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Yellow jackets... HELP

Started by WH_Conley, July 24, 2017, 05:21:30 PM

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paul case

I believe the ones I have experience are a different critter, bumble bees, Cause us a lot of grief in hay fields. There are more of them on real wet years when there are more flowering plants growing. Never seen any in fields that were sprayed with a herbicide  to kill weeds.

Them things land hard.

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

MbfVA

Our restaurant building it is an all wood log cabin, circa 1928 on. Bumblebees/Carpenter bees are definitely a nemesis--I have to plug up the holes with caulk after poisoning them, but I don't think I've ever been stung by one here or at the farm.

My wife was stung by a cicada killer/bell hornet (I think the terminology for them varies by region) a while back, while pulling on vines.   They are not reputed to be easily angered, but are not nice creatures when they are.   I have mainly seen them in hollow trees.  The ones I've seen are the size of F-16s.
www.ordinary.com (really)

btulloh

Bumble bees are pretty gentle.  I don't think they can sting or it's really hard to make one mad enough to sting.  There are some small black hornets that tend to nest in the ground that are fierce though.  They sting and sting hard.  I think the worst of the lot is the japanese hornet.  Big, yellow, mean, potent.  They go looking for a fight.  They will wipe out a hive of honey bees whenever they get the chance.

There's some useful and interesting info in this thread.  It's good to see how other people are dealing with yellow jackets.  I can always use more tools for wiping out a nest.  Different methods work better in different situations.

Usually I find a yellow jacket nest by stepping in it or weed eating it before I know it's there.  Not good.  I'd try holding my breath, but I just don't have much confidence in that.  I have heard that they swarm to C02 or CO.  Maybe that's where that came from.  I dropped a running FS90 one time near a nest and they attacked it relentlessly.  I still don't know if I could remember to hold my breath after I get stung 6 or 8 times.  I hope someone will try that and report back.
HM126

MbfVA

www.ordinary.com (really)

MbfVA

I think we're talking about the same beast, the Japanese hornet. Big, they look like giant yellow jackets  in their markings. Bell hornet is a common term around here; cicada killer is the name I got from the Audubon book of insects.

The one that stung my wife went straight at her forehead, and she said it felt something like getting hit by a bird; then came the pain  of the sting.

CO2 is used as a lure in fancy mosquito traps, so it may be  a common attractant for a lot of different insects.  Or maybe it was the carbon monoxide in your chainsaw exhaust? Dumb bees.

I certainly agree with the main concern being the surprise aspect. If we're lucky enough to see where the nest is, we can avoid it and kill them, but if we get surprised, ouch.   Too bad they don't have a rattle....
www.ordinary.com (really)

btulloh

That all sounds right.  Especially the part about flying straight at her head.

Just to clarify in my own mind I looked up some of these beasts:

Bell or European Hornet:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet

Japanese Hornet:
       https://www.tofugu.com/japan/japanese-giant-hornets/
       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_giant_hornet

Cicada Killer: http://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/10-facts-about-cicada-killer-wasps/

Useful: http://www.insectidentification.org/bees-ants-wasps-and-similar.asp

Useful but a bit TMI:  http://bugguide.net/node/view/59

I'm probably going to have bad dreams tonight after looking at all this.   :(
HM126

paul case

I am still having bad dreams from this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VklTs-Tid_I

Could have Poston!

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

btulloh

That's an amazing piece of film.  I guess stepping in a yellow jacket nest isn't so bad after all.  It was interesting how the mother goat (I guess) ran the eagle away.  It must be a regular occurrence.  Someone made plans to go out and film that with serious equipment and lenses.

Thanks for posting that.  I guess.  It could be a rough night tonight.  I'll probably have to stay up late and watch a zombie film to clear my mind.

HM126

Kbeitz

Quote from: btulloh on July 29, 2017, 10:39:17 AM
Bumble bees are pretty gentle.  I don't think they can sting or it's really hard to make one mad enough to sting.  There are some small black hornets that tend to nest in the ground that are fierce though.  They sting and sting hard.  I think the worst of the lot is the japanese hornet.  Big, yellow, mean, potent.  They go looking for a fight.  They will wipe out a hive of honey bees whenever they get the chance.

There's some useful and interesting info in this thread.  It's good to see how other people are dealing with yellow jackets.  I can always use more tools for wiping out a nest.  Different methods work better in different situations.

Usually I find a yellow jacket nest by stepping in it or weed eating it before I know it's there.  Not good.  I'd try holding my breath, but I just don't have much confidence in that.  I have heard that they swarm to C02 or CO.  Maybe that's where that came from.  I dropped a running FS90 one time near a nest and they attacked it relentlessly.  I still don't know if I could remember to hold my breath after I get stung 6 or 8 times.  I hope someone will try that and report back.

