How to Eradicate Yellow Jacket Nests

Destroying a yellow jacket nest is the most sure-fire way to keep the striped wasps away from you and your family. A professional service remains the safest route for both finding and destroying yellow jacket nests. Yellow jacket stings are painful and can be dangerous if allergic reactions occur. If you're a do-it-yourselfer, however, the first step is locating the nest, which may call for a little detective work. Once you've found it, the nest's location and size determines the best way to eradicate the nest.

Chances are, you've already noticed that a specific area seems to come alive with yellow jackets when you venture too close. If not, try to find a one or two of the striped wasps, and then follow them back to the general area where the insects are congregating. Some yellow jackets nest below ground, especially under mulch, or in abandoned animal dens. Others may build aerial nests in walls, tree trunks or even higher up, under the roofline. If you can spot a nest, look for a papery-looking structure consisting of hundreds of tiny cells. In the southern U.S., where yellow jackets aren't killed in the winter, nests size can sometimes be measured in feet, not inches.

Yellow jackets begin building their nests in early spring. In practical terms, this seasonal rebuild means that spring nests are smaller and easier to cope with the ones you may encounter in late summer and early fall. If you find an aerial nest early enough in the season and it is above ground, using a long-handled broom or other tool to knock it down may be all it takes to cope with the problem. Wear protective clothing and eyewear, even when dealing with small nests.

A pre-mixed insecticidal spray containing cypermethrin registered for wasp use, and that features a wand attachment, is your best bet for treating yellow jackets that have inserted their aerial nest into the exterior walls of a house or shed, as well as a tree trunk or other aboveground structure. It's important to have anyone working or living in an infested structure to leave it during treatment, because the angry insects could find their way into the building. Don protective gear, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, protective eyewear, gloves and a veil. Insert the wand into the nest and sprayed for about 15 to 30 seconds. If the nest is attached to an inhabited building, don't plug the entrance of the nest. Blocking their exit route might encourage the wasps to enter the building as a means of escape.

Underground nests are the most problematic for homeowners to cope with, because poison is more likely to disorient yellow jacket wasps -- thus making them even more dangerous -- than kill them or eradicate well-protected nest. If you can't call a professional service, however, covering the entrance to the nest with a glass jar late in the evening may kill a large number of the wasps who become confused the next morning by the unusual barrier. Alternatively, use a pre-mixed insecticidal dust containing cyfluthrin that comes in a "puff pack." After puffing the dust into the entrance, put a spade full or two of damp dirt over the entrance. Wear a veil, protective clothing and eyewear, and follow all label directions when treating the area.