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Plane Bart 08-05-2012 15:26:58 108.97.106.158 Report to Moderator	I was out on the New Holland TC40A today Bush hogging got around back of the hen house and ran into a huge Yellow Jackets Nest not sure if they were in the hollowed out tree stump or a ground nest but I know there is a swarm of them in the five foot area that I cut. I sure made short work of cutting the tractor off before jumping clear, I got stung several times and had to wait about a half hour before I dared to go back and get the tractor, sure did not want to leave it out with a thunder storm comming in and being real close to a bunch of old oak trees dead I the top. What would be the best way to get rid of the nest? Dont want to use gas to close to the chickens [Reply]   [No Email]
David Bean 08-06-2012 20:25:28 24.126.223.218 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   I used to do the gasoline thing, but have also changed to Sevin. I prefer the liquid concentrate. Go after dark when they are in the nest. Shake the bottle well and pour the concentrate in and around the mouth of the hole. If you watch yellow jackets you will notice they usually land and walk in the hole. So if you get a hole under a stump or root you will see them land in the open and walk in. Just pour the Sevin on the landing pad. They walk through the Sevin and track it in with them. All dead in a day or so. Only time I have had this fail is a gulley washer rain that washed my Sevin away. Did it again the next night and Bye Bye! [Reply]  [No Email]
Plane Bart 08-06-2012 12:53:47 108.97.106.158 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   I went over today to inspect where the nest was there is a hole in the ground about the size of my fist and still plenty of yellow jackets buzzing around. I am sure glad that I was at the end of the field where we have been mowing because there is now way to run in weeds that are over six foot tall. Glad they did not trip me up when I jumped from a rolling tractor. When I had reached down to cut the key off my hand and arm were coated with bees. I was headed for the pond if they were going to give me a good chase. Jimps you had me rolling with your experience the kids must have thought you were afflicted for sure. Think I will go out and get the borax acid and let it do it's job I got lots of other areas that need bush hogged but I will have a can of wasp hornet spray on board in case I find another nest Thanks all for your input and experiences [Reply]  [No Email]
Billie R. Smith 08-06-2012 11:10:57 69.245.108.151 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   When I worked for MSU Extension Office we recommended "Ortho Sevin 5 Dust". Wait till dark and dump it on the nest . They will carry it inside themselves after landing in it. [Reply]  [No Email]
Jimps 08-06-2012 07:39:03 216.166.222.115 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   I went to repair a wall on my shed one day several years ago. Started inside hammering the wall to loosen the nails. Went outside with two hammers, wood chisels and a cat's claw to continue. I had a few wood poles leaned up against the wall right there, and apparently there was a yellow jacket nest below. I had beat on the wall and poles and really pissed them off. I had on shorts and when the first one stung me, I instinctively swatted with both hands, which were holding the aforementioned tools. That hurt worse than the sting! I then flung away the tools and ran, directly toward my boat where my two little girls were playing (that was the only open area). I saw them, made a sharp turn and took the swarm for a short run across the yard. My wife ran out, saw me stripping and flailing about, and proceeded to help me by shooing the bees. 3 got her until she learned to kill them! My girls were freaking out watching this and we then ran to get them out of the boat. 1 bit my little one on the ear. I had 14 stings which ruined my favorite supper, fried pork chops with a side of stewed tomatoes and rice. Went back out that night with a cup of gas and got my revenge. My Grandfather got it much worse once. He grabbed a fat lighter stump with the turn plow on his Super A and opened up hell itself. He was too old to move very fast and tried to release the stump and drive away. He nearly died from the 92 yellow jacket stings. You almost could not recognize his face from the swelling. He later said that was the biggest nest he had ever seen. Jimps in GA. [Reply]  [No Email]
mbramble 08-06-2012 05:22:34 99.56.76.93 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   About 2 months ago, I was picking wild blueberries from one of the dozens of bushes we have found on my sons property. Was about to toss back a handful when something stung the back of my leg. Then the other leg, then my left forearm. Before I took off running, I saw the hole under the blueberry bush. They were all over my shirt and shorts. I was ripping clothes off as I ran and found them on my shirt and shorts -- stinging right thru them. I think I ended up with 8-10 stings. Went home and got the can of wasp spray and went right back over and sprayed them down. Went back the next day and they were laying dead all over the place and no movement from the hole. I had been stung by a single yellow jacket the week before and it swelled up pretty good and hurt like crazy. I'm thinking it was like a vaccination because though all these stings hurt badly during the sting, they did not swell up much at all and really didn't cause a lot of discomfort. I'm just glad none of the grand kids were along that day!! Last week my wife found a nest on the ground under one of our scuppernong vines. We sprayed it with a little wasp killer I had left. Was gonna go back and treat it the next day. When I went back, I found that an armadillo had dug up the nest over night. Must have been 3-4 sq ft of 'honeycomb' material there. Must have been a huge nest. They are all gone too!! [Reply]  [No Email]
