Yellowjackets, a type of wasp, are technically beneficial — they kill other insects. But the sting of this ground bee is painful and can cause injury, therefore your saftey is more important than the benefits they might provide. To make sure your garden is a safe place to be, you need to eliminate these wasps and their nests, too. There is an easy way to do it, and all you need is a durable, clear glass bowl.
Safely find the nest
The first step is to locate the nest, which is usually a hole in the ground. You need to know exactly where the entrance is. A pair of binoculars comes in handy for watching from a distance. To protect yourself, only approach the nest during the cool of the day — early morning or early evening — because that is when yellowjackets are least active.
Cover the entrance with the bowl
Once you locate the entrance, there’s no need to resort to chemicals. Simply invert the bowl over the hole. Have a bucket of soil handy to pour around the rim to make sure it’s sealed. Surprisingly, these pests won’t dig a new exit, so they eventually starve. Even after you stop seeing yellowjackets, wait another week before removing the bowl. Then fill in the entrance hole right away so another group of insects doesn’t move in.
