The last 3 weeks myself and 1 full time guy, and 1 part-time guy have all been stung by yellow-jackets at least once per week. We are running a contest to see who ends up with the most stings. Between the 3 of us we have been hit over 15 times in 3 weeks. Do any of you have any tricks or tips to help reduce, and prevent this crap! All seem to be in ground nest that we have been encountering. Today I was stung twice in the face, once I realized the bees, I full sticked my 29dfi Turf Tiger out of the area, and burnt up about 3 feet of turf from the tourqe with both wheels! Any advice?
Dang Yellow Jackets
GreenNation
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The last 3 weeks myself and 1 full time guy, and 1 part-time guy have all been stung by yellow-jackets at least once per week. We are running a contest to see who ends up with the most stings. Between the 3 of us we have been hit over 15 times in 3 weeks. Do any of you have any tricks or tips to help reduce, and prevent this crap! All seem to be in ground nest that we have been encountering. Today I was stung twice in the face, once I realized the bees, I full sticked my 29dfi Turf Tiger out of the area, and burnt up about 3 feet of turf from the tourqe with both wheels! Any advice?
I deal with this all the time. I work a at local botanical gardens, we have 50 acres, 25 open, 25 partially wooded. The wooded areas I have to weedeat to keep the weeds and new growth out and almost every time I do it I have ended up getting stung. 8 out of every 10 nests I see are next to the bottom of a tree trunk- usually water oaks or pine mixed with oaks. They are very active here in Alabama from July to September. I always seem to encounter them after heavy rains. I have started walking through areas before I weedeat looking for them flying in and out of the ground only to be stung when I went back through the same area with the weedeater. They are attracted to the vibrations of the weedeater- that's when they come out and get me. I've yet to find any remedy for prevention. All I can say is after your bit get even with them and make sure to kill them all of with insect spray or gas(insect spray is probably cheaper), and one more thing don't scratch the areas where you've been bitten, buy some topical ointment with aloevera in it with other natural nutrients and be careful!!!!!!!
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Those darned wasps make nests all around my house so this year I made some traps. Good info is available on Googles how to make a simple trap with soft drink bottles and what to put in the bottle to attract wasps.
I'm like you guys - I was tired of getting stung. Those SOB's stung me 4-different times while painting the outside of the house.
Nosmo
I'm like you guys - I was tired of getting stung. Those SOB's stung me 4-different times while painting the outside of the house.
Nosmo
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Man they are brutal aint they?
I broke my record for most stings in one shot on Thursday. 8 times dude, 8 bee stings in one shot.
Yellow Jacket nest in the ground, I run over it with the walk behind, two seconds later I look down my leg has like 30 bees on it I instinctively just swiped em off my leg in 2 nano seconds my hand was covered in em like I was a bee keeper, I got stung 4 times in my right leg, 2 on left leg and twice in the head. The whole for the nest was 6 inches wide. I watched the bees going into the nest later when I was weedwacking, Almost 50 bees entered the nest in 20 seconds. Has to be a big ol' nest.
Bill
I broke my record for most stings in one shot on Thursday. 8 times dude, 8 bee stings in one shot.
Yellow Jacket nest in the ground, I run over it with the walk behind, two seconds later I look down my leg has like 30 bees on it I instinctively just swiped em off my leg in 2 nano seconds my hand was covered in em like I was a bee keeper, I got stung 4 times in my right leg, 2 on left leg and twice in the head. The whole for the nest was 6 inches wide. I watched the bees going into the nest later when I was weedwacking, Almost 50 bees entered the nest in 20 seconds. Has to be a big ol' nest.
Bill
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my tip is to walk the area and look for the ground nests. when you find them, pour gas in them and cut the next day. i havent been stung this year due to this method. its tedious and time consuming but atleast i'm not in pain. i guess if gas is not an option for you, there are probably poisons on the market you could use.
I hope you took the time to make a well thought out plan of attack on those suckers. A can of Bee Bop will stop then dead! I mean, they will still be on a nest hanging, DEAD. They can't even react to it. The ones that DO react and try to fly fall straight off to the ground, DEAD.
I just sprayed 3 nests in a shed, not one lived. LOL I HATE bees.....Thats a very good plan. The Bee Bop I mentioned is the bomb. I've never used something this powerful as to watch the bees just fall. It's a contact jet spray that can spray up to 50ft! If you see a ground nest, spray it right in the hole and I guarantee nothing will come out of the hole.
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thanks. i'll have to look for it. gas is getting too expensive to waste on bees.
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That used to happen to me all the time when I was mowing my house. The best thing to do is get some Raid and let 'em have it.
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You just reminded me that for the first time in over ten years I have not been stung. Usually good for about a minimum of 5 per year. Usually get nailed in the leg from the ground nests or back of the head or neck from a nest behind the shutters. I found that the yellow in my ear muffs would attract the bees first when I was trimming bushes. They would fly out from the shutters and hit the ear muff. I learned that if you hear something hit the muff you better run cuz they are going to dive bomb you again and the second round usually hurts.
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Exactly! You have to walk the area before cutting. Stop and look ahead when weedeating. You can't be day dreaming. IF you want to minimize the chances of getting stung then you have to do these things. Then keep scanning the yard while on the mower. Where there is one wasp then there is probably many more somewhere
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The foaming spray works really well. DRT (dead right there).
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Another method I have used on wasps is this. I have a 2" pvc pipe which runs from the washing machine to drain it. Wasps have been landing on the pipe on the outside of the house and crawling through the cracks and coming inside the wall space.
Don't want to seal them up from the outside because they'll find a way into the inside of my house. So I spread grease on the pipe a couple inches from the house all the way to the opening. Then sprinkled Seven Dust all over the grease.
What a mess if one gets in it. Many have and I see less and less wasps in that area everyday. Wouldn't you hate to lick that mess off if you were a wasp.
Nosmo
Don't want to seal them up from the outside because they'll find a way into the inside of my house. So I spread grease on the pipe a couple inches from the house all the way to the opening. Then sprinkled Seven Dust all over the grease.
What a mess if one gets in it. Many have and I see less and less wasps in that area everyday. Wouldn't you hate to lick that mess off if you were a wasp.
Nosmo
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