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Has Achieved Nirvana |
Sam has been out of sorts for the last few days. Cold nose, good appetite, but very lethargic. That’s not like him. My gardener just pointed out that yellow jackets are nesting in two of the hollow metal fence posts. He said he was concerned about the dogs and that a yellow jacket sting can really mess them up. I wonder if this is what happened to Sam. Off to buy that spray you shoot from 40 feet away. The fact they’re inside the posts is going to make them hard to kill and I may have to bring in a pro. Any tips?
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| (self-titled) semi-posting lurker Minor Deity  |
Oh no! Sorry to hear about this, hope Sam is ok. We have always called a pro, when we had them at our rental house, the property management co. arranged it, and when we had them here last summer, we called in Arrow. You could try Arrow, Terminex (is that the right name??) or an independent exterminator. The thing we like about Arrow is that they come back (no charge) if the problem isn't resolved.
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| "I've got morons on my team." Mitt Romney Minor Deity  |
Small thermonuclear device .... Yellow jackets are very aggressive. But once I know where they are, I have "sneaked" up on them and delivered a potent blast of spray right into the main hole. And then, of course, I have run away as fast as my little legs would carry me. Rinse, wash, and repeat a few times because they are very hardy. I once dug up the nest afterward. The damn thing was bigger than a very large grapefruit. Not quite volleyball size. | |||
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Has Achieved Nirvana |
Have only had three sting incidents with our dogs. All were around the face and resulted in major league swelling but stopped short of anaphylaxis. We gave them Benadryl. I always thought that stings were painful and/or itchy but have not heard of lethargy. Does he have any tender spots on his body that he's fussing with? No hints for dealing with them, especially as they are in the metal fence post. I sure as hell wouldn't be trying to remove the cap to get a good shot...
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
We haven’t noticed any swelling, just that he wasn’t interested in barking at the UPS guy. Those post caps are going to be a problem.
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| (self-titled) semi-posting lurker Minor Deity |
If you do anything about the yellow jackets on your own, does the advice to do it at dusk or after dark still hold for yellow jackets? IOW, it's said that wasps aren't active at night and most (all?) of them are in the nest, so that's the best time to spray. You get them all and they aren't swarming around ready to defend. Can the fence posts be capped? Wait, are they already capped?? I can't picture what the problem is.
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
Metal fence posts are hollow and have a decorative cap that snaps on the top of the post. They're not sealed and insects like yellow jackets crawl up underneath the cap and nest inside the pipe. edit: And sometimes there are drainage holes drilled in the pipe somewhere and the critters find their way in.  
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Has Achieved Nirvana |
Think Nike or New Balance
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| Serial origamist Has Achieved Nirvana  |
Follow this at your own comfort level! This works for wasps. Yellowjackets are a variety of wasp. Get something like a string mop or a window washing pad on a VERY long stick. Thump on the opening to the nest for several seconds. This brings the guardians out. They stay close to the opening but will aggressively attack whatever they think is threatening the nest. Give them a few seconds to come out in force then blast them with the spray. Repeat once or twice. With the guardians dead, you can get closer and aim better. Get the spray into the opening as much as possible. Around here, yellowjackets nest in the ground. You almost never see them until you step on the nest. I found this out when I was 10 on a family camping trip near Crater Lake. For you and the dog if you get stung: large dose of Benadryl.
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
I’m not going to do any of that…
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| (self-titled) semi-posting lurker Minor Deity |
Most relatable response evah!!
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| knitterati Beatification Candidate  |
Call the professionals.
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Minor Deity |
Do it at night Jf
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
I sprayed bot posts last night just before dark. I don’t see any today but I suspect they’re still inside. We shall see.
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| Has Achieved Nirvana |
Forgot about that. 
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