I would like to cook some wasps out of my gas log fireplace but it seems
that every time I try to the suckers find their way out of the fire and into
the room. Question is can I burn the gas log with the glass doors shut? Log
mfg. in instructions warn against closing the doors.Why?
Lack of o2 breakage of glass or what? I intend to stay close to fire.
FK

close doors and burn them out

Sorry if I'm being overly simplistic, but have you ever heard of this
thing called an exterminator? People like this actually exist, and
they're usually pretty effective in ridding people of such fairly simple
problems.

Only problem is, like just about everything else worthwhile in the
world, an exterminator will cost you money. If that's not an agreeable
enough solution for you, wasps flying around your house are pretty easy
to live with. You just have to learn to stay out of their way until they
end up all dead and dried up-crusty on the windowsill in about a week.

AJS

In article , "FK"
wrote:

I would like to cook some wasps out of my gas log fireplace but it seems
that every time I try to the suckers find their way out of the fire and into
the room. Question is can I burn the gas log with the glass doors shut? Log
mfg. in instructions warn against closing the doors.Why?
Lack of o2 breakage of glass or what? I intend to stay close to fire.
FK

On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 21:01:47 -0600, "FK" wrote:

I would like to cook some wasps out of my gas log fireplace but it seems
that every time I try to the suckers find their way out of the fire and into
the room. Question is can I burn the gas log with the glass doors shut? Log
mfg. in instructions warn against closing the doors.Why?
Lack of o2 breakage of glass or what? I intend to stay close to fire.
FK



Do the fire thing as the first line of attack. For any wasps that
escape into the room get a cheap badminton racket to swat them. The
racket has a large hit zone, is light, and very accurate. A hit will
dismember the wasp before it can send out any alarm to other wasps to
join in the attack.

I had a nest of yellowjackets under my front door concrete landing
that nothing could reach. By late summer there were so many of them I
received a note from the post office to get rid of them or else. I
had a real enjoyable time with the badminton racket.

Eradincating nests of yellowjackets are the easiest thing in the world.
You just shove a big funnel into the hole during the dead of night (when
they're far less active) and pour a Mason jar full of kerosene into the
funnel and into the hole.

Nothing will ever grow there ever again pretty much and it won't do
anything for your backhand, but you'll instantly get rid of the wicked
little pricks once and for all.

AJS


In article ,
klm wrote:

On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 21:01:47 -0600, "FK" wrote:

I would like to cook some wasps out of my gas log fireplace but it seems
that every time I try to the suckers find their way out of the fire and into
the room. Question is can I burn the gas log with the glass doors shut? Log
mfg. in instructions warn against closing the doors.Why?
Lack of o2 breakage of glass or what? I intend to stay close to fire.
FK



Do the fire thing as the first line of attack. For any wasps that
escape into the room get a cheap badminton racket to swat them. The
racket has a large hit zone, is light, and very accurate. A hit will
dismember the wasp before it can send out any alarm to other wasps to
join in the attack.

I had a nest of yellowjackets under my front door concrete landing
that nothing could reach. By late summer there were so many of them I
received a note from the post office to get rid of them or else. I
had a real enjoyable time with the badminton racket.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 08:27:27 GMT, AJScott
wrote:

Eradincating nests of yellowjackets are the easiest thing in the world.
You just shove a big funnel into the hole during the dead of night (when
they're far less active) and pour a Mason jar full of kerosene into the
funnel and into the hole.

This was a 4' x 8' concrete slab that would require a bobcat to lift.
Underneath was sandy soil that wasn't packed tight and gave the wasps
multiple exits. Therefore I could have poured buckets of any liquid
and all I would have done would be to flood out and damage my
basement wall.

Its a lot more fun swatting the yellow jackets with a badminton
racquet. Environmentally friendly (no chemicals), no mess, their
bodies fed the ants and I had a good workout on a nice summer day.

I had a huge yellowjacket nest a few summers back in the space between
the two layers of brick on my Cape Cod-style home, so I'm aware of what
happens when you leave these buggers unattended or the futulity in
trying to eliminate them yourself most times.

While your biceps are probably pretty buff after all that swatting, I
see you're unaware of the mechanics of social nesting insects. Here's
the thing: You were swatting the workers, and the entire nest of workers
die off at the end of the year anyway. You got nowhere near the queen,
which is still living somewhere all nice and tidy and well-fed under
that slab. All those eggs she's laid for overwinter will hatch once
spring rolls around and create a whole new generation of new nest, and
you'll be back to th exact same problem until, like, forever if all you
do is swat them.

Basic inescapable truth: If you want them gone for good, you've got to
kill the queen. In most cases, an exterminator will eliminate the
problem with basic boric acid power sprayed deep into the nest. "Deep"
is the operative word here -- most sprays and stuff we use don't get
anywhere near the queen.

Oh, one other thing: Yellowjackets get ****ed off really easily; the
whole nest can swarm-attack you or anyone else clueless enough to get
within 5-10 feet of the nest. Being wasps, they can sting repeatedly
(unlike bees, which are good for only one sting because their stingers
lodge into your flesh and yank their intestines out when they fly away),
which can send even a healthy person with no allergies into an
allergic-style shock and even death. Very small kids are especially
susceptible to this, if I recall right.

Wasps are nothing to screw with, plain and simple. Bite the bullet and
get yourself an exterminator. Or a Bobcat.

