To kill yellow jackets and hornets underground, use Ortho® Bugclear™ Insect Killer For Lawns & Landscapes Concentrate. It can be used in a tank sprayer or with the Ortho® Dial N Spray® Hose End Sprayer to kill on contact and keep stinging insects from coming back to their nest for 6 months.
Fill a bucket with scalding hot water and soap and pour the entire bucket over the entry and exit holes. This will likely kill the entire colony instantly but is not recommended for above-ground yellowjacket nests.
Combine a few drops of pure peppermint oil, a few tablespoons of dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle. Locate any active wasp nests and carefully spray the concoction around the entrance. Reapply every few days until the wasps have left the nest.
In conclusion, apple cider vinegar is great for creating a vinegar trap to kill occasional wasps lingering in your yard, but white vinegar, usually perfect for homemade bug sprays, is best avoided when trying to target them at the source.
Use the vinegar and dish soap mixture in a spray bottle to kill individual wasps. Carry a plastic spray bottle of the mixture with you while working in the garden or enjoying time outdoors to deal with pesky wasps on the spot. Spray the wasp until it is saturated and no longer moving.
To kill flys, bees, hornets and wasps, spray with Windex. On housefly's it usually only takes a small whiff to knock them out of the air and kill them. Wasps will fall right away too but you may need to hit them with another dose.
Use WD-40
WD-40 can be use to both kill wasps and stop them from nesting. Wasps are territorial, so will return to the same nesting spot every year. To keep wasps from returning, spray any former wasp next spots with WD-40. Apply it liberally underneath gutters, and anywhere you have spotted wasps congregating.
To kill wasps with soapy water, mix 2 tablespoons of dish soap in a spray bottle or hose-end sprayer and fill it with water. You will want to spray the wasp nest in the morning or evening when wasp activity is lowest, otherwise, you could risk agitating the hive.
Spectracide Pro Wasp and Hornet Killer
The Spectracide Pro line works for up to four weeks when sprayed at the nest. It is effective against wasps, mud daubers, hornets, and yellow jackets and kills any insects and the nest within seconds of contact. You'll need to coat the nest for the best results.
Dry ice kills yellowjackets and many other pests on contact and again works best for nests underground. Dump finely broken up dry ice into the entrance of a yellowjacket nests and quickly cover the hole with dirt or a bowl with a tight seal.
If you have a problem with wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, or bees, Pine Sol can spare you from painful stings. Remember not to use it on honey bees – we need them to help pollinate our food plants – but for other hive insects, spray full strength Pine Sol as an insecticide.
3. Plan your assault for either dusk or just before dawn. The insects will all be inside the nest then and less aggressive. Spraying on a cool morning is even better because chilled yellow jackets are sluggish and not prone to fly.
That depends upon what time of year you kill the yellow jacket queen. If you kill her in the winter, the colony she would have created won't emerge. Similarly, if you kill a yellow jacket wasp queen in the spring before her workers have sufficiently matured, that can also eliminate the potential colony.
Yellow jackets will chase you. The instinct to protect the nests is strong for this insect. For this reason, they have been known to give chase for several yards. They will even go around obstacles or hover near water and wait.
Yellow jackets are less active at night and most of them will be in their underground nest. Yellow jackets are less active when the ambient temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If working at night, keep in mind a flashlight may attract the wasps.
A cheap and highly effective solution is a simple mixture of dish soap and water. Blend two tablespoons of dish soap into a water-filled spray bottle and shake. Spray the mixture onto nests or individual wasps: the soap will clog the bugs' pores and kill them immediately.
Dish Soap & Lemon Juice
While lemongrass is effective in deterring wasps, both dish soap and lemon juice will effectively kill wasps.
When you swat or kill a yellow jacket, the dead insect gives off a pheromone which attracts more yellow jackets from its colony. This is why the National Park Service recommends avoidance when it comes to yellow jackets and making sure your home is not a nesting location.
Bleach will kill almost any living organism, including wasps, but it is not an effective way to deter them. PMP doesn't advocate the use of bleach as a form of pest control, as it can irritate the skin and eyes of anyone who comes into contact with it.