"James" wrote in message
...
I live in North Florida. There is a yellow jacket bee hive in a big
clump
of pampass grass (sawgrass), that I can't get rid of. I have used the
long-shot Black Flag sprays, using a total of (3 ) 18 oz cans at one
time, but I cannot get rid of the nest. The bees come right back to it.

I used the long-shot spray method because of the danger of getting too
close, but even that was risky, as I had to fight off many bees with the
spray, as they were coming after me.

My wife got stung 8 times while she was working near this spot, and
that
is how we first learned of it...

Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can get rid of this nest ?
The pampas grass is quite large, and I cannot see the actual nest, but
dozens and dozens of bees continue to fly in and out of the plant, so I
know
it is in there somewhere.

Please help !!!

Thank you.

James

I had the same problem with them nesting in my attic. One night, I was
stung in my bed and that was my clue that something was wrong (that, and
finding dead bees in all the light fixtures!).

I was able to find the outside exit hole (the bees have their own air
traffic control system and circle the entry hole until they receive
"clearance" (or whatever makes them know it's time to land). I am sure if
you watch carefully enough, you'll be able to see where your bees are
nesting.

I watched for a while to be sure that was the only hole and waited till it
was just turning dark. I suited up in long sleeves, multi-layered clothing,
wore a hoody and a fencing mask and sprayed a total of 5 cans of the long
distance wasp and hornet killer into the access hole. That put an end to
them. Since they were all tucked in for the night, very few came towards
me at all. I was surprised - I could have done the job without the
protective gear.

For a few days after, there were some dazed and confused bees flying around,
and I found a few more in the basement, crawling on the flood, not at all
well, but their hive had been polished off. I figured $20 worth of Raid was
a worthwhile investment, especially since a pest control company I had
called was talking in the $300-500 range with no guarantee of success.
Spraying *near* the hole isn't going to cut it. You've got to get as much
of the spray *into* the hive entrance as possible. I had a friend who
didn't know he had an attic full of bees until honey started dripping down
the walls. Yuck! That cost nearly $1000 to be professionally cleaned up.

FWIW, I got the same sized quote when the squirrel plague hit, but $90 worth
of Havahart traps and a jar of Skippy peanut butter (the squirrels hate
Giant chunky, I found out!) solved the problem. The Havaharts are great
because they have two trap doors, and when set, the squirrels enter without
much hesitation because they can see through to the outside. Only a few
have been smart enough to beat it, and one was a huge male with a tail so
big that it held up the back trap door, keeping in from latching properly,
allowing him to back out. Also caught 2 possums, 1 raccoon and one crow
during the "Squirrel Wars." One day, I would have caught the neighbor's
wandering Golden Retriever if that trap had been big enough.

Despite what people say about how smart they are, I reset the trap, keeping
one side closed and putting the bait deep in the trap so he would have to go
all the way in. I caught him 5 minutes later. The irony was that he was
standing around, waiting for me to go back inside so he could take another
chance at the bait. They sure do love that Skippy!

--
Bobby G.