I just noticed a yellow jacket nest about two feet away from a pear tree. Any thoughts on a way to get rid of them without harming the tree roots?
I had this happen at the base of one of my persimmons last year. I mixed up a gallon of the following product and dumped it on the nest at night. They all perished.
1 Like
Not labeled for use on or near fruit trees, but… My insecticide of choice for yellow jackets and/or hornets is Fipronil. “Taurus SC” brand from Amazon. Probably a teaspoon or less in a half-gallon hand-pump sprayer, spray a stream at the entrance for maybe 5 seconds. A very very small amount. They’re toast.
I suspect most any contact insecticide would do the trick if you can saturate the entrance. It would of course be good to know if it’s systemic, if the tree will uptake it or not.
2 Likes
Or, go out in the evening when they’re quiet and spray the nest with clear acrylic. Slip a plastic bag over the nest and tie it up snug.
1 Like
Ortho Fruit Tree & Shrub spray will kill the larvae and most of the wasps.
1 Like
Sell your house and move. 
I am highly allergic to yellow jacket venom. I know I have some somewhere in my yard so I am highly reluctant to do summer bed work.
If anyone knows how to find them without seeing them go to ground let me know.
Good to have this thread as folks are mentioning several products to kill them.
I assume you mean that they are in the ground? My preferred method has been a bucket of water with a few tablespoons of regular dawn dish soap. The next time I have to do it I’m going to try peppermint castile soap as per this article as I’m always looking for less toxic methods:
I’ve also read dawn free and clear (biodegradable) works. I do it at night, wear long sleeves, gloves, hat, etc., and hustle away fast after the pour. You can also get fancy and put a screen down first and pour more at your leisure, or place a hose, dump the soap first then turn on water at a distance.
I usually leave everything stinging alone except yellow jackets; they get so aggressive especially in the early fall.
2 Likes
Ground nest? Diatomaceous earth. You could eat that stuff without harming yourself.
3 Likes
I thought of that and know it wouldn’t harm the tree, but I don’t think it will get the larva and queen down deep in the nest. I guess if I reapply it may take care of it.
I wonder if concentrated soap would bother the roots of the tree? I may go with something else for now, but test what happens to a tree by trying it on some spare seedlings I have.
2 Likes
These are ground nesting, so I don’t think the acrylic will work. Good for other nests I expect.
1 Like
Trust me, it will kill them. Some by the workers dragging the (to them) sharp shards, the rest because without workers they don’t get any food.
1 Like
Yes yellow jackets are ground nesters. What I hate about them (besides the allergy) is they fly faster than wasps and you cant just find and spray the visible nest on your soffit at night like a wasp nest.
Last time I was bitten by a yellow jacket …through my glove. I had the hiccups for 24 hours, on a workday at that.
Found this online…
…
What happens if you water plants with dish soap?
The detergent residue in the water won’t hurt them; as you might recall, dish soap is often used as a base for natural pesticides, because it helps the mixture stick to the plants, isn’t toxic, and can be easily washed off later. Just make sure your dish soap does not contain boron or bleach.
…
I have seen guys on youtube taking out YJ with dish soap.
Be careful… they have a very respectable sting for such a small critter.
3 Likes
Go out after dark. Cover the entrance with a large sheet of clear plastic. At least 4ft x 4ft. Cover the edges with soil. In the sun it will get 140F+ under the poly. Even without the heat if they don’t have another entrance they’ll perish.
In CA we had this problem. I covered them at night with anything, poly, plywood, etc. Cover the edges. It worked. But the clear poly sounds interesting.
5 Likes
I ran a tractor and bushhog over a big yellowjacket nest many years ago… the first pass was ok… but the next pass they were seriously stirred up and waiting for me. 13 stings. Had YJ in my ears, up my shirt sleeve up my pants legs…
8 Likes
Most around here build in the ground, but not all. Either a species thing or perhaps for other reasons, they sometimes build nests above ground.
1 Like
It’s diluted by the water, you could try the more natural soaps like bronner’s peppermint, but I cannot personally vouch for the effectiveness versus regular blue dawn (yet). I took down 5 nests last year right after we moved in; this year there’s a nest somewhere but I haven’t located it yet. They’re just so nasty. I realize they have a role to play in nature, but ideally they can nest away from my plantings! Good luck.
2 Likes
I’ve talked about yellowjackets in other posts here through the years, we too are in an area they seem to love. Similarly I’ll leave most other “beneficial” insects alone, promote them even. Not yellowjackets or hornets though…
I saw a queen YJ out foraging today, very late for that. We tend to carry a fly swatter or spray bottle when walking around the yard or orchard in spring and early summer. A dead queen is one that can’t lay thousands of eggs over the rest of the season! We also took care of about 5 in-ground nests last year and this year have killed 23 queens. Swat them or… An intense stream of water with a bit of dish soap, pin 'em to the ground, stomp 'em. The queens exit the nest to forage until they have enough workers to bring food to them…
Good luck dealing with yours!
3 Likes
when we get those paper nests here its bald faced hornets. seen some bigger that a basket ball. you think Y.J sting hurts. B.F hornets is like getting hit with a pellet gun pain wise and they will pursue you a long ways from the nest. nearly 2xs the size of Y.J.
2 Likes