Organic Response to Yellow Jackets?

[Fernsdaddy]

I've been using Dawn dish soap for years, The vet even said it was safe to use around pets.

 

[marlingardener]

Dawn dish soap is used to remove oil residue from waterfowl after an oil spill. Dreft flakes or Ivory bar soap mixed with water and a bit of vegetable oil makes a good spray for aphids and some other soft-bodied insects.
We take great care to make sure our soil is healthy, and that we do nothing to injure our bees, hens, or the wildlife that frequent our pasture (and back path, judging from the armadillo holes all along it). We have a very happy lot of healthy critters here, even me when I'm filling in 'dillo holes!

 

[Beth_B]

Original Dawn is also safe to use for temporary/emergency flea removal on very young, even newborn animals.

 

[Beverly]

What is there to entice the yellow jackets into the water trap HD? Is it the water itself? I like @marlingardener suggestion of soapy water. The good old standby of soapy water solves so many problems but i would never have thought about it as a remedy for yj's. I don't know if it would keep them from returning in the same way the fire/smoke method does. Getting rid of them and not having them return has a lot of appeal. Good idea to have the neighbor standing around with the hose, if you try the fire method. Ha! i wrote this post a few days ago and just found it now waiting to be sent. Good dish soap discussion.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

me, I would not fuss with being nice to them. at dusk, pour some gas down their hole and light it. stand back quickly, or use a long stick to reach to the hole with the flame.

 

[Beth_B]

What is there to entice the yellow jackets into the water trap HD? Is it the water itself? I like @marlingardener suggestion of soapy water. The good old standby of soapy water solves so many problems but i would never have thought about it as a remedy for yj's. I don't know if it would keep them from returning in the same way the fire/smoke method does. Getting rid of them and not having them return has a lot of appeal. Good idea to have the neighbor standing around with the hose, if you try the fire method. Ha! i wrote this post a few days ago and just found it now waiting to be sent. Good dish soap discussion.

Lol @Beverly l do that all the time!

Anyway l also don't get using an attractant...long time ago l had a weird persistent house fly problem. I did buy some of those traps with a rotten-meat smelly attractant and yes l did trap and kill a bunch of flies...but hellooo! I was attracting even more flies to kill! Seemed like a never-ending mobius strip of "attract and kill."

I'm with @Esther Knapicius on this. Do not eff around trying to be delicate with things that can hurt or even kill you. Fire works! Use it. Fire is one of the evolutionary characteristics that helped define homo sapiens.

As I said earlier...pests such as mosquitoes and fleas threaten not only my health and well-being and even life but that of my animals. Do l use vet-bought medication for flea and heartworm control for my dogs and cats? You betcha l do. Is it "organic", no. Is it effective in protecting my pets? Used responsibly, absolutely yes. Fleas and mosquitos are naturally occurring, but they can kill pets or at least make their lives miserable - my Lab is allergic to fleas and his life would just suck if l didn't protect him. Ditto with yellowjackets. They are hardly going extinct; nuke them and they'll establish another nest further away.

 

[Beverly]

I do like the idea of fire, but great care must be taken when using it and i don't like the idea of throwing gas down a hole and lighting it. @Beth_B you have done this successfully without the gas, right? Fire can also kill you if you are not careful.

 

[Beth_B]

@Beverly l grew up with fire. I'd never bother using gas to start one, just a little kindling. For wasps you just have to do it in the evening or when it's really cool when they're all in the nest and not likely to come out after you.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Yes, fire can kill you. But the amount you will make for this "small" endeavor will not go anywhere, if your careful. If you do not want to use gas, then a long squirt of BBQ liquid will work just fine. Or if you have lamp oil fuel or outside Teki light fuel. When you do this, it is at dusk, or even at dark. If you noted the surrounding environment prior to your approach with your flashlight you can get it all organized. Then simply pour the liquid down, and match it, and step back quickly. It will not take long to burn out. The fire is sucking out the O2 so they will then die quickly. We set lots of fires on our property as we can burn. We have tons of limbs etc that have to be burned. It take a good effort to get a pile started burning. If you wish, have your garden hose pulled to that area ready to squirt the water. But the little fuel you will use will not be harmful, as long as you stand back.

 

[History Detective]

What is there to entice the yellow jackets into the water trap HD? Is it the water itself? I like @marlingardener suggestion of soapy water. The good old standby of soapy water solves so many problems but i would never have thought about it as a remedy for yj's. I don't know if it would keep them from returning in the same way the fire/smoke method does. Getting rid of them and not having them return has a lot of appeal. Good idea to have the neighbor standing around with the hose, if you try the fire method. Ha! i wrote this post a few days ago and just found it now waiting to be sent. Good dish soap discussion.

Hi, Beverly! I bought a trap called the Rescue! Reusable Yellow Jacket Trap. It is said to be effective against all varieties of yellow jackets without harming honeybees or other good insects. The yellow jackets are drawn in by an attractant that you add water to, and once inside the bag, they can't escape and drown in the water. I have hung one up to see if it will work. Wish me luck!

 

[History Detective]

I'm so glad to find out about the gardening benefits of dish soap, everyone! Thank you for the great information!

 

[Beverly]

I do wish you luck @History Detective! And will be interested to hear about the results with your yj trap. I love experimenting with all kinds of gardening solutions and to hear about other people doing the same. I also purchased a wasp and yj trap that sounds similar to what you have, but without the attractant and without the instruction to add water. I think the "trap" that i have can be transformed into something that might be similar to what you are trying out.

I see you have resurrected the "avocado" thread. I'll see you over there tomorrow hopefully. Turns out the male/female thing is rather complex and more than a little fascinating. Also there is a smaller variety of avocado that a neighbor had here. The tree was quite small with fruits that have very thin skins that are eaten (just like an apple). Unfortunately this variety grows in Veracruz which has a year around hot and humid climate so might not translate to Oregon very well. See you later on the avocado thread. Have you read through the entire thread? I think it will be worthwhile to get some background info.

 

[History Detective]

Hi, Beverly! Thank you for the good wishes! I'll be sure to post as I check the trap out. So far, it has caught nothing, but we did have some good rain here for the last couple of days, so it may be the yellow jackets are lying low for the moment.

I'll look forward to checking out the Avocado thread again tomorrow. I love learning new things, and attempting avocados is definitely a new thing for me! I remember trying it out a couple of times when I was a kid, but I never succeeded in getting a root to grow, and I suspect my family tossed the pits away before really giving them a good, honest chance to grow. That was a long time ago...

 

[Sam]

They also don't like peppermint oil and are territorial, so - once you've gotten rid of them - you can hang a fake nest and they won't colonize anywhere near it. You can find affordable outdoor ones and they actually look nice. We use a cheap elongated paper lantern in our hoop house because it doesn't get rained on in there and it works like a charm.

 

[mags]

Stumbled across this youtube video that reminded me of you wasp problem