I have a problem...

I have noticed the insect decline here also for several years, except for stink bugs.
 
@BGHansen has the right idea. A large yellow jacket nest is difficult to eradicate externally as the internal nest is challenging to get enough contact poison (such as any spray can stuff) into to kill the nest and larvae. Those sprays are basically ineffective once they evaporate. A new generation of hatched larvae will continue the nest even after wiping out all of the external activity.

Slow acting poison on bait is highly effective. Yellow jackets are attracted to meat. Even more effective, powder that they crawl through will be distributed through the nest. Both are spread before being toxic, very effective at wiping out the nest. The best poisons for this are limited to licensed applicators, pest control professionals or farmers. Dursban (chlorophyrofos, sp?) is a restricted pesticide that is highly effective for this type of use. I would guess Sevin dust should work.
 
Boric acid in any concentration is lethal to ants, wasps, yellow jackets, etc.

If you add 2 tablespoons to half a can of soda and leave the soda out, easily partaken by the yellow jackets. They will return to the nest with a lethal treat for the hive. Since they share food, it will kill all of them

BTW: the sugar concentration in soda is too low for bees, there is no danger of killing honey bees with the above concoction
 
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Wasp attacks don't occur often and they can typically be avoided if you take safety precautions.
If a swarm attacks you, you may want to play dead.
If a lone wasp attacks you, your best bet is probably to fight back — aim for the wasp's face.
Recognize the signs of a pending attack. Wasps signal attacks with the eyes.
Back away slowly.
Make some noise. Shrieks are not manly, but shouts are.
Make yourself larger- hold your arms out and up, and hop up and down.
Have a weapon to defend yourself. Should be step #1, but ah, well.
Protect your neck, throat, and head.
Curl up into a ball and place your head between your knees.
Congratulations, you survived!

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One of my favorite videos on the subject.


Personally, I've wired one of those electric raquet ball paddles to run off a wall-wart, then taped the button down so it's always on. Put it over a bowl with some chicken bones in it. Entertainment for the whole family.
 
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If the nest is above ground go in at night and they will all be tucked in and groggy. Spray with a bee spray that drops them quickly. If the nest is underground get about a 10 x 10 ft plastic sheet (tarp, drop cloth, or even a shower curtain) and about a quart of gasoline. Pour the gas around the nest (don't light it) and cover it with the plastic. The plastic prevents the gas from evaporating and the fumes are heavier than air so they will kill everything in the nest even if it's 10 feet down. Yellow jackets and hornets are nasty and eventually they will decide that you are the enemy. On that day it will suck to be you.
 
Shortly after I bought the house in the mountains, I was clearing some brush and disturbed an underground nest. I was stung three times right around my eye. It was swollen shut for 3 days. Once I'd recovered, I waited until night and took a sheet of clear plastic about 6'x6' and placed it over the nest, covering the edges with dirt all around. Since the little bastards could see light they just kept bouncing off the plastic instead of tunneling out.

It took a couple of weeks for them all to die. It was very gratifying.
 
Boswell said:
"Call a Guy"
Click to expand...
2nd that recommendation: problem will be taken care of and you won’t have to worry about poisoning yourself or family.

A couple of years ago I found a Yellow Jacket colony inside a CMU wall in my garage (they found their way in through a chipped off corner). I used a bunch of cans of spray, then some powder off of Amazon and was lucky enough to wipe them out (piles of dead YJ on the garage floor).

Last year a new crop started showing up in my basement office, this time getting in through the siding. I waved the white flag and called Terminix: it took two treatments, but they got these and an underground nest cleared out for less $$ than I spent on spray previously. They come back every three months for prevention and whenever I see a problem, all for a flat quarterly fee.
 
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