Battling an army of Yellow Jackets and the errors of “do it yourselfers”.
Transfered from my old blog site…
Most of us will do anything to protect our homes from an invasion of angry yellow jackets, and what seems like the best way to defend our families, often leads to and expensive and drawn out war against these aggressive stingers. I am Gary Andrews owner of Prudential Pest Management and I have battled many pest for over 12 years in Michigan. Yellow Jackets are by far the most commonly mishandled pest in the area by do-it-yourselfers. They are two main types of yellow jackets, each with their own tactical solutions, ground nesting and wall nesters,.
Many do-it-yourselfers (DIYers) first response to Yellow jackets in a wall is to starve them out by caulking the entry point on the exterior, this is a horrible idea because if the yellow jackets can’t get out they will eventually find a way into the home through light fixtures and other gaps. Yellow jackets are also notorious for chewing through drywall but they won’t chew through the paint, so you can have what seems like a solid wall that may just be a thin layer of paint between you and hundreds of soldiers ready to protect their rights to your home. Whatever you do, do not push on the wall. If just a speck of paint brakes loose and light shines in, the yellow jackets will push through into the home sending you retreating faster than the sound of your high pitched yell.
The ground nesters, although less common than the aero wall nesters tend to be smaller and more aggressive. They are often discovered while mowing the lawn or pulling weeds as they decided to ambush you from their underground bunker. Homeowners frequently attempt to annihilate ground nesters buy using gasoline and fire, this dangerous option is not advised. The media is littered with articles from DIYers trying to get rid of pest this way and they end up destroying their homes or harming themselves. I have also been called out to treat homes with scorched lawns and blackened patches after this napalm method has failed. Its best just to call a professional in the first place.
A Professional Pest Control Operator (PCO) has the experience and know-how to handle any situation with the least amount of impact to your home and family. With today’s technologies it is no longer needed to cut holes in walls or rip out good drywall to access yellow jackets nest. I have successfully eliminated thousands of nest in homes within 24 hrs after a single treatment. Although having a PCO treat a nest is a great idea, homeowners have a better option, prevention. Your PCO should be able to apply a pet and kid friendly product on the outside of your home. This preventative treatment will keep stinging insects and other invaders from nesting on or in your home, and often just a single spring treatment is all that is needed for the prevention of yellow jackets.
One of the most difficult times to control a yellow jacket colony is in the late fall. Temperatures drop causing these pest to leave the nesting site and as they disperse further into the warmth of the home, localized treatment is no longer an option. This is the time I get most of my new clients, when they frantically call me to assist, “Please help, I have bees coming into my home”. What could have been a 10 minute spring/summer treatment with control in 24hrs, or a preventative treatment with no future issues, turns into a long drawn out struggle with control in 2-4 weeks. Because of this many PCOs charge more for controlling yellow jackets in late fall. So if you plan on taking on hundreds of defensive soldiers on your own consider calling for backup, the expertise of a certified Pest Control Operator could save you time, money and headaches.
