Killed 50 so far!

[brewmaster15]

..bees that is. My fish room has been invaded! >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( Yellow jackets moved in during the night~!

THe Last 24 hours has been an up hill battle between them and me, much of it fought in deadly, stinger to fish net/fly swatter combat.... The enemy is fierce, many have died trying to sting the discus in their tanks....only to find they don't swim as well as fish.


Some back ground to this terrible conflict. A group of aggressive Yellow jackets made a nest in my porch wall. We co-existed peacefully all summer, and then they must have had a change in their political agenda as they tried to take over the porch, preventing us from so much as setting foot on it..... We retaliated...last night we delivered a strong stream of Bee killer into their nest... we went to sleep thinking the battle was over.... we were wrong..

As we slept the enemy regrouped, and infiltrated the interior wall, and found access into our bathroom from behind the base board heaters, .. only a few of the enemy came this route.. Their plan with that small force was to use it as a diversion . While I dealt with them, the remainder of the hive over whelmed their true objective... my fish room! :) I entered that room and was confronted by dozens of yellow jackets, possible 100's...all very Po'd !!!


These bees were not your usual low intelligence variety of insects...No , these were cunning...I'm guessing genetically engineered by some secret lab... I say this because they took over the one room in the house that I can't use a chemical arsenal in >:( >:( >:(..my fish room... That leaves me to fight them hand to stinger... and I am definetly out numbered... and am at a serious disadvantage..I'm very allergic to yellow Jackets :-\.

Undaunted ..I have fought these demons all morning... I have killed over 50 , and body parts lay skattered over the basement floor, bee carcasses float where they have fallen. Its a terrible sight....I have had several close calls.... as I get tired my aim with the swatter is getting shakey..One wounded soldier, landed on my sandal and stung the leather vanely before i kicked him into oblivion.

All This for the Love or fish called Discus.... :)

I'll update you with further newsbriefs on this conflict. I need to go and engage the enemy again. Wish me luck.

Take care,
al

[Discus_KC]

Need my flack vest ???????

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'm allergic to bees. Want to borrow my Epi pen? Tough being a landscaper and being allergic.

[brewmaster15]

I'm allergic too, Have my epi-pen...sort of..I mean I have one.. I just never remember where I left it last...\

Jack... I wish I had that vest. These little buggers are not happy. I have one advantage... I'm not attracted to the lights, so if I turn off lights in some areas I can lure them into a trap and ambush them..Its not my ideal way of doing this, but I am definetly out numbered... and for those that don't know.. Most bees can sting only once and then die.. Yellow Jackets are a hornet... they can sting their target multiple times... They don't run out of ammo ever. >:(

-al

[DarkDiscus]

Al,

Jeez! I can't offer any helpful suggestions, just...

GO GET 'EM!

John

[Sean Buehrle]

umm yeah if you really are allergic to them i would be concerned, one of my lifelong buddies father was stung by a bee and died in his sleep from it. f#@* the fish, send yer woman in. LOL. its a chance for your wife to step in and defend the homeland. i usta have a dog that could wipe out a beehive in minutes. he loved eating them.

[limige]

wow, let us know if reinforcements are needed!! lol..

al, your as bad as me, if it ain't one thing it's another!

this is very odd at that.. last week i discovered some yellow jackets made a nest under my spare bedroom window behind the siding..
now i am also allergic to bee's, and haven't got an epipen in years...

so i was trying to decide how to get rid of them, the usual method of gasoline and matches aren't going to do the job this time....nope...gotta think of another defense...

so someone suggested i sneak over there at night and hit them with the bee killer....(spray) hmmm, that might work and it might just piss them off...so what to do..

now i read this post and feel like you're living a week ahead of me, and wonder if i strike an attack if they will retaliate against me ???

so we must draw up some battle plans and decide the best attack for the situation. i've got half a mind to wait them out until winter and hit them then, sealing their fate in silicone caulk! haha

so please, let us know how the defense holds up, maybe i'll stock up on heavy duty fly swatters! lol

[limige]

umm yeah if you really are allergic to them i would be concerned, one of my lifelong buddies father was stung by a bee and died in his sleep from it. f#@* the fish, send yer woman in. LOL. its a chance for your wife to step in and defend the homeland. i usta have a dog that could wipe out a beehive in minutes. he loved eating them.


lol, i used to work with a guy named hugo...
he always said, "if it's dangerous or life threatening, send the women in" lol. words to live by

[Mr. Limpet]

Frisbees make excellent bee swatters. I learned this from many years of camping. You swat at them with the bottom side, and when they hit they get accelerated smack into the rim and are done. It doesn't work for flies, except for the real big ones, they are not heavy enough, but it's great for bees and those nasty yellow jackets. Good Luck, Paul.

