The "Bees" stole the wood!!! Advice needed.

[RPrice]

Today I was out cutting Utah Juniper for firewood about 4 miles from my house. I had my 3/4 ton Dodge long bed about 1/2 full. Took a break, touched up the cutters and filled up the fluids on my Stihl MS 261 (the best firewood saw ever IMHO!).

I proceeded to work through about 3/4 of another fuel load and I was cutting about the 3rd tree when all of a sudden there was yellow jackets everywhere!! They were after me big time!! I quit cutting on that tree (Holy S#%t), and took off for my truck which was about 50 yards away. A big contingent of wasps accompanied me to the truck and did their best to sting me. Fortunately I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, hat, ear "muffs", and kevlar chaps. However one got me several times on my thigh, which was weird because it must of climbed up between the chaps and pants. Anyway, that hurt, and still does 5 hours later!

I fought them off by whacking them with my hat (the can of mosquito repellent I sprayed at them helped a little) took shelter in the truck, and reassessed the situation. I had almost 1/2 a truck load of stove length wood down within 30 yards of the really pissed off "bees".

I pulled my truck down near the tree where I'd disturbed the nest, with all the windows shut, and those wasps were so pissed they were bouncing off the windows! It was obvious that I wasn't gonna get my wood back today, not without a lot of pain!

So, I drove down the road about 1/2 mile and started cutting there, because I can't go home without a full load. You know what?? (You do don't you!) Some of those wasps came down and got after me there too!! But I fought them off thinking that it was BS that they could run me CLEAR out of the country! I never was stung again.

So now what??? I'd guess I could go back in the dark, when the wasps aren't active to retrieve the wood. Or should I just wait till it freezes??

I'd bet this has happened to someone else on this forum.

Let me know if you have any advice, I'm thinking they can't "get me" in the dark!.

Thanks, Bob

 

[buzz sawyer]

Today I was out cutting Utah Juniper for firewood about 4 miles from my house. I had my 3/4 ton Dodge long bed about 1/2 full. Took a break, touched up the cutters and filled up the fluids on my Stihl MS 261 (the best firewood saw ever IMHO!).

I proceeded to work through about 3/4 of another fuel load and I was cutting about the 3rd tree when all of a sudden there was yellow jackets everywhere!! They were after me big time!! I quit cutting on that tree (Holy S#%t), and took off for my truck which was about 50 yards away. A big contingent of wasps accompanied me to the truck and did their best to sting me. Fortunately I was wearing a long sleeved shirt, hat, ear "muffs", and kevlar chaps. However one got me several times on my thigh, which was weird because it must of climbed up between the chaps and pants. Anyway, that hurt, and still does 5 hours later!

I fought them off by whacking them with my hat (the can of mosquito repellent I sprayed at them helped a little) took shelter in the truck, and reassessed the situation. I had almost 1/2 a truck load of stove length wood down within 30 yards of the really pissed off "bees".

I pulled my truck down near the tree where I'd disturbed the nest, with all the windows shut, and those wasps were so pissed they were bouncing off the windows! It was obvious that I wasn't gonna get my wood back today, not without a lot of pain!

So, I drove down the road about 1/2 mile and started cutting there, because I can't go home without a full load. You know what?? (You do don't you!) Some of those wasps came down and got after me there too!! But I fought them off thinking that it was BS that they could run me CLEAR out of the country! I never was stung again.

So now what??? I'd guess I could go back in the dark, when the wasps aren't active to retrieve the wood. Or should I just wait till it freezes??

I'd bet this has happened to someone else on this forum.

Let me know if you have any advice, I'm thinking they can't "get me" in the dark!.

Thanks, Bob

You were lucky. Wait till it's cold and go back. If any one tries to take the wood, they'll get a surprise. Maybe that's a good way to protect your wood - put up a sign that warns of hornets in the wood.

 

[TreePointer]

Yeah, the first few freezes can't be too far off.

 

[RPrice]

Yeah, the first few freezes can't be too far off.

If the weather forecast is correct it could be as soon as this coming Thursday. Maybe I'll sneak in there then! Sure don't want to get them "fired up" again though.

 

[fdoberman]

You don't need to wait for a freeze, the winged security team becomes pretty much a binch of pedestrians below 50°f.
If you need the wood before that a Chapin sprayer full of soapy dishwater will drop em quicker than Reverse Ace McCain flying a government owned airplane. If you're really mean look for their nest entrance by following the flyers and spray right into it or stick a large propane torch into the opening. Roasted groundwasp is a delicacy to ants.

 

[HILLBILLYREDNEC]

Stingers

Get yo self a few cans of insect spray and go ape sheet on them Starting fluid works to :biggrin:

 

[RPrice]

You don't need to wait for a freeze, the winged security team becomes pretty much a binch of pedestrians below 50°f.
If you need the wood before that a Chapin sprayer full of soapy dishwater will drop em quicker than Reverse Ace McCain flying a government owned airplane. If you're really mean look for their nest entrance by following the flyers and spray right into it or stick a large propane torch into the opening. Roasted groundwasp is a delicacy to ants.

