Judo, you can't just spray him off, you gotta spray him off then kill him. I guess if I was allergic I would think differently, but I'm not, so I go after them. We have a 2000+ sq ft deck, so I spend all summer long killing wasps when they land on the pool water to drink, one day we killed over 100. plus, with the greenhouse, (they love the greenhouse) we've got a ton, so far in the greenhouse I've killed well over 50 this year. If they are on a plant I don't care about I'll either hit them off with my hand or shoe, hopefully they will hit the floor and I'll smash them, if not they usually fly off. Always destroy the nest they are building cos they will go back. And buy one of those good heavy black fly swatters, they work great. water or insecticidal soap work well to get them off the plant, then you can kill them. Wasps & hornets are the only things I actively go after to kill, I really hate them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think they might be like other animals, if you run they will chase, if you stand up to them and go after them like a psycho, they run. At least they do from me, I haven't been stung in years. Pam

Twice in past houses I've lived in, I've found a yellowjacket nest entry hole beneath the bottommost board of the siding. One was right next to the back door of the house and if closed the door too hard they would come out to defend the nest. I tried one store brand of wasp/hornet killer on them, but it didn't seem to have any effect. The force of the spray would knock them to the ground, but they would shake off, and fly away, seemingly unharmed. I tried a stronger name-brand wasp/hornet spray, that killed the wasps on contact, but those in the nest stopped using the poisined entrance, and found another way out of the nest directly into the basement. Another time I had a yellowjacket nest (which is probably what pennysworth son found) in the ground in our yard 3 feet from the corner of where we would set up the volleyball net. (Bump. Set. Sting. :-) Based on a suggestion from a friend, I ran an extension cord out into the yard and set the shop-vac there, with its snout right next to the hive entrance, sucking up the wasps as they left or came back, for several hours. The next morning when I crept out to check on the nest, I discovered that something had come by in the night, dug open the entrance to the nest, and pulled out and munched on the remaining larva filled nest pieces, leaving a hole 6 inches across and about 2 feet deep.

If they are that friendly, I would leave them alone. Try a dollar store butterfly net to catch one, jar it, & take to a garden center for identification. I have had the nasty kind--couldn't even mow the law without them attacking so had to remove. The dog learned to avoid their part of the yard but not the toddlers. Wait until night (so everyone is home & sleeping) to pour into the hole. -2-3 gallons of boiling water can kill a small nest -my neighbor swears by vinegar (1-2 gallons) but the acidity may harm the plants. - I had what must have been a deep nest or had multiple rooms. Boiling water got some (multiple tries) but the hive quickly bounced back and the bees ruled the yard. I resorted to mixing up 2 gallons of insect killer. (I hated to use for the residual killing to the worms & good bugs for weeks after, but I couldn't let the grandchildren in the yard until the bees were gone.) I've learned over the years to hit them with boiling water at the first sign of a hive--in 35 years only had to resort to chemicals twice. You can test the 'multiple entrances' theory by laying a garden hose at one hole during the day, flooding, & watching if they suddenly fly out other holes. Any treatment must go in all holes.

You saw that program too! It was interesting. Yes, I've read where fireants will attack termites and you won't have any fleas and ticks around either. I haven't kept up with the latest on it, but an accidentally imported Formasa termite is eating the south I hear. I wonder if the fireants might be making a dent in them. Maybe they need that African grandfather to come over and show them how it is done! LOL Speaking of eating the south -- the imported Kudzu vine "the vine that ate the south" also has its natural control -- a certain caterpillar, but it also eats soy beans so the soy bean farmers won't allow it to be imported. Fireants have their predators too. There is a certain fly that preys ONLY on fireants in Argentina, the native habitat of fireants, and that's what keeps them under control there. I watched a TV program last year on how they are breeding the fly in U.S. labs to help combat the fireants. They were afraid the fly was more cold sensitive than the fireant, but on the first trials the fly did survive the winter in the area in which they were released. Another problem was keeping the ranchers from poisoning the fireants and the fly along with it. So they invited several big ranchers to the lab to demonstrate how devastating the the fly was to the fireant and the ranchers were convinced and allowed trials to be held on their ranches. This was a couple of years ago and I don't know how that's coming along. Yes, many insects have a larva (worm) stage they go through. You have to give the social insects, like bees, termites, and wasps, a little credit for the long term care they give to their little ones -- even though their face is one only a mother could love. :-) Happy gardening -- insects and all!