[wildthing]

smoke 'em out!...better still.......call an expert!
aren't there any homeopathic or 'old wives tales' remedies? some plant they hate or something?

[Harriett]

Al-
I had a similar invasion a couple years ago--the little suckers took over the enclosed porch area where my lawn mower is kept and went BIZERK when I would try to get the mower out. I used 2 bee bombs and they STILL held their fort! So I talked to a yellow jacket guy who told me that they are not true bees, and most of the chemicals that kill bees and wasps do NOT do the whole job with yellow jackets--If you can beat them back out of the fish room into the wall and get that sealed off (Plastic sheeting temporarily?)perhaps you can nail them in the wall?
make sure you get stuff that specifically has a ' this kills yellow jackets' labeling on it or you will just make them sick and more pissed off at you (been there)! They had us buy some "Great Stuff" and seal all holes into the porch and then use a yellow jacket bomb. THat resulted in a multilateral conquest for the humans and extreme casualties and retreat for the yellow jackets.
Good luck, we know you will prevail!
Harriett

[RAWesolowski]

Al,
Time to use the wet/dry or cannister vacuum. Empty it out. Be sure that your fish room has been dark for at least an hour and then go suck them up! Once you figure out how they got into the room, you can seal that off. The real question is "Where is their entryway from outside?"
A big hint - they like to nest in the ground. Ceck your crawl space or the area above your basement blocks.

[lkleung007]

Never a dull moment at your place Al...go get'em!!

Lester

[brewmaster15]

Lol Bob,

I actually thought about the wetdry vac... hey DW>>> see what happens when I procrastinate on assembling that thing ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D

-al

[oodi]

Good luck, Al... May the Force be with you!!! :P

Judi
:)

[HueyN]

Al,

I wonder if applying a wet layer of glue to a large reflective piece of board or paper or foil and then shine some light on it would attract these guys to it and get stuck:) It might not get all of them but might get quite a few...

Or shine some light through a pane of glass applied with glue.

Just an idea:)

Thanks
Huey

[FischAutoTechGarten]

You are correct Al. I can withstand bee stings (only swell up real good). It's hornets (yellow jackets included) and wasps that I can't take.

Admittedly, I am getting better. I was stung by two yellow jackets while spreading river stone under a deck a month back. I swelled up, ached, got tired, told the homeowner to keep an eye on me for a few minutes and relaxed a bit with a glass of iced tea. 30 minutes later I was working again. No breathing trouble, No blurry vision. I haven't contacted poison ivy this year either, and I'm in it all the time. Usually when I get poison ivy i'm out of it for two or more days, soaking in a tub or laying nude on the bed (can't take anything in contact with my skin initially). Point of my rambling is, our immunities and sensitivities change. I think working outdoors is conditioning me.

Don't listen to these guys, the risks and reprocussions of sending your wife in and having her get stung are probably much greater than if you take one or two (stings) for the team (fish).

[roger]

I vote for the wet dry vac, I use it to get rid of black widows which I seem to have show up periodically.

Peace,
Roger

[O]

Al,

If they are attracted to light, get an electric mosquito zapper. Something like this http://www.electronicbugcontrol.com/. I believe they sell them at Wallmart or even Home Depot.

In addition to the light, you can use sugar water to attract them to one spot.
Fill a container(get one that has a lid, and either leave a small opening or drill a hole it) with sugar water, wait till a good number of them get inside. Close the lid/hole and you got yourself a bug trap.

HTH,
O.

[April]

id go for the wet dry..and put lots of yummy stuff inside it to intoxicate or kill them once their in there.
or..d'limonene..they hate orange peel...and its non-toxic. just orange peel. we use it for flea baths. kills those fleas dead.

[discusnutz]

Hi Al

What a time you're having :o....a little trick I use when camping is: get a 2 ltr pop bottle, cut it 1/3 down from top of bottle, invert the top into the bottom, tape it if necessary to hold into place, put a cup of cola, or you can use meat(maybe some of your BH-lol) they love meat!

They then fly into the bottle, and don't have the smarts to find the opening....works like a hot damn. Good Luck in your" Battle of the Buzz"

On a serious note tho, be very careful if you are allergic to their sting......sometimes a person only has a precious few moments to take the appropriate action-epi.