These sound like good ideas, and fun too!! I know precisely where the nest entrance is, as I pulled up next to it in my truck (with the windows closed), and checked it out. There were "legions" of pissed off yellow jackets swarming around. It's so dry up there that the propane torch idea might get out of control, with all the cheat grass, but the soap or insect spray could work well!!

Peering at the outside thermometer, it's 56º right now (about 5 AM), it's supposed to get cooler in the next few days. Maybe I'll wait a day or two........................... :msp_unsure:

Thanks for the advice!

 

[bluestem]

Those dam yellow jackets are nasty!! Depending on how cold it gets there in winter that nest may survive or die during the winter, so I would definitely go after the nest! I guess though the only way to really kill the whole colony is to find the queen and eliminate it.

Good Luck!!

p.s. the little first aid sting wipes actually work pretty well, can't remember of the top of my head what the active ingredient is though.

 

[CTYank]

Since you know where the nest entrance is, you might try a can of "Pow"- an insecticide with a nozzle that shoots a tight stream. One shot and done. Meant specifically for wasps and such.

 

[RPrice]

Since you know where the nest entrance is, you might try a can of "Pow"- an insecticide with a nozzle that shoots a tight stream. One shot and done. Meant specifically for wasps and such.

I'll look for some in the store today, Thanks!!

 

[corsair4360]

Wasps

The cheapest stuff I have found that works is brake cleaner from your auto parts store. Works great drops them in flight and a small dose kills them.

The best method I have seen is 3 gallons of methanol poured down the hole and then lit (be careful you cannot see that stuff burn) best with a tossed match or some other remote method. Then the incoming critters cannot see the fire and get cremated as they come in. Diesel fuel also works well. The fire hazard is considerable however for either method.

 

[fdoberman]

Last week the little woman damn near got herself eaten alive by a nest in her posie patch. Fortunately she stepped on the entrance and temporarily closed the opening. Being female she listens toinstructions very well, and did eventually back away from the area.

I have a long ongoing dislike for ground wasps, so I took the situation over. I marked the location with a small flag, and waited for nightfall. By then the occupants had reopened the nest. With full dark I was able to employ a ground probe to determine size and location. Then I employed a long handled root chisel and a 150kbtu propane torch to open the nest and roast the occupants.

The hole was about the size of a football with 3 tiers of breeding comb. NOTE the verb WAS.
Sadly the wellness potential of the occupants was considerably shortened, and the following day there was a line of ants dragging wasp corpses home for snackfood. Since the ants were coming from a direction away from the house I decided to not roast their home for now.
Propane, taste the meat, not the heat!

 

[rottiman]

Simple way to take a ground nest out in one shot is to pour a coke bottle full of diesel fuel down the entrance hole after dark and kick alittle dirt over the entrance. The fumes take good care of them. Guarentee they will be history.

 

[TreePointer]

Yellow jackets in the ground? I've been using Sevin dust with very good results. Dump a half cup on the hole entrance. Wait a few days, and there is no activity. Sometimes you have to hit them a second time, but there has always been zero activity in 3-5 days.

 

[RPrice]

Last week the little woman damn near got herself eaten alive by a nest in her posie patch. Fortunately she stepped on the entrance and temporarily closed the opening. Being female she listens toinstructions very well, and did eventually back away from the area.

I have a long ongoing dislike for ground wasps, so I took the situation over. I marked the location with a small flag, and waited for nightfall. By then the occupants had reopened the nest. With full dark I was able to employ a ground probe to determine size and location. Then I employed a long handled root chisel and a 150kbtu propane torch to open the nest and roast the occupants.

The hole was about the size of a football with 3 tiers of breeding comb. NOTE the verb WAS.
Sadly the wellness potential of the occupants was considerably shortened, and the following day there was a line of ants dragging wasp corpses home for snackfood. Since the ants were coming from a direction away from the house I decided to not roast their home for now.
Propane, taste the meat, not the heat!

Very good results, and the ants got to eat "roasted wasp" too!! Glad your wife didn't get hurt!

 

[RPrice]

Yellow jackets in the ground? I've been using Sevin dust with very good results. Dump a half cup on the hole entrance. Wait a few days, and there is no activity. Sometimes you have to hit them a second time, but there has always been zero activity in 3-5 days.

I've got some Sevin spray, but no dust, I've had good luck with Sevin on tent caterpillar infestations. Thanks!!

 

[stumpy75]

I used to be a beekeeper, and here's how I handled them...

I've had good luck with Hornet and Wasp spray at night. They use the sun to navigate by, and won't come out unless the nest is threatened. Wait until they are all inside for the night and empty the can into the entrance. No more hornets... This stuff is usually a mix of Sevin and malathion. It sprays about 15-20 feet, so you don't have to get too close. BTY: Only use a flashlight to find the entrance, then turn it off when you start to spray. They WILL follow the light to you, since they will know that you are trying to kill them...

Or wait until it freezes. A hard freeze that is, not just a frost. The freezing temperatures have to get to the nest. Yellow jackets do not over winter like honeybees do. Yellow jackets produce several queens in the fall that overwinter under bark or dead logs, but the main nest dies and is not used again. The queens start all over building the nests the next spring.

