THE YELLOW JACKET WASP 

The Following Is Based On My Own Experience

THE OBSERVATION:  August 26, 2008

While working in my woodshop, I noticed a couple wasps flying around.  I turned the bandsaw off to swat them down and then heard a ticking noise in the wall.  I went outside around back where the ticking was and observed around 1000 Yellow Jacket wasps going into a small opening where the trim meets the soffit.  Keep in mind this is a 2 year old shed constructed well and not some rickity old shack. 

THE 3 WEEK MISTAKE

Day 1:  Using expanding foam in the opening.  I got out my 18 foot aluminum snow roof rake duct taped the expanding foam to the end, and shoved it into the hole while spraying some expanding foam.  I proudly went back to the house and waited for day 2.

Day 2:  I went back to the shed and the wasps now had found about 6 other openings.  Back to roof rake and expanding foam I went.  Under the drip edge, through the gaps where the siding met the trim, and other wonderful locations, I filled up.  I went inside and one nearly put me on my back as I tried to walk in the shed.  Four wasps flew out and several stayed inside.  Now the wasps were inside as well as in the soffit.

Day 3:  With the wasps still flying about, I got the ingenious idea of my bug zapper.  I attached it to my 16 foot ladder and lifted it into place.  The smell of roasting wasps is one you will never forget. 

Day 10:  With wasps still roasting and the 2am crackling of the zapper, I remembered noticing a sticky trap at the local harware store. 

Day 11:  I purchased a few sticky traps as well as a few sticky strips that unravel.  With a 1x4 nailed to a 2x4 and another 1x4 nailed as a T to the top, I was able to present an assortment of fine traps. 

Day 13:  About 200 wasps were stuck to the traps.  About another 2000 wasps showed up to see what was going on and were flying about.  I cleaned out the zapper and added fresh sticky traps.  I also added a new trap, a poison nectar hotel.  I thought for sure the hotel would get them. 

Day 14:  Raining slightly so this was a good time to get close and drill a small hole into the soffit.  I then puffed some boric acid dust into the soffit.  I found boric acid on the University Extension website to be used for Yellow Jacket Wasps.  It indicated it to be effective but quite slow reacting. 

Day 18:  It rained the past few days off and on.  Not much activity. 

Day 19:  The wasps ate through the original opening. I have no idea how many wasps there were, but I thought they were going to pick up the bug zapper and chase me with it. 

Day 21:  I contacted our local extension office through the University.  He said to use carbaryl in powder form which is found in SEVIN.  I went to a few stores and finally found it.  It was clearanced down also, at $5 a bag.

THE RIGHT DECISION

Day 22:   Using my trusty roof rake, 18 feet of brake line, my air compressor and 5lbs of SEVIN, I was off wasp hunting.  I duct taped the hose to the rake at 4 locations.  I filled the hose 1/4 full of SEVIN, and maxed out the presssure on the air compressor.  I strategically placed the end of the rake near the hole.  Then I brought the air compressor hose to the end of the SEVIN hose and let the pressure fly.  CaaaPOOF the SEVIN dust blew into the hole and all over the siding too.  Since the wasps found a few other spots to eat through, I reloaded the hose and gave a few more blasts of dust.  This seemed to work well but loading the hose got to be a little work.  I found a small plastic cup and duct taped that to the end of the roof rake.  I filled the cup about 1/2 full and used it to toss the dust into the areas the wasps were.  About an hour later, I used about 1 pound of dust and hit every spot I could see they were going in to. 

Day 23:  78 Degrees out and sunny.  After 10 minutes of observing, I only seen 1 wasp.  I think he was wearing a gas mask. 

THE CONCLUSION

Unless you enjoy the battle, the hunt for the impossible, and dressing up your wood shed to look like something from the local junkyard, use the Carbaryl dust.  Since I could not see the hive, dust was the best treatment.  Having the wasps drag in the dust to the hive is most effective.  Now that the wasps are gone, I need go back and fill those openings the correct way.   

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