• Bill Brodhead
    42
    I avoid killing things but mosquitoes and yellow jackets are my exception. I have tried unsuccessfully for the past month to get rid of a very active yellow jacket nest that is under my siding and eave. Multiple wasp and hornet killing spray has done nothing because I can't get to the nest. The thought of tearing out the siding and soffit was a no go. Then it occurred to me that maybe a radon fan and piping might be the best trick. I tried blowing a stream of air at the nest entrance until they starved. It did actually work but it would take too long. Then I realized reversing the fan and sucking them down would be a better solution. Included is picture of the result after just a few hours. Maybe a whole new business opportunity.
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  • Bob Wood
    95
    Necessity is the mother of invention....... what was the pressure field extension? i hate yellow jackets every time i get close to a nest i get bit WAY TO GO BILL !!!!
  • Henri Boyea
    107
    What killed them; bouncing off the concrete?
  • Ryan Fox
    16
    Bill "Brilliant but Brutal" Brodhead.

    Can't say I'm a fan of such a morbid massacre, yet at the same time, I can't really cast judgment. Those things are nasty.

    Just try not to step on that pile of stingers. Ouch.
  • Robert Burns
    31
    Highly unprofessional. A gray coupling with white pipe!
  • Bill Brodhead
    42
    Two days and they are gone!! Not a good idea to fly through the blades of a 10 year old used Fury. Of course quality mitigation also includes sealing. Next step is getting the foam gun out of the truck and closing up the holes.
  • Jay Bauder
    11
    Shouldn't you have a "Temporary Installation" sign? If nothing else, it would help me get past the pipe being so far out of plumb!

    The best time to spray a nest is at dusk, when they are all back in the hive.
  • Dan Hylland
    3
    Bill inspired me with his innovation. I had to pull a stinger out of my son’s neck last week after he ventured too close to the ground bee nest in an old retaining wall next to my shop. We took revenge tonight! Not quite as impressive of a count, but it only ran for about an hour before it got dark. And no I don’t want to hear about putting an old HP220 on a 3” pipe. It is what I had sitting in the shop! At least I used a white coupling...

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  • Kevin M Stewart
    94
    Dan, they aren't bees, but these too are wasps. Not enough resolution in photos for me to identify the species, but I wouldn't be surprised if these were also in the Vespidae family.
    Looks like, if mitigators developed some standard procedures for this technique, there's a whole line of business (pesticide-free extermination) you could develop. Best wishes, and be careful.
  • Dan Hylland
    3
    Thanks Kevin. That makes me feel better knowing that I didn't kill off a lot of pollinators!
  • Donald Francis
    10
    Pesticide free extermination - it’s a business line!
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