How to Naturally Get Rid of Yellow Jackets

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I really don’t like yellow jackets.  They are mean, can sting more than once, and will come at you by the dozens if you disturb their nest.  Finding a way to get rid of yellow jackets naturally hasn’t been easy.  Some ways have worked better than others.

No pesticides or toxic chemicals are allowed.  Hiring a bee exterminator isn’t an option, not to mention the cost of that. Don’t fret, though; getting rid of yellow jackets naturally is still possible.  Read on…

As with any other predator you are battling, learning more about their behavior, where they live, and how they survive will help to get ahead of them.  It will make you more prepared for war when the time arrives.

Before the war begins, let’s learn some facts about the yellow jacket and their behavior.

Naturally Get Rid of Yellow Jackets

First Opportunity:

Life History and Behavior of the Yellow Jacket

In early May or June, depending on the temperatures, the fertile queen will emerge from hibernation on a quest to find a place to build her nest and lay her eggs.  Sites such as hollow logs, creek banks, holes in the ground, piles of dried leaves, and lawns are a few places of choice.

She’s about 18 mm long and can be spotted fluttering around in a sort of slow bouncing-like manner, looking for a secure place to live. You can put your yellow jacket traps out as soon as the spring weather arrives and oftentimes catch her since she is very hungry and looking for food.

If you capture her, she will not lay her eggs, and the nest will not be built.  How do you catch her?    Read on to find out how…

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Second Opportunity:

Don’t fret if you didn’t catch a queen. You will have other opportunities to get rid of yellow jackets naturally.

Once your queen builds her nest and lays her eggs, the first brood of workers is hatched around the end of June.  Your queen will no longer leave the nest.  The workers will become evident if they are close by.  They are ruthless if you disturb their nest by accident.

If the nest is not found, they will continue to multiply, and by  August and September, you’ll see lots of them around.

The workers’ job is to take care of and feed the queen and other fertile females inside the nest.  Workers are the little ones you see, several at a time, scavenging on garbage cans, in parks, or anywhere food is exposed.  They are gathering food and returning it to the nest and will fight you for it.

Follow Them to Their Nest

If you can follow the worker back to the nest, you can set up your trap close by and destroy a nest within a couple of days.  This article will give you some great tips on how to follow them to their nest. 

Now that you understand more about how yellow jackets work and live let’s learn how to build a trap to get rid of yellow jackets and win the war.

We can get rid of them naturally by making a DIY yellow jacket trap.  No costly traps to purchase and no trip to the store to purchase them. You can easily make your own.

Build the Trap

This is super easy to make and very effective:

Supplies –

• Repurposed Plastic Container(s)
• Apple Cider Vinegar or Sugar Water (your preference)
• Bait (see below)
• Liquid Dish Soap (optional)
• Drill – with 1/8 inch bit

Using a drill, carefully drill several small holes near the top of your repurposed plastic container.   (Hint- yellow jackets are slim, so a smaller drill bit works best)  Don’t make the hole too large, or the yellow jacket will be able to find its way back out.

Fill the bottom of the container with a bit of sugar water or apple cider vinegar, your choice.  (a couple of inches is enough)

Add a couple of drops of liquid dish soap.  The soap sticks to their wings and will help to trap them even better.

Yellow Jacket Bait Suggestions:

• Raw meat scraps – (yellow jackets love protein)
• Sandwich meat
• Rotten Fruit -(Banana Peels, Strawberries, Apples, Plums, Pears -(all fruits work well)
• Dry pet food (it will expand in the water)
• Fresh Manure
• Combination of all the above

There are lots of other foods yellow jackets will eat too.  This is just a small list.

Once you have filled your plastic container, replace the lid and put it about 10 feet or so from the nest you have located. They will be attracted to the smell.

The Way it Works

The yellow jackets will smell the stench and find their way into the container thru the holes.  Remember, they are persistent.   They get inside to devour the yukky stuff, and then once finished, they are unable to find their way out.  (Super nasty).

The longer the container sits or remains in the sun, the stinkier it will get.  This will attract even more yellow jackets out of the nest.  So plan to leave it for several weeks.    (YUK!)

Carefully check on it daily to see how it is doing.  If it needs to be moved just a bit, go ahead and do so.  I have been able to catch hundreds with only one trap.

If you have more than one nest, make more than one trap.

Yellow Jackets can build almost anywhere.  Another pest that can be controlled without chemicals is the Cabbage Moth.  Get a step ahead of the horrible yellow jacket and be ready to get rid of them before they grow in vast numbers.  Happy Gardening!

More Garden Pests to Know

• How to Get Rid of Aphids in Your Garden
• How to Get Rid of Squash Vine Borers
• How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs
• 15 Ways to Naturally Control Hornworms
• 5 Ways to Control Cabbage Worms
• Why are MY Tomato Plant Leaves Curling?
• How to Get Rid of Ants in the Garden

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