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How to Kill a Yellow Jacket Colony in the Ground

Yellow jackets are types of wasps that belong to the same family as hornets and bees. They are beneficial insects because they consume a large number of pest insects. Yellow jackets can become a nuisance, however, when they build their colonies in your lawn. They commonly build their nests underground in abandoned rodent holes or burrows. Yellow jackets fiercely defend their colony and attack anyone who comes too close. If you discover yellow jacket colonies nesting in your lawn, treat them immediately for the safety and comfort of your family.

Things You'll Need

2 tsp. dish soap
Quart sized container of water
Empty liquid detergent bottle
Insecticidal dust
Shovel
Shade cloth or fine mesh

Instructions

- 1
  Make a homemade insecticidal soap to kill the yellow jacket colony. Pour 2 tsp. of liquid dish soap in a quart sized container filled with water and pour the solution in the entrance of each nest at night when they are least active.
- 2
  Fill an empty liquid detergent bottle half way with insecticidal dust and "puff" the product into the entrance of each nest at night. Use an insecticidal dust containing carbaryl or permethrin, available from your local home and garden center, for stubborn yellow jacket colonies.
- 3
  Check the next day for yellow jacket activity. If you see any, repeat the insecticidal application at three-day intervals or as directed on the label, until you exterminate the colony.
- 4
  Use a shovel to bury the entrance of each nest with moist dirt. This prevents future yellow jacket colonies from inhabiting the burrows.
- 5
  Remove food and water sources that attract yellow jackets to your yard. Eliminate sources of standing water and keep swimming pools covered when not in use. Cover bird baths and small fish ponds with shade cloth or fine mesh and keep food and drinks covered until ready to use.

Insects & Science