The Yellow Jacket Hive- We Threw Down Our Enemies and We Smote Them

This summer we had a large hive of yellow jackets living behind the siding right by the door to our house.We didn't really notice them much, until we spray washed the siding and really made them angry.  They swarmed around like crazy, and one stung me on the ear.  Ouch!  We began to see how they were entering and exiting their hive at the bottom edge of the siding.  We didn't know is how high up behind the siding they were going, and it was going to be difficult to treat them without tearing up the house.

Multiple yellow jackets flying up behind the siding

You might ask how I know these were yellow jackets and not the threatened bee.  I knew based on their appearance, their behavior and hive location.  I want to do everything I can to protect bees, but these yellow jackets were up to no good.  They would swarm us as we got in and out of cars. When they stung my son, too, we decided to wage battle.

Yellow Jacket

Yup, just assholes

We started the fight with hardware store sprays.  We tried three different brands in a quest to finish them off, but we were only able to kill the few yellow jackets that were flying by the entrance, and never had an impact on the hive.  They kept swarming us with impunity.  After doing a little online research, I learned about Delta Dust.  I ordered some online, including the required bellows duster used to blow the dust into close spaces.

We had to rig up a flexible tube attachment at the end of the bellows to really reach up under the siding.  The instructions directed us to blow dust into the area of the hive (or as close as you can get) late in the evening when the evil flyers have gone to bed. I felt a little like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, grinning maniacally as I blew the white poison up their hidey-hole.  Apparently, the poison dust clings to their legs, and they bring it deep into the hive, infecting their colony like a mini version of the Walking Dead. Fabulous!

I'd like to say the Delta Dust worked immediately.  Sadly, it wasn't that fast.  However, after a week of dusting faithfully, plus stopping up the passageway the best we could with dust- infested rags and later a plastic bag shield, we saw the numbers diminish dramatically.  We now haven't had a single sighting in about a week, and we are so glad to be able to come and go from our house and cars without being swarmed and stung.  Sayonara, yellow demons.