The Bumble bees we have here in Pa. can sting. If you mess with there nest they will chase
you for miles and wont let up.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

pineywoods

Bumble bee confusion.  They get all lumped together, but there 2 different bees. Genuine bumble bees nest in a hole in the ground, can and will sting, and are quite aggressive. And yes, they can outrun a john deere tractor. The look-alike is a carpenter bee, they drill holes in your wood structures, don't sting, and quite docile. As kids, we used to catch them and attach a thread. Easy to tell them apart. Carpenter bees have a white spot on their head, bumble bees head is all black...Folklore around here says if you remain perfectly still. bees, wasps, yellowjackets, etc won't attack. Never had guts enough to try it,  ::)
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

grouch

Add KY bumblebees to Kbeitz's PA and pineywoods' LA bees -- they will get you if you mess with them. They're not stupid like the European hornets that moved in here a couple of decades ago. You can take multiple swings at those things with whatever makeshift bat you can grab. Try that with a bumblebee and they'll track the swing of the bat and go after *you*.

I had a head-on collision with one while running into an open equipment shed to get out of a sudden thunderstorm. In the time it took for it to bounce off my forehead, it stung me right between the eyes. Got a baking soda and water paste on it quickly, so it didn't hurt bad, but it still swelled up and made me look goofy for a while. They will blame you for accidents.

Bumblebees here don't always nest in the ground. Anyone who has ever housed tobacco can tell you they will happily make a nest in a stack of lumber or whatever else has been left undisturbed since the previous season. Having to vacate the top tier pole through a nearly full tobacco barn with angry bees after you will test your agility and ability to roll with a high jump.
Find something to do that interests you.

Chuck White

IMHO, bees of any kind can prove that an old phart can still run!   ;D

Don't ask me how I know!   ::)
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

YellowHammer

Quote from: pineywoods on July 29, 2017, 08:58:26 PM
And yes, they can outrun a john deere tractor.
They can catch up to a Ford tractor, too.   :D :D
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

kelLOGg

Quote from: Chuck White on July 29, 2017, 09:49:41 PM
IMHO, bees of any kind can prove that an old phart can still run!   ;D

:D :D :D :D :D
So true
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

kelLOGg

Yellow jackets don't always nest in the ground, either. I have a cedar tree whose small numerous branches grow vertically trapping the foliage as it falls. Over the years it has accumulated so much it has started to decay fooling the yellow jackets into thinking that it is dirt so they built a nest in it one year. I saw them flying in and out 3' above ground. I would post a pic of the tree but the little boogers have selected other dwellings since.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

drobertson

Them bumble bee's will in fact chase you down,, relentless they are,  got hit by one a few years ago just after my first back surgery,  while adjusting the pressure switch on my well, that rascal flat out ran me to the house, but not before he nailed me on the back of the neck, and they hurt,,
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

grouch

There's a summer pear tree growing beside the road leading to my house. Early every fall, the yellow jackets get drunk on the rotting fruit. You can walk amongst 'em on the road and they don't even notice. Makes their flight path a bit unpredictable, though. Just dodge and give them time to straighten out.
Find something to do that interests you.

Kbeitz

When working in the Christmas trees and the bees would chase us we would run real
fast in a strati line and grab a Christmas tree and male a sharp turn. The bees would attack
the shaking tree and loose track of the running person. It really worked well.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

elitts

Quote from: tree-farmer on July 24, 2017, 06:29:42 PM
My cousin had a interesting solution. He would put shop vac hose next to main entrace to nest, about 45 min or so and all the jackets are in the vac canister to be drowned if a wet/dry model, or just corked up to die in a day or two.
Seemed to work. Nest can be dug up once the live jackets are gone.
Fish love em as bait.

Yup.  I've done this.  Had some nesting inside the brick wall with an entrance right at a window.  Apparently the vibration just drives them nuts and then the shop vac sucks em up.    Just make sure you aren't exposed when you turn it on.    I ended up with some of them dive bombing the window if they managed to sneak out past the suction of the hose.  It took a couple attempts to get the majority of them, but it sure worked.

wovennut

For the ones that are in the ground I locate the hole with a marker and come back after dark. I use a mixture of one gallon water and a small amount of liguid sevin. I'll pour the mixture in the hole and they will be done by morning. Works great and cheap.

Bert

I sawed a log the other day that had a hollow spot with a bumble bee nest inside. When the slab fell off it looked like a black cloud. It was early AM and cool so Im guessing thats why i didnt notice any flying around beforehand. I didnt stick around to see if they stung. My dad doused them with canned bee spray kicked the log off the carriage and put it in the weed inventory pile.
Saw you tomorrow!

Chuck White

I can still recall my Dad saying that back when everyone used a team to do the farm work, plowing, raking, hauling, etc, that if there was a bee problem they would take a small 6-foot sapling, cut most of the limbs off of it and leave the top bushy  and attach it on the rear of the farming implement!

The bees would come up out of the ground and they would be all over the top of the sapling!

Probably would make for an exciting ride to be on an old dump rake when the bees are after the team!   :o
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Kbeitz

Years ago I took an old pump up gas torch and sat it in front of a yellow jacket nest hole 
I think every bee lost it's wings but was alive cawing around on the ground.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

scully

Carb cleaner .....they love it
I bleed orange  .

MbfVA

 dancing-jack
I'd just as soon hire this guy to stomp 'em out; he needs long sleeves & a helmet, though, or he'll wind up like this guy
smiley_furious3
www.ordinary.com (really)

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