How to Get Wasps Out of a Hole in a Tree

Identification

• Yellowjackets look much like honeybees, and the latter are beneficial insects that need protection. One way to tell them apart is the propensity for honeybees to swarm. Although you may find a large number of yellowjackets flying around the nest, they don't travel as a unit the way honeybees do. You can also distinguish yellowjackets from honeybees by following their movements. Honeybees congregate in gardens and around wildflowers looking for nectar, whereas you'll find yellowjackets, which are scavengers, feeding on cast-off food, garbage and also -- if you leave it out -- your lunch.

Nests are Seasonal

• Yellowjacket colonies die off during the winter, and the queen establishes a new nest in the spring. The best time to eradicate a nest is in early June, after the queen establishes it and while the numbers are small. Unfortunately, the nest usually isn't noticeable then and by the time it is, eradication is more difficult. Yellowjackets are aggressive and will respond to any intrusion on the nest by attacking, and they deliver painful stings that can be dangerous for sensitive individuals. For this reason, the best approach is often to leave the nest alone until winter; the colony won't return to the same nest the following year.

Safe Wasp Control -- Lures

• If a colony establishes a nest close enough to your home to present a danger to your family, you may not be able to wait for winter. Placing traps around the tree and in other strategic places in the yard is a safe way to keep their numbers down. You can buy traps at hardware stores or make your own. One easy way to make a homemade trap is to fill plastic soda bottles with about 2 inches of apple juice and spread them around the yard. The wasps become most interested in the juice after it begins to ferment, and those that fly into the bottles drown. Replace the bottles weekly.

The Combat Approach

• Spraying the opening with an insecticide is a risky proposition, but it's the fastest way to eradicate a nest. Recommended insecticides include concentrates containing carbaryl, acephate or diazinon; including dish soap in the spray solution helps immobilize the insects. It's best to spray at night, when the wasps are most likely to be in the nest, and from a distance of 20 feet or more. Even with these precautions, the wasps will probably attack, so it's essential to wear protective clothing and head gear as well as protective mesh over your face. The hazards involved make this job one best handled by professional exterminators.