Here in Northern Illinois, this has been a banner year for Yellowjacket wasps. As a DIYer, of course, I had the urge to deal with them myself. It has been quite a battle. With injuries on both sides.
I just got done dealing with two such nests. The first was in the underside of a bay window, up inside a small hole in the caulked perimeter. I got stung on the face the first day. They pack a serious punch. Days of discomfort. I spent weeks spraying as they came and went, because I could not get near the opening (up underneath and close to the ground) to locate it. After knocking down the vast majority of them, I was able to put the straw from a foaming wasp spray in tho hole, which I located by setting an iPhone nearby and watching the stragglers come and go. I sprayed up inside 3 or 4 days in a row, before the activity dropped to near zero. Then used spray foam to fill the void.
The second one, I accidentally discovered by my woodpile, as I was cleaning up. One got on my cloth glove and stung my thumb really good. Four days later, it still hurts. That was when I discovered the full extent of the situation. I started using a rake to pull back all the kindling from either side. This left two pieces of punky wood on the ground. Using the rake and standing well back, I flipped one of the logs over. That is when the SHTF. I got stung twice 8 - 10 ft away, and a third time as I ran like hell. Now exposed, I waited for the furor to die down, then I used wasp spray from a good distance to douse the exposed nest.
Note to self: Next time wear a heavy long sleeved shirt and use leather gloves. I may even consider a suit, should I have to do this again. In both cases, trying to deal with them at night was not really possible. The first nest was impossible to see in daytime, let alone night. The second nest might have been possible, but moving wood in darkness under a tree, is not optimal for finding the opening. Or remaining calm. lol
Anyhow, I now know that I am not allergic to yellowjackets. Anyone else seeing a proliferation of these critters this year?
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PS - I emptied 2-3 cans of hydrocortisone spray over that time. Some relief. Baby power + frequent cleansing with warm soap & water seemed most effective at stopping the itch - but not completely.
”Anyone else seeing a proliferation of these critters this year?” Likely. Before this summer I’d only been stung by bees 2 or 3 times in my life. So 2 in one summer is unusual.
When I was a kid my brother and I, on vacation out in the country, disturbed a yellowjacket nest and they not only attacked us near the nest but chased the two of us about a half mile back to the house, where our parents had a hell of a time swatting them all to death. That's probably the fastest that I've ever run in my whole life.
My brother and I were "Calamine Lotioned" real good for a few days.
Evidently each nest exists for only one year, and at this time they are grooming a queen to survive over the winter and start a new nest next spring. Getting near their nests is especially dangerous right now.
Also, it's interesting that there is some difference between "Eastern" and "Western" yellowjackets. We ordered "RESCUE! Disposable Yellowjacket Trap - Mountain & Pacific Formula" from Amazon, and man! do they head for those traps. The RESCUE people are very clear about using the correct version, depending upon your geographic location.
From the supplier- Who would have guessed that yellowjackets keep track of the time zone that they're in? I wonder if Daylight Saving Time confuses them at all?
Fascinating isn’t it? Saw a flock of geese flying south today and got to wondering how they know winter will soon arrive and how they’re able to time their exit from this region so skillfully. I’ll guess it’s the shortening of daylight hours. David mentions in this month’s Observer how some plants bloom in the fall, triggered by the shorter days and longer nights.