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I recently purchased a home in northern Durham county and am really happy with everything - except the bees that live in the ground outside my front door. I utility technician told me they were yellow jackets and can be very aggressive if disturbed. I haven't had any problems yet, but am concerned about the first time I have to mow the grass - assuming it ever rains again!
I don't want to treat them myself - I'm a wimp and am too chicken to apply products myself. Old-timers tell me to pour gas down the hole and run like the Devil's chasing me.
Can anyone recommend a pest service to remove them? Thanks in advance!
You definitely want to get rid of them before cutting the grass. When I was a kid I was stung by about 10 while mowing the lawn. Ever since then I always look ahead of me on the ground to see if I see any bees near the grass. I would agree with pouring the gas down the hole, but I'm sure any exterminator could take care of them for you.
I had some kind of bees or wasps in my Cary backyard in the ground at the base of my wall. I boiled a big pot of water, added about a 1/2 cup of dishwashing soap, and poured it down the hole at night (less active for the bees), and ran like the dickens.
We had the same issue when we were back in NJ. My husband (I'm chicken too) went out at night and poured boiling water down the main entrance (there are usually 2). I'm not sure if they were yellow jackets or ground bees but I've read that yellow jackets are busy 24 hours/day whereas bees are all usually in the hive at night.
Anyhow, we didn't have any trouble after that (the nest was RIGHT in the middle of our backyard).
We had the same issue when we were back in NJ. My husband (I'm chicken too) went out at night and poured boiling water down the main entrance (there are usually 2). I'm not sure if they were yellow jackets or ground bees but I've read that yellow jackets are busy 24 hours/day whereas bees are all usually in the hive at night.
Anyhow, we didn't have any trouble after that (the nest was RIGHT in the middle of our backyard).
Lauren
We had yellow jackets in an underground nest. Hubby bought a spray killer w/ a long straw nozzel. The guy at the hardware store made a recommendation. He sprayed at dusk and ran like heck. It rained the next day... we think this might have helped wash all the killer down the hole? Not sure, but my Dad dug the thing up 2 days after we sprayed and all the yellow jackets were gone. Of course, Dad did not ask me if he could dig it up... he just made sure we were all in the house and got the shovel. He's much tougher than me and hubby. Fortunately they were all dead or gone.
Thanks for your responses! Looks like the general consensus is pour something hot down the hole and run. Old-timers win - can't beat grandmas and grandpas for knowing how to fix it yourself! But, I'm a youngin' and scared of multiple bee stings. Plus, I've got earwigs, which I've seen addressed in another thread.
We had yellow jackets in an underground nest. Hubby bought a spray killer w/ a long straw nozzel. The guy at the hardware store made a recommendation. He sprayed at dusk and ran like heck. It rained the next day... we think this might have helped wash all the killer down the hole? Not sure, but my Dad dug the thing up 2 days after we sprayed and all the yellow jackets were gone. Of course, Dad did not ask me if he could dig it up... he just made sure we were all in the house and got the shovel. He's much tougher than me and hubby. Fortunately they were all dead or gone.
Did the same thing and it worked. My kids and neighbors kids all got stung before we got it done tho!
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