wasp nests in stands

[JFK52]

I have a couple of similar ground blinds that are just magnets for wasps. My helper and I just finished spraying the nests last week. In one blind there were 18 nests of varying sizes. The other only held 10 nests. We spray them and then try to knock down the nest itself and squash it to kill the pupae in it. We leave the stand windows open to let the smell air out of it. Other nests were found in the tractor storage shed and an elevated stand. I can find no reason why wasps build in one stand and completely ignore other stands. I just know I hate getting stung, and it is better to get rid of these vermin now than a day before you plan to sit in the stand.
In addition to these, my helper managed find two ground nests while mowing on the Kubota. One was the regular yellow jackets but the other was a much larger type of wasp. I am no insect expert, but they were big and mean buggers. About the size of bumble bees and much bigger than normal wasps.
Anyone else running across wasps in their stands or other places? Any ideas how to get rid of the ground nests?

 

[yoderjac]

Couldn't find it there, you might want to post a link here. In the mean time, I spray the inside of my box blinds with Permethrin from time to time. It not only kills what is there now, it bonds with the wood and has an affect for quite a while. I check my box blinds and popup blinds before each season and if they need it, I re-treat them.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[bueller]

Moved to general discussion.

FYI...It wasn't showing in the general discussion so I moved it for you and reverted your post back to the original content.

 

[yoderjac]

I have a couple of similar ground blinds that are just magnets for wasps. My helper and I just finished spraying the nests last week. In one blind there were 18 nests of varying sizes. The other only held 10 nests. We spray them and then try to knock down the nest itself and squash it to kill the pupae in it. We leave the stand windows open to let the smell air out of it. Other nests were found in the tractor storage shed and an elevated stand. I can find no reason why wasps build in one stand and completely ignore other stands. I just know I hate getting stung, and it is better to get rid of these vermin now than a day before you plan to sit in the stand.
In addition to these, my helper managed find two ground nests while mowing on the Kubota. One was the regular yellow jackets but the other was a much larger type of wasp. I am no insect expert, but they were big and mean buggers. About the size of bumble bees and much bigger than normal wasps.
Anyone else running across wasps in their stands or other places? Any ideas how to get rid of the ground nests?

Ok, now that I see your whole post, some added thoughts. You can spray ground nests, but be sure to identify them first. There are a lot of beneficial ground nesting wasps that don't really sting humans.

As for yellow jackets, one hint while mowing. When you first mow over the nest, it takes them a while to swarm if they haven't been disturbed. You are long gone by then unless it is a tiny field. It is your next pass around where you are at risk. When mowing with a tractor without a cab, I've learned to watch for the swarm cloud. You can usually see it before you get close enough for them to react to you. When I see this, I simply avoid mowing that part of the field. If I really need to mow it, I'll come back in a few hours after the swam has returned to the nest. It is usually not hard to find since it is in my last swath of bushhogging and I know roughly were they cloud was. I'll flag it and then return in the cool of the evening and spray it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

yellow jackets are born pissed at the world.......

bill

 

[H20fwler]

This spring my pop up turkey blind became infested with some type of mud dobbers, I kept a can of wasp spray in my dove stool and kept them under control. A few years ago I had a basketball size paper hornet nest about twenty feet straight above me on my favorite deer stand, never had any issues with them but I sure paid close attention to the branch the nest was attached to on windy days.

JFK52 the big ground wasps you describe sound like they could be cicada wasps.

 

[Bill]

One of my least favorite insects!

 

[Mortenson]

In reading what some of you have been saying about ultra low pressure and being out of the woods before velvet shed, I'm about to go to my main gun season blind for maintenance and clearing. I always head there with wasp spray ready to fire. I thought the permethrin idea was intriguing, but does anyone have thoughts on spraying the wooden blind down real well with Tempo insecticide? Any downside to it? It works very well around the house. At the sake of sounding whimpy, I already know there will be a lot of large spiders in there. Sure wish there was something I could do to the blind to help keep squirrels from eating all the treated lumber.

 

[JFK52]

I have a continuing problem with pine squirrels destroying the insides of my blinds. They really like to chew up the cushions of the chairs in the blinds to make their nests. I have been putting mouse poison in the blinds, both pellets and solid blocks. It works well killing pine squirrels. The only other advise I could offer is to put out kill traps to eliminate the buggers.