Create a fly and wasp repellent.
Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning says that you can use full-strength Pine-Sol as an insecticide or a 4:1 Pine-Sol to water solution spray for staving off wasps and other stinging insects—just steer clear of honeybees!
Did you know that wood bees are attracted to the scent of PineSol? And we can use that knowledge to our advantage. The sweet scent lures them in and the cleaning solution does the rest of the work from there.
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.
If you cannot find the source of your yellowjacket problem, set up a food bait trap. Yellowjackets will collect the food and allow you to carefully follow them back to their hive location. Be careful to not disturb the hive once you have found it, however, as a disturbed colony is likely to become defensive and attack.
Yellow jackets are a social wasp variety. Determine how large the nest is and where the entry and exit points are. There will likely be a few sentry yellow jackets, often referred to as worker wasps, flying around the nest opening. Treat yellow jacket nests just after dusk or just before sunrise.
An effective method for underground nests is to use a mixture of boiling hot water and dish detergent. 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.
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.
A: We do not recommend using Original Pine-Sol® Multi-Surface Cleaner on aluminum, copper or marble surfaces. We also do not recommend using Pine-Sol® Cleaners on cars, on dishes or as a pet shampoo.
Pine Sol's scent tends to linger, which I am sure you have noticed if you use it often. Not only does the scent repel flies, but it will also clean any surface you use it on. It is basically a win win!
Flies seem to HATE pine-sol. To make the fly repelling spray, mix the original Pine-Sol with water, at a ratio of 50/50 and put it in a spray bottle. Use to wipe counters or spray on the porch and patio table and furniture to drive the flies away.
Steps For An Expert Clean
Pine-Sol cleans all kinds of counter tops and surfaces while disinfecting. Dilute ¼ cup of Pine-Sol® in one gallon of warm water. Dip a sponge in the mixture to wipe grease and grime away. Or for everyday mess control, keep the Pine-Sol® mixture in a spray bottle for quick cleaning spritzes.
Luckily, flies don't like the smell (mosquitoes don't either), which makes this a great DIY solution for getting rid of those bugs.
May cause irritation of respiratory tract. Causes serious eye irritation. May cause irritation. Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
According to the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association, most yellow jacket colonies grow the largest during late summer and early fall, just when their food sources begin to diminish. Just like humans, when they are not eating and are hungry, they get frustrated and aggressive.
Yellowjackets are most active between 10 am and 4 pm, weather dependent.
Starvation makes them angry and aggressive as they work hard to seek food. Yellow jacket colonies grow largest in late summer and early fall just when their food sources begin to diminish, providing plenty of frustrated, hungry wasps. In the spring, there are fewer yellow jackets and they're well-fed.
Skunks, raccoons, badgers, bears, and other mammals have been known to attack and destroy yellowjacket nests in order to eat the wasp grubs, eggs, and even adults. Skunks typically attack at night when the yellowjackets are least active, digging into the burrow, pawing through the nest, and eating the wasp larvae.
You want to protect yourself should the yellow jackets attack. You also want to protect yourself from insecticide spray. Work at dawn or dusk. Yellow jackets are less active at night and most of them will be in their underground nest.
Peppermint oil: Yellow jackets are not fond of mint-based herbs like spearmint and peppermint. The great thing about peppermint oil is that it naturally repels all sorts of pests, including yellow jackets, wasps, flies and spiders.
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.