Good Luck, Be Careful

Brenda

[Cosmo]

My God... thought you had killed 50 Discus at first... dirty trick Al
Jim

[brewmaster15]

Lol Jim... no not this time ::) ;D ... btw..your t-shirt is in the mail,.. You will Love it! :)


all,
Thanks very much... I believe I have them on the run.., we shall see. I have alot of respect for these critters, but not when they interfere with water changes, Discus Husbandry, and endangering my family......thats just not acceptable. :)

This fall I will be tearing out the wall where the nest is. I'll post a pic when I do.. I have a feeling its big...real big. when you go in the bathroom... you can hear them buzzing in the wall~! ::) :-\

-al

[Valik]

Wow, looks like quite a few of us discus folk don't like the yellow jackets, I almost died once when I was 12 and got stung. However normal bee stings don't do anything beyond puffing up a little. Let me know if you can't find your epi-pen, I have over 15 of them(I keep them everywhere including my bedside. Anyways good luck in your battle and remember TAKE NO PRISONERS!
Matt

[strawman]

I can't wait for the move to come out ;D

[KD]

OH GEEZ!!! I think I'd move out- Allergic too!! I was rushed to the hospital 2 years ago - It was a wasp though- Black with white markings. I was tested and am allergic to wasp and yellow jacks, I get venom injections now, I wonder if they work? Haven't got bit (knock on wood) since. Had one of those black and whites slam into my Pick up truck window and right into my face last week - I nearly freaked! Thank God it was stunned from the hit.
I think they sell traps at Walmart and hardware stores. Something on the line of the Soda bottle method.
Good luck Al!!!
Karen

[BrianNY]

Hey Al Try PEST STRIPS Fly Paper sold all over no drippy poison no fumes good luck


tara

[fshngal]

Al,

Good luck with the invaders. Hope you do not get injured in your quest.

Maybe place some honey on saucers and then leave the basement dark. They like to eat sweets, just like us. Then vacuum them into the shopvac.

Good luck,
Mary :-[


PS Hope the family is alright.

[nazangels]

Hi Al! I wanted to extend a little sympathy from someone who's been through the same thing! When I moved to Colorado last year I found out I lived in a wasp infested, moth infested, fly infested, beetle infested part of the world. My answer...buy a baby oscar and a baby jack dempsey, put them in a big tank and supplement their diet with bugs! This elite fighting force has been the most effective form of bug control I've ever seen. Unfortunately Oscar sacrificed his life jumping for a wasp that came too close to his tank, but he is remembered fondly as the bug-eatingest fish on the planet. Within months he went from a two inch baby to an eight inch bug-eating machine. His tank mate Jack, could hardly keep up, but has now become my champion bug eater. He actually looks forward to his tasty morsels, approaching the side of the tank when he sees me coming. I have Jack nestled between my wild discus tank and my 120 gallon discus tank and breath a sigh of relief when a wasp or a moth enters the room, knowing that all I have to do is give it a swat and drop it in Jack's tank. The loud gulping sound I hear within seconds is worth a thousand words. Good luck and stay away from the end with the stinger! Beth

[brewmaster15]

LOl Beth! thats funny as all heck. :)

Well everyone the battle is over, and I believe I won the skirmish, at least until re-inforcements are hatched. :) :-\ ::) ::)

thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. :)..


I think I will be finding yellow jacket parts for the next 20 years. just watch... I'll get stung by a dead bee...and yes its very possible. ;D

-al

[Ardan]

I fight yellow jacket invasions from time to time here in WI.

I use a "One Year" poison spray (it remains in the wood for one yr).
It is made by Enforcer.

It is called BUGMAX365. Has worked well for yellowjackets.

I also used Ortho HOME DEFENSE (remains for 3 months, but is better for carpenter ants)

Spray the entire foundation and any entrances or nests.

hth

[Ardan]

One other note:

SOme yrs ago (in consult with an entomologist) I wiped out a yellow jacket nest with "diazinon" by Ortho.
Extremely effective at killing but only lasts for 3 days.


hth

[Anonapersona]

I also used Ortho HOME DEFENSE (remains for 3 months, but is better for carpenter ants)

Spray the entire foundation and any entrances or nests.

hth


Bless you! I am battling carpenter ants and maybe this willhelp where the boric acid has not.

[Rob]

When i was about 8 I stepped on a underground nest of yellow jackets, I was stung 100's of times, rushed to the hospital, almost died. . .
Anyway, I wasn't allergic to bee stings before that, but I was after.
I went through an 'experimental' bee sting 'de-tox' program. Essentially, starting with a solution about 5% bee venom my doctor would inject my arm daily then weekly, monthrly, all the while slowly increasing the concentration of bee venom. After two years, thousands of shots up to 2-3 times normal bee venom strength, I am no longer allergic, I just get a little bump like a mosquito.

Any way the way we used to get them is to use fermented whole grapes or a little wine, with a no-way-out trap.