Yellow jackets are particularly nasty this time of year, as the hive cohesion is dieing because the main queen has left, and the numbers in the hive are at the peak for the year. There also isn't a lot for them to eat any more, and they are just getting ticked off about the whole thing. Enter a chain saw, and they are really ready to fight!

Edit: Just saw your last post. Sevin spray will work, as long as it gets to the nest. Sevin dust sprinkled outside the nest will be tracked into the nest and will kill them too.

 

[RPrice]

I used to be a beekeeper, and here's how I handled them...

I've had good luck with Hornet and Wasp spray at night. They use the sun to navigate by, and won't come out unless the nest is threatened. Wait until they are all inside for the night and empty the can into the entrance. No more hornets... This stuff is usually a mix of Sevin and malathion. It sprays about 15-20 feet, so you don't have to get too close. BTY: Only use a flashlight to find the entrance, then turn it off when you start to spray. They WILL follow the light to you, since they will know that you are trying to kill them...

Or wait until it freezes. A hard freeze that is, not just a frost. The freezing temperatures have to get to the nest. Yellow jackets do not over winter like honeybees do. Yellow jackets produce several queens in the fall that overwinter under bark or dead logs, but the main nest dies and is not used again. The queens start all over building the nests the next spring.

Yellow jackets are particularly nasty this time of year, as the hive cohesion is dieing because the main queen has left, and the numbers in the hive are at the peak for the year. There also isn't a lot for them to eat any more, and they are just getting ticked off about the whole thing. Enter a chain saw, and they are really ready to fight!

Edit: Just saw your last post. Sevin spray will work, as long as it gets to the nest. Sevin dust sprinkled outside the nest will be tracked into the nest and will kill them too.

Stumpy,

I did some research on yellow jackets nesting, etc. and appreciate your expertise adding to this knowledge! I especially enjoyed your observation that they are "particularly nasty" this time of year. I suspected that might be true!

Interestingly, an employee of mine suffered numerous yellow jacket stings while he was trying to haze cattle out of an enclosure two weeks ago. He ended up having to go to the hospital over the whole thing. He did not suffer an allergic reaction, but the sheer number of stings had him hurting badly!! He "stumbled" near a yellow jacket nest while on foot chasing the cows.

I'm thinking, what's next, a rattlesnake I can't hear over the saw??? Maybe I'd better wait for those hard freezes!

Thanks again!

 

[stumpy75]

Stumpy,

I did some research on yellow jackets nesting, etc. and appreciate your expertise adding to this knowledge! I especially enjoyed your observation that they are "particularly nasty" this time of year. I suspected that might be true!

Interestingly, an employee of mine suffered numerous yellow jacket stings while he was trying to haze cattle out of an enclosure two weeks ago. He ended up having to go to the hospital over the whole thing. He did not suffer an allergic reaction, but the sheer number of stings had him hurting badly!! He "stumbled" near a yellow jacket nest while on foot chasing the cows.

I'm thinking, what's next, a rattlesnake I can't hear over the saw??? Maybe I'd better wait for those hard freezes!

Thanks again!

I got out of beekeeping because I was starting to get allergic to the stings. This tends to happen to about 10% of the beekeepers, who end up being stung on a somewhat routine basis. I was inside the hive, working barehanded, and took a sting on my finger(40,000 honeybees in an average hive, so you will always have an ornery one or two). Within minutes, I had hives(not beehives though!) on my arm. Buttoned up my work and got to an urgent care center, where they shot me up with epinephrine(a strong antihistamine). Hives went away within 1/2 hour....

I also found that an oral antihistamine works good to take care of the swelling. Claratin or Benadryl come to mind. The venom from most bees contains a lot of histamine, which causes the swelling and pain.

I don't know much about rattlesnakes, but could they get through chapps? Just make sure you LOOK over those logs before stepping over them... :msp_w00t:

 

[cgk]

Been there a buddy got stung 36 times I got 28 times at least that was the number of welts that our wives counted on us a couple of years ago we went out to set up some tree stands just finished the first one up and was picking our stuff getting ready to head to the trucks and all of a sudden we heard this weird buzzing sound and looked down towards the noise and seen them things coming for us we started to run back to my truck they were all over us by the time we got to the truck we only had a handful on us got in and drove down to the other side of the woods got out and finished getting the last few off of us those thing were mean we just stood there for a few minutes talking about how we have never seen anything like that so we decide to put the next one up everything goes good so we decide to head out to the next spot everything seems to be going good I am up in the stand checking everything out when I thought I heard that noise again I am like it can't be true I look down and see them againg coming out of the ground I jumped down and we ran out again getting stung hoped in my truck drove over to his truck so we head home trying to figure out how we were going to use them stands so the next morning he stops by and said I have an idea so head out there with him and we get out of the truck he pulls out five cans of wasp killer he goes we just got to spray it down there hole so we head out there find the hole there nest is in start spraying it in there well guess what they have a sec hole well there we are running out spray wasp killer everywhere only got stung a couple of times this round so we decide not to hunt out there till it was close to freezing we laugh about that all the time now but we're always thinking about it everytime we go out there haven't seen them lately