Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Was cleaning up the garden today, and little did I know that some yellow jacket wasp has taken up residence behind my shed...

Luckily only one of them decided to sting me just once...

I think they are beneficial to the garden in that they hunt pest right? But not so beneficial when they start stinging us...

Anyone knows of a AP friendly way to remove them without being stung swollen in the process?

There are completly natural "herbal" wasp and hornet killers. I don't know ifthey would affectthe system or not. I would dig into the warning lables and the MSDS data base.

http://www.msdssearch.com/dblinksn.htm

Have bee suite, it will offer a little protection.

Even a high powered water jet will give you some distance while you destroy it with the water.

Hope that helps at least a little.

Hey Ivan, I would encourage you to leave it alone.
Unless there is a risk to your family and children or if it is in an area that is regularly accessed. We have had nests here and they come and go, no one got stung, until it made the nest near the pipe rack and one of the workers got stung on the face. OHS risk meant that it was treated with the flyspray and lighter, flambed at dusk. That way the fly spray burnt off without risk to the fish.
They return to their nest at sundown, for your own sake don't spray during the day, it makes them really angry. I have seen them eating caterpillars and when they became light enough the rest was taken back to the nest to feed the young. They have really pretty faces too

Thanks for the replies... The fly spray idea sounds safe enough for the fishes...

Well I would love to keep the wasp around but they have built their nest at the back of the shed close enough to the side walkway to be of concern... I was doing something else when I got stung so certainly did not try to provoke them... Will monitor a bit more first...

Mud nest?
add water at night from a distance

not sure worksafe would approve of your methods there, did you do a risk analysis and obtain the appropriate hot work permit

Give him a break Simo... it's been less than 24 hours... he's still working on the risk analysis...

Always an issue around my place. I have to keep an eye out near my front door for nests. They don't like the door being opened/closed.

Found Mortein surface spray(link) applied at night kills them without needing huge amounts.
Long as they are not right on top of a walkway I leave them alone.

I use the vacumecleaner, they die from the heat inside.

We used to have these all the time, haven't noticed any this year at all

the dog had a go at one once and got stung, she leaves them alone now, but they never really became aggressive, they seem to love water..

Spray them with diesel

Then phone Steve... or Axl...

Put nest into a paper bag when they are sleeping. Then drop over someone else back fence.

Hahahaha!