AJS

In article ,
klm wrote:

On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 08:27:27 GMT, AJScott
wrote:

Eradincating nests of yellowjackets are the easiest thing in the world.
You just shove a big funnel into the hole during the dead of night (when
they're far less active) and pour a Mason jar full of kerosene into the
funnel and into the hole.

This was a 4' x 8' concrete slab that would require a bobcat to lift.
Underneath was sandy soil that wasn't packed tight and gave the wasps
multiple exits. Therefore I could have poured buckets of any liquid
and all I would have done would be to flood out and damage my
basement wall.

Its a lot more fun swatting the yellow jackets with a badminton
racquet. Environmentally friendly (no chemicals), no mess, their
bodies fed the ants and I had a good workout on a nice summer day.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 18:21:43 GMT, AJScott
wrote:


Oh, one other thing: Yellowjackets get ****ed off really easily; the
whole nest can swarm-attack you or anyone else clueless enough to get
within 5-10 feet of the nest. Being wasps, they can sting repeatedly
(unlike bees, which are good for only one sting because their stingers
lodge into your flesh and yank their intestines out when they fly away),
which can send even a healthy person with no allergies into an
allergic-style shock and even death. Very small kids are especially
susceptible to this, if I recall right.

Wasps are nothing to screw with, plain and simple. Bite the bullet and
get yourself an exterminator. Or a Bobcat.


I believe you. In my case It was around late Sept. 2 yrs ago when I
got rid of them and our winter (below freezing point) lasts from late
Oct into late May. The yellow jackets never reappeared. I think the
queen and the grubs were starved out.

When I was a small kid a neighbour had a trading store with stacks of
sugar that were a magnet for honeybees. That's where I did my
badminton racket stuff. I must have wacked thousands just for the
hell of it and never got stung or even attacked because their death
was so sudden and total. I'm a tree hugger now and view my childhood
actions (the bees) as incorrect. There was no such thing as tree
hugging then.

Many thanks to all for your advice. I am going to burn the gas logs with
glass door closed and see what happens. Next step a pro.
Frank
"klm" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 18 Dec 2003 18:21:43 GMT, AJScott
wrote:


Oh, one other thing: Yellowjackets get ****ed off really easily; the
whole nest can swarm-attack you or anyone else clueless enough to get
within 5-10 feet of the nest. Being wasps, they can sting repeatedly
(unlike bees, which are good for only one sting because their stingers
lodge into your flesh and yank their intestines out when they fly away),
which can send even a healthy person with no allergies into an
allergic-style shock and even death. Very small kids are especially
susceptible to this, if I recall right.

Wasps are nothing to screw with, plain and simple. Bite the bullet and
get yourself an exterminator. Or a Bobcat.


I believe you. In my case It was around late Sept. 2 yrs ago when I
got rid of them and our winter (below freezing point) lasts from late
Oct into late May. The yellow jackets never reappeared. I think the
queen and the grubs were starved out.

When I was a small kid a neighbour had a trading store with stacks of
sugar that were a magnet for honeybees. That's where I did my
badminton racket stuff. I must have wacked thousands just for the
hell of it and never got stung or even attacked because their death
was so sudden and total. I'm a tree hugger now and view my childhood
actions (the bees) as incorrect. There was no such thing as tree
hugging then.

AJScott wrote:
Eradincating nests of yellowjackets are the easiest thing in the world.
You just shove a big funnel into the hole during the dead of night (when
they're far less active) and pour a Mason jar full of kerosene into the
funnel and into the hole.

Nothing will ever grow there ever again pretty much and it won't do
anything for your backhand, but you'll instantly get rid of the wicked
little pricks once and for all.

AJS


It's easier and safer to use an insecticide dust. Toss a generous pinch
down the YJ hole or on the nest in the evening when they are inactive.
Because it is a dust instead of a spray, they will get it on their feet and
contaminate the whole nest with it. The entire hive will be dead in a day
or two. Methoxyclor powder works really well. Sevin is probably another
good choice.

Bob

Again thanks, It all would be simple if I could see a nest in my chimney The
little guys only come down when the fire warms them.
Frank
"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
AJScott wrote:
Eradincating nests of yellowjackets are the easiest thing in the world.
You just shove a big funnel into the hole during the dead of night (when
they're far less active) and pour a Mason jar full of kerosene into the
funnel and into the hole.

Nothing will ever grow there ever again pretty much and it won't do
anything for your backhand, but you'll instantly get rid of the wicked
little pricks once and for all.

AJS


It's easier and safer to use an insecticide dust. Toss a generous pinch
down the YJ hole or on the nest in the evening when they are inactive.
Because it is a dust instead of a spray, they will get it on their feet and
contaminate the whole nest with it. The entire hive will be dead in a day
or two. Methoxyclor powder works really well. Sevin is probably another
good choice.

Bob

It would be simple for most people, too, but yellowjackets don't build
exposed nests like a lot of their wasp bretheren, like paper wasps or
mud daubers. They build their nests in hidden, well-recessed spaced
places that can be hard to get to, like between brick walls, in old mole
tunnels, inside rotted landscaping timbers/railroad ties, etc. A nest
inside the chimney itself would in my book most definitely call for a
professional.

Of course they only come down when the fire warms them. You're waking
them up and making them active. Dumb things think it's summer.

AJS

In article , "FK"
wrote:

Again thanks, It all would be simple if I could see a nest in my chimney The
little guys only come down when the fire warms them.
Frank