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This time it wasn't me having a Poor Man's Cardiac Stress Test.

I was standing there laughing and my poor wife was experiencing tachycardia, tachypnea, adrenaline and a general case of the clanks.

In that order.

Y'see, my wife and I are both allergic to wasp sting.

We were working on the front porch, trying to get as much done as we can before the weather breaks.

We were working not long after first light so we wouldn't have to dodge yellowjackets.

Nobody told the yellowjackets.

They like me better than they like my wife, so I drew back away from the porch.

This did not help my wife's angst.

She flinched as she was orbited, ducked as she was buzzed, squealed with distress as said subject yellowjacket altered course and fell into my personal gravity well.

I'm standing there laughing as said yellowjacket lands on my nose and casually walks around, then climbs up behind the lens of my glasses ... and my poor wife's lovely blue eyes are big around as a shot glass, her face the color of wheat paste.

The yellowjacket departed after its exploration.

We did too.

Nice weather or not, we won't be working on that porch anymore today!

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Sit back at a distance and watch their travel.  When you find a nexus, wasp & hornet spray from a distance after dark.  Plenty of Yellowjackets and Wasps out here, but the least aggressive of any state I've lived in.  I'm mildly allergic and keep Benadryl on hand.

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2 hours ago, Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 said:

This time it wasn't me having a Poor Man's Cardiac Stress Test.

I was standing there laughing and my poor wife was experiencing tachycardia, tachypnea, adrenaline and a general case of the clanks.

In that order.

Y'see, my wife and I are both allergic to wasp sting.

We were working on the front porch, trying to get as much done as we can before the weather breaks.

We were working not long after first light so we wouldn't have to dodge yellowjackets.

Nobody told the yellowjackets.

They like me better than they like my wife, so I drew back away from the porch.

This did not help my wife's angst.

She flinched as she was orbited, ducked as she was buzzed, squealed with distress as said subject yellowjacket altered course and fell into my personal gravity well.

I'm standing there laughing as said yellowjacket lands on my nose and casually walks around, then climbs up behind the lens of my glasses ... and my poor wife's lovely blue eyes are big around as a shot glass, her face the color of wheat paste.

The yellowjacket departed after its exploration.

We did too.

Nice weather or not, we won't be working on that porch anymore today!

If you both are seriously allergic, you might ask your Doc about an EpiPen.  I found out about them in an EMT class i took a few years back.

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I killed a large red wasp nest for a friend that was hidden in some shrubbery with nothing more than soap and water.

 

I used a old sprayer that I have for spraying pesticides up into the canopy of trees, It uses the venturi effect to pull from an attached jug and will shoot a jet of water at least 20 feet.

 

From the outside we couldn't see the nest but did locate it to within a couple of feet based on the comings and goings of the nests inhabitants. Used a 50/50 solution of water and Dawn dish soap in the jug. From 7 to 10 feet away, the jet of water would penetrate the leaves and the suds made short work of the wasps. Was a lot less expensive than wasp spray and just as effective.

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Much good sound advice here, and I shall take it.
Thus far I can't locate a nest on property.

Do have a pump up sprayer and Dawn dishwashing detergent.

Did find mint is a repellent.

Mixed up mint extract and sprayed the front yard ... whether because of it, or in spite of it, we were able to get a few more hours' work done, free of their presence.

This time of year they're more aggressive, laying in all the protein they can before cold weather hits.

I doubt me not they'll be around, and when they return, I will be tracking them.

We each had an Epi Pen in easy reach -- your advice is sound and thank you for it!

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On 10/16/2022 at 7:19 PM, Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 said:

Much good sound advice here, and I shall take it.
Thus far I can't locate a nest on property.

Do have a pump up sprayer and Dawn dishwashing detergent.

Did find mint is a repellent.

Mixed up mint extract and sprayed the front yard ... whether because of it, or in spite of it, we were able to get a few more hours' work done, free of their presence.

This time of year they're more aggressive, laying in all the protein they can before cold weather hits.

I doubt me not they'll be around, and when they return, I will be tracking them.

We each had an Epi Pen in easy reach -- your advice is sound and thank you for it!

 

MY SOLUTION:

Flamethrower 900.jpg

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'Tis the season.  They get downright mean this time of year, & you don't dare make 'em mad.  Petey pours gas in the nest & lights 'em up.

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On 10/16/2022 at 9:50 AM, Rip Snorter said:

Sit back at a distance and watch their travel.  When you find a nexus, wasp & hornet spray from a distance after dark.  Plenty of Yellowjackets and Wasps out here, but the least aggressive of any state I've lived in.  I'm mildly allergic and keep Benadryl on hand.

Cans of Wasp and hornet spray usually run out just about the time you get them mad.

Instead, half fill a weed sprayer with water and put in a big squirt of Dawn dish soap.  It doesn't cost much, doesn't run out when you need it most, and it drops bees, wasps and any other insects  right out of the air, stone dead, from a wider spray stream than you get out of the spray cans.  It won't harm plants (or eyes)  and it's much easier to aim.  Virtually all pest control people use dish soap for killing bees and wasps. It also kills the immature ones within the nest.  

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4 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Cans of Wasp and hornet spray usually run out just about the time you get them mad.

Instead, half fill a weed sprayer with water and put in a big squirt of Dawn dish soap.  It doesn't cost much, doesn't run out when you need it most, and it drops bees, wasps and any other insects  right out of the air, stone dead, from a wider spray stream than you get out of the spray cans.  It won't harm plants (or eyes)  and it's much easier to aim.  Virtually all pest control people use dish soap for killing bees and wasps. It also kills the immature ones within the nest.  

Having a small ranch, I have a pesticide license and all kinds of sprayers, mostly used for weeds.  I can get the Exterminator Grade stuff, but I've never needed more than part of a black spray can.

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11 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Cans of Wasp and hornet spray usually run out just about the time you get them mad.

Instead, half fill a weed sprayer with water and put in a big squirt of Dawn dish soap.  It doesn't cost much, doesn't run out when you need it most, and it drops bees, wasps and any other insects  right out of the air, stone dead, from a wider spray stream than you get out of the spray cans.  It won't harm plants (or eyes)  and it's much easier to aim.  Virtually all pest control people use dish soap for killing bees and wasps. It also kills the immature ones within the nest.  

Sure wish that worked on my yellow jackets. 65/35 water to dawn (after starting with just a big squirt of dawn and steadily increasing it) and the doggone things seem to dodge the water droplets. Those that get soaked and fall to the ground will sometimes crawl around for three or four minutes then fly off.

Regards

:FlagAm:  :FlagAm:  :FlagAm:

Gateway Kid

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