So, the boat has been inactive since Spring for various reason$, and noticed a few days ago
some yellow jacket activity by the splashwell boot where the steering cable runs. Obviously a nest
up in the starboard transom/splashwell area.
By observation, a very active nest. Since getting at this would require attacking it from the cockpit, I tried
this experiment first.
I hitched up the boat, and drove it 100 feet away, stopped, and observed. Jackets were exiting, but none
entering, just as I hoped. My buddy and I then took off and drove another 1/4 mile, stopped, and observed
more exiting, none entering.
We then drove a mile or so, and repeated the process, this time agitating with a stick inside the boot. More
yellow jackets came out, none entered, and we took off, drove another 2 miles, and repeated until only 2
came out, which he whacked. Then we sat around and observed for about 15 minutes, NO ACTIVITY.
Upon arrival back, we parked the boat in a new spot about 100 feet away from where it was originally.
NO CURRENT ACTIVITY, but..............................
near the area where the boat was is a utlity cart, and about 50 jackets hung around there, they were
spray eradicated, and about an hour later, another 50 or so, and they were sprayed.
This reveals that when we took off, a good population of the workers were out of the nest, and they returned to
the spot, but not the nest now located 100 feet away, as of now, and the ones scattered around the area
are miles away.
I know the queen is still there with her girls, and the nest needs removal, but if we displaced the workers,
chances are the rest will move on, or make it safer to remove.
Crazy stuff
some yellow jacket activity by the splashwell boot where the steering cable runs. Obviously a nest
up in the starboard transom/splashwell area.
By observation, a very active nest. Since getting at this would require attacking it from the cockpit, I tried
this experiment first.
I hitched up the boat, and drove it 100 feet away, stopped, and observed. Jackets were exiting, but none
entering, just as I hoped. My buddy and I then took off and drove another 1/4 mile, stopped, and observed
more exiting, none entering.
We then drove a mile or so, and repeated the process, this time agitating with a stick inside the boot. More
yellow jackets came out, none entered, and we took off, drove another 2 miles, and repeated until only 2
came out, which he whacked. Then we sat around and observed for about 15 minutes, NO ACTIVITY.
Upon arrival back, we parked the boat in a new spot about 100 feet away from where it was originally.
NO CURRENT ACTIVITY, but..............................
near the area where the boat was is a utlity cart, and about 50 jackets hung around there, they were
spray eradicated, and about an hour later, another 50 or so, and they were sprayed.
This reveals that when we took off, a good population of the workers were out of the nest, and they returned to
the spot, but not the nest now located 100 feet away, as of now, and the ones scattered around the area
are miles away.
I know the queen is still there with her girls, and the nest needs removal, but if we displaced the workers,
chances are the rest will move on, or make it safer to remove.
Crazy stuff
