Ok so I have a very large yellow jacket or hornet in ground nest behind my house. It is in a gas line easement just the other side of my fence. The guys mowing the easement on Saturday found it with their tractors, thank God they were in closed in cabs. There were at least 50-100 in the air but it could have been more. Never seen anything like it.

How do I KILL THEM ALL! Will an exterminator kill them for me even if not on my property? Do I need to find a specialist with one of those bee suit deals?

Maltov cocktail came to mind...but then I would probably make the news.

I already learned from the OB that putting your lawn mower on top of it will not result in diced hornets. OTOH you'll have a story to tell so just maybe it's worth a shot...

Hopefully, some of the entomology folks will speak up. If it is a yellow jacket, you probably need some professional help. We have had some around the ranch and house over the past 50 years and they are the nastiest stinging creatures around. Scorpions are tame compared to the true yellow jacket.

I got into them bad once on a dove hunt as a teen. We poured gasoline down the hole once they calmed down and it took care of them if I remember right.

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I got into them bad once on a dove hunt as a teen. We poured gasoline down the hole once they calmed down and it took care of them if I remember right.

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poured gasoline down it and put a match to it or just poured the gas?

Ha just the gas. A match during dove season usually mean the whole county goes up in a poof. I'm not an expert on wasp eradication, but it worked well and eliminated the nest.

Buy 25 cans of the spray and pour it in a large container.

Pour the contents in the hole.


Yeah that's probably a dumb idea.

My initial thought is not to do anything with fire in the area of a gas line easement. I presume there is a buried gas line?

I've never used gasoline in a yellow jacket hole...but my father-in-law did many years ago. He poured a wee bit too much that hole...and when he threw the lit match in there he created quite the mini explosion. Poured himself a couple of strong ones after that to settle him down..and grass never grew in that spot again.

I'm of the opinion you should contact an exterminator...but in the event you opt not to...and use a petroleum product...I'd use diesel...it doesn't ignite like gas or lighter fluid.

Work on your shooting skills...

A coffee can full of gasoline down the hole should do it. No need to light it.

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A coffee can full of gasoline down the hole should do it. No need to light it.

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I've been told that gasoline is like cyanide to a wasp.

We had one a few years ago. Filled the hole with water. Then sprayed the hole with foam sealant and raid.

Seriously this is the OB not the nancy board.

Wait until it is dark or at least at night when they are less active. You could use the gas (don't light) but I might try just getting some regular home bug spray and putting it into coffee can or something where it will come out quick so you can just dump it and run.

These are those big ground hornet ones and not the little yellow jackets.

Problem with the pour is I can not see hole. They are in thick grass about 12-18" deep that got pushed over by the tractor shredder. Which is how they were discovered. Would a gallon of gas just on top of the area work?

Will a pro kill them even if not on my property?

Whatever you decide to pour/spray down the hole, place a window screen down over the top of the hole first. Weigh it down with some good size rocks to reduce the chance they can make their way through the grass and still get out. Then commence with the pouring/spraying. The screen will keep them trapped allowing whatever you use to be that much more effective while also keeping you safe. Just my $.02.

I think I'd try making a double concentration batch of demon wp and spraying that all around the hole at night. Spray anywhere they land and will touch it. They will transfer to other's in the nest. Sooner or later....they'll die.

Does said gas line easement have a gas line?

If so, you know what to do.

You mentioned that it was on the other side of the fence.....how often do you go traipsing around over there?

If it isn't on your property and not in an area where you are going to walk over it and disturb them then you might just let it go. It has likely been there all year and you never noticed until the mowers came through so they haven't caused you any problems to date. I'm all for killing wasps just for the fun of it, but with the way you have described the situation it sounds like either a suicide mission or the most awesomest ever "hold my beer and watch this" youtube video.....

On a related note, does dish soap work on wasps like it does on bees?

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You mentioned that it was on the other side of the fence.....how often do you go traipsing around over there?

If it isn't on your property and not in an area where you are going to walk over it and disturb them then you might just let it go. It has likely been there all year and you never noticed until the mowers came through so they haven't caused you any problems to date. I'm all for killing wasps just for the fun of it, but with the way you have described the situation it sounds like either a suicide mission or the most awesomest ever "hold my beer and watch this" youtube video.....

On a related note, does dish soap work on wasps like it does on bees?

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It does! Best thing to do is strip down naked and rub soap all over you. As you approach the nest to pour gas on them, the combo of soap, gas and nakedness will make them fly away for good!!!

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I already learned from the OB that putting your lawn mower on top of it will not result in diced hornets. OTOH you'll have a story to tell so just maybe it's worth a shot...

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I can assure yall, that this is 100% correct.

Wear a heavy rain coat or rain suit while eradicating them.

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A coffee can full of gasoline down the hole should do it. No need to light it.

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I've been told that gasoline is like cyanide to a wasp.

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Gas will instantly kill wasps if it touches them. Growing up I watched my dad kill lots of nests every year. He'd throw a cup of gas on the nest and they'd just fall down dead. Some of them would die so fast that they'd be stuck to the nest with their wings up in the air like they were getting ready to fly.

Please DON'T pour gasoline into the ground.

Serious answer, if you don't want to get professional help, run a hose from the exhaust of your own mower/tractor and McGyver it to a bowl of some sort large enough to cover the opening of the entrance to the nest. Start your engine and hold the bowl tight enough to get a pretty good seal with the ground. Leave it there for a few minutes and the CO2 will kill them.

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So in other words, Arizona and Nevada are the only places in the lower 48 that are safe from orbit launched nukes. Got it. Thanks!

You can kill them with a couple gallons of soapy water applied in the evening while they are inactive. Whatever you do don't cruise back and forth over their nest with an open cab skid steer loader, 42 stings in 10 seconds is not fun...

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I want to pour gasoline all over this post.

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Does said gas line easement have a gas line?

If so, you know what to do.

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Tannerite?

Serious question - what about one of those flamethrower torch things that connects to a propane tank? Just point it at the hole and blast away.

Then you would literally be killing it with fire.

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Please DON'T pour gasoline into the ground.

Serious answer, if you don't want to get professional help, run a hose from the exhaust of your own mower/tractor and McGyver it to a bowl of some sort large enough to cover the opening of the entrance to the nest. Start your engine and hold the bowl tight enough to get a pretty good seal with the ground. Leave it there for a few minutes and the CO2 will kill them.

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This sounds like a great method for getting stung around one billion times

How are you gonna get stung if you've got the hole covered?

This seems like a good spot for this:

Do you know what this is?

We had this problem once. We waited until dark and poured a can of wasp spray down the hole and quickly shoved a tarp down the hole to keep any of the vapors/wasp from escaping. Worked well for us.

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Please DON'T pour gasoline into the ground.

Serious answer, if you don't want to get professional help, run a hose from the exhaust of your own mower/tractor and McGyver it to a bowl of some sort large enough to cover the opening of the entrance to the nest. Start your engine and hold the bowl tight enough to get a pretty good seal with the ground. Leave it there for a few minutes and the CO2 will kill them.

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This sounds like a great method for getting stung around one billion times

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OK...so we are all operating under the assumption that they only have ONE entrance. Might want to verify this before sticking a vibrating pipe into their hole.