowers were dug up and the nest was out of the ground. I watched my male and female dig a nest out of the ground that was between two tree roots last year during daylight hours while getting stung. I don't know how they can take it.

They will wear snakes out also we have copperheads around our place. I have watched them kill two copperheads as far as I know they have never been bit. Both times I have tried to get to a shovel to kill the snakes but the dogs have killed them before I could get back with the shovel. The only problem is my that my male rat terrier also hates cats and he will kill every one of them he sees. My wife is not real happy about that!

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Gotta take the bad with the good!! :biggrin

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Originally Posted by slabin

Arkie 350 they work and got a good wiggle

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BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Seems they work on EVERYTHING. [emoji12]

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Originally Posted by DonDon

Slab, it works on Fleas as well. I use my sprayer to Soak it down, Repeat this once a week for 3 weeks and no fleas

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What works on fleas? Not sure the post you're referring to.

One caught me on the hand while cutting the backyard with a push mower. My elbow and shoulder were in pain by the time I got to the medicine cabinet. That was the end of outdoor work for me that day.
I have a few watering 5 gallon buckets with a 1/4" hole in the bottom. I mixed up a bucket of pyrethrin the next evening. Sat the watering bucket over the hole and poured the mix in.

I had a close cousin stung to death last year. He was 80+ years old and had been missing a leg most of his life, walked on crutches. One of his crutches went down a hole causing the mellow jackets to swarm. He fell and couldn't get up to get away. They covered him up. What a way to go.

Was mowing my MIL's yard with a push mower and ran over a hole without realizing it. Got hit about 3 times and I looked back and saw them swarming out of the hole. Went inside for awhile to nurse my wounds and plot revenge. A half-hour later I went back, fired up the mower and centered it over the hole and kept it there for about 5 minutes. Couldn't see what happened, but suppose it turned them into mulch as they came back out to attack. Didn't see but a couple the rest of the afternoon when they returned from being away from the nest. After reading this thread I guess I was lucky they didn't seem to have another exit.

Should be a military weapon! Hurt bad!

As it turns out, my mom had a Yellow Jacket nest prolly 4 times as big as mine. It's been dry and it seems everyone up here is having issues with these ground dwelling beasts. I tried everything I did on mine, which worked on mine, but it did not phase hers. I think the hole where her nest was, was way bigger and impossible to flood with water and bubbles. I think that's why it did not work, it had much better drainage. So I decided to buy powder poison like I seen on youtube. The wasps are supposed to drag the powder into their nest and die. I read some reports though that it did not work. hmm, while at the store, I see the home bug bombs. Now that might work, just shoot one of and let it fill "their house". Well, it worked like a charm. Good deal. No gasoline, no blowing up moms house. And since the cans came in a three pack, I'm ready for two more nests! lol