Walston 08-06-2012 03:09:21 173.81.71.179 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Royse, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   The best and easiest way to get rid of the yellow jackets is to put Boric Acid around the entrance to the nest. It is a white powder and put a good bit all around any entrance. It is cheap, you can buy it at Walmart or the hardware store. The worker bees get this on their legs and then feed it to the queen. The queen dies and all the workers die because there is no queen. Works every time, I have done it many times. I learned this several years ago from a Terminex employee. [Reply]  [No Email]
Royse 08-05-2012 18:11:10 69.36.49.151 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   I plowed up a ground nest with a JD 50 and a 2 bottom plow when I was a kid. I couldn't run fast enough! Dad was pretty po'd that I left the tractor out there. Running. Made me go back and get it. Good times! LOL If you use bee spray, don't skimp. Buy Raid like UD pictured. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 08-05-2012 17:33:27 209.86.226.59 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   Better you then me if it was me I might be in the Hospital right now LOL. As for how to fix them well yes gas will work or a good wasp spray but be careful they can still fly when sprayed. Me I would wait till dark and then use a bug boom and a tarp or other such thing [Reply]  [No Email]
NoNewParts 08-05-2012 17:29:07 67.240.145.25 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   while gas works best on a ground nest, the 'foaming' kind of wasp spray works well on a ground nest. I put a foot long rubber hose on the nozzle, first spray just inside the hole, bees can't get by the foam, then feed the hose down the hole and fill er up BTW, with the wasp spray getting epa watered down nowadays, on nests away from the house, common garage stuff works good, cheaper too. carb cleaner, brake cleaner, and starting ether, stops em quick [Reply]  [No Email]
Dean 08-05-2012 17:05:18 67.172.15.77 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   A similar event happened to me about 20 years ago while bush hogging. I had backed up beneath several trees near a creek and gotten off of the tractor to move some drift wood when I noticed the yellow jackets swarming. I had pulled forward a few feet before getting off. Apparently the mower had gone over the hole but was now a couple of feet in front of it. After being stung a few times I ran into the clearing to think things over. The yellow jackets remained around the tractor and mower. As the tractor was still running at rated speed with the PTO engaged, I decided that I would take my medicine to get it away from the nest. I was wearing only shoes and socks and a pair of shorts and was stung another 8 - 10 times when I rescued the tractor but the yellow jackets did follow me more than about 25 feet once I got rolling. I did not worry about the nest as the area is in a flood plane and floods each year. I know of nothing better than gasoline to kill bees quickly. Dean [Reply]  [No Email]
Abbby 08-05-2012 16:57:55 67.209.94.33 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   I also have had many run ins while mowing. Got a feeling it is going to be a bad year with all the heat and dry weather. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bruce (VA) 08-05-2012 16:27:29 24.125.80.178 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   Go out there tomorrow & find the hole. That's the key. Make 100% sure you know where it is. Then, well after dark, get either a quart of gas or bleach (gas is better) and a shovel. Get your helper to get a shovel full of dirt. Quickly shine the light on the hole & dump the gas or bleach in it. As soon as you see the first yellow jacket, toss on the dirt & stomp it down. The fumes kill them. They will detect the fumes & attempt to fan it out which spreads it to the entire hive because you covered up the entrance hole. Wait a day or two & dig it up. The nests are fascinating. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bob Harvey 08-05-2012 16:10:02 209.91.107.198 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   If you can accurately locate the nest (without getting stung again), get a 'rattle can' of wasp bomb and go at nite and spray the shirt out of the nest. HTH [Reply]  [No Email]
Ultradog MN 08-05-2012 16:23:43 70.56.166.39 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Bob Harvey, 08-05-2012 16:10:02   Yup. Wasp and hornet spray in the can. Shoots a good stream about 15'. Will kill them instantly in mid flight. Watch for the nest - you'll see them buzzing around. Then go in like Matt Dillon - guns a blazing. [Reply]  [No Email]
fortyniner 08-05-2012 17:22:30 72.161.28.239 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Ultradog MN, 08-05-2012 16:23:43   Never had been stung by a hornet until yesterday afternoon. Hope that is the last time to. Hit me like a small rock between the shoulders. Diabetes and hornets are not a good mix. [Reply]  [No Email]
Rlpintx 08-05-2012 15:52:27 166.147.123.151 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   Malathone will kill them but not fast enough to keep em from coming after you. [Reply]  [No Email]
pikewi 08-05-2012 15:42:07 64.33.132.93 Report to Moderator	Re: Bush hog and Yellow Jackets in reply to Plane Bart, 08-05-2012 15:26:58   Don't know about the nest but thanks for the reminder. I am allergic and would have been lying out there DRT. Tango Uniform. Checked my 5 year old epi pen and all it would have done is caused another hole [Reply]  [No Email]