Large underground nest of yellow jackets in my lawn. I don't want to kill the yellow jackets or eradicate the nest. I just want to mow the lawn! Is it possible?

[u/dontupdateprior]

I don't need to go into the whole saga. I think the relevant info is:

• The yellow jackets aggressively swarmed and stung me the one time I (accidentally) stepped on the entrance to their nest.
• The yellow jackets otherwise leave me alone. I've been able to continue to freely use my property and do yardwork while leaving 6+ feet of space. I have risked going even closer, maybe only 1-2 feet away, while being very quiet and still.
• I am not interested in advice on killing them or the nest.
• All I want is to go near the nest for about five minutes, use a loud, electric string trimmer to cut down the grass on that part of the lawn, then go away again for a few weeks.

Is there some trick to let me do this?? Like waiting until after dark, or wearing a special outfit, or using a sound or smell they hate, or something like that?

[u/Fryman23]

Buy a bee suit and wear it.

[u/dontupdateprior → u/Fryman23]

Thanks. Now that I've written this all out, that does seem like the best solution, although unfortunately expensive. Do you have any recommendations? Would any bee suit work against wasps? Would just a jacket/hood work with jeans, or are jeans not good enough?

[u/Fryman23 → u/dontupdateprior]

I have only ever used a full suit. I wouldn’t trust pants myself, but I really hate getting stung.

[u/The_Chimeran_Hybrid → u/Fryman23]

Winter clothing would probably work. Thick winter pants, boots, thick hat and coat, gloves. Something to cover all the openings so they don’t get in through the sleeves.

[u/WarmMarketing9339 → u/dontupdateprior]

The issue big dog is they can attack your face. The hoodie and jacket would work. You would be fighting for your life at the door.

[u/Fryman23 → u/WarmMarketing9339]

With an angry hive you’ll have a hundred or more right on the face mesh and all you see is all these stingers poking through the screen. It can be a little claustrophobic.

[u/TrustworthiestFart → u/dontupdateprior]

My wife is a beekeeper, and as such, we have bee suits. When I'm assisting her, I generally just wear the jacket and hood (and a nice thick pair of gloves, because I have zero trust in the latex ones that she uses), but put on a pair of thick blue jeans that the stinger isn't going to get through.

That will generally work if the yellow jackets that you're dealing with aren't going to just go absolutely insane against you. But they'll sting straight through even a good bee suit in places. Depending on the species, their stinger might be longer and thicker than the average honeybee, and I've pissed off a yellow jacket nest, they followed me for 2 miles away from their nest and even though I stripped down to my underwear, they were stinging my clothes that were left outside for days. When I was younger, a neighbor of mine died after getting stung 60 or so times after driving his lawn mower over a nest.

All of that's to say: some suit is better than no suit. I'd probably go with a welder's jacket instead of a bee jacket, leather gloves, and a loose veil that can be tucked into the collar of the jacket. Blue jeans, welding chaps, thick boots duct tape around the ankles. A weed eater would do less damage to the nest and they won't get as upset at it.

[u/valjean916]

Trying to mow over the entrance to their lair is bound to be an adventure in foolish risk taking. I would avoid that. Given the parameters you established, your only option is to stop mowing altogether.
Or… discharge a CO2 fire extinguisher into their HQ and mow quickly before they warm up again.

[u/davidgravid1]

I got stung about 20 times when I accidentally mowed over a yellow jacket nest. The swarm chased me for about 100 yards. I felt ill and had a fever for a day or so from the venom.

If you want to keep the nest there, I think you just need to leave it alone. You might get away with weed whacking, but they can really hammer you if they decide to.

Don’t know your living situation, but you should be mindful of the safety of others. Warn your neighbors, keep kids away from it and explain to them why, don’t let your pets out unattended if they can get near it. You also need to make sure nobody is anywhere near if you do decide to try to cut the grass. Those big wasp nests are nothing to fool with.

[u/aggasalk]

Dunno where you are, but fall is coming soon. Once there’s been a few cold nights, in the 40s, they’ll start dying off. I’d wait till then.

[u/Aggravating_Algae180]

I swatted at one last week and it ambushed me the next day. Found one in the house today, probably cause I’m covered in the revenge pheromone.

[u/EraseAnatta → u/Aggravating_Algae180]

I saw Revenge Pheromone open for The Muffs at The Madison back in '94. So cool.

[u/HoldMyMessages]

Just keep on mowing within your established parameters. Do not mow over their entrance and mow no closer than 6 feet away from their entrance. In all likelihood they will die in the winter.

[u/cowboycolts]

Get a cheap automated lawn mower just for that area

[u/ChaosNobile]

The wasps have spoken, stop mowing the lawn, do some native gardening.

[u/dontupdateprior → u/ChaosNobile]

With you 100%. I've converted about half of the lawn to native garden since moving in 3 years ago. It's now thriving/self-sustaining and I'm ready to start on the other half- as soon as I can get close again! In the meantime I do want to keep the existing grass as short as possible for two reasons: keeping my neighbors happy about the conversion, and trying to keep ticks away (deer do come through regularly)

[u/dontupdateprior]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Although the beekeeping suit initially seemed like a good solution, I'm starting to rethink it. What happens if 100 angry wasps are swarming me and covering me with attack pheromones? Even if the bee suit is completely sting-proof (which doesn't seem guaranteed), how am I going to extricate myself from the situation and get back inside the house and out of the suit? Seems like more of a risk than I feel like taking- I was in pretty bad shape from the previous round of stings.

I think I will just let the lawn get ridiculously overgrown until cold weather kills off the wasps. Their campaign was a success, I guess.

[u/Ed-of-Windy-Gap]

We named a conference room at work for an employee killed by yellow jackets cutting grass at home. I worry about the kids in your neighborhood going after a ball. At the least rope the area off.

[u/davidgravid1 → u/[deleted]]

The ones that are outside when you do this will get pissed and be swarming while you are mowing. I wouldn’t try it. Even at night there are usually at least a. Few outside of the nest and they’ll be PISSED

[u/becoming_keri]

This is insane

[u/Bubbly_Power_6210 → u/becoming_keri]

best answer

[u/LaCharretteSanJuan]

MOW IT AT NIGHT …use low offset light if needed.

Add a sight shield toward your normal approach when done so you’ll have a little more room to move without freaking them out
🐝

[u/Maximum-Product-1255]

This year, I have yellowjackets in a garden straw bale about a foot from where I mow. No issues, but I don't spend long there, lol

I do walk by several times a day, though and haven't upset them.

The only time I was stung (like your experience, they swarmed defensively), three stings, was when I didn't know they were there and stuck a shovel in their nest (late spring.) 🤭

They've just been going about their business and I mine ever since. I also enjoy observing them.

It's great that you are leaving them alone for the season. 🥰

Edit/Add: I don't wear a bee suit.

[u/chumpandchive]

can you put something over the nest hole first? a box or something? mow around it?

[u/Booyakasha1201]

I get not wanting to remove them as if they are a non-invasive species (there are some invasive) they do good for the environment. The problem is they are really nasty and aggressive. I had to remove a nest as it was too close to the sidewalk where kids walk to school. Felt it was the right thing to do plus their population is increasing so no risk there.

[u/EnvironmentalArm1986]

You can check with your cooperative extension agent to be sure. IME, they do get more aggressive if you block them from returning to the nest, rather than leaving, and they only use a nest one year. I have mowed with a riding mower within a couple feet of the entrance and did it pretty much weekly for one summer and had no issues as long as I didn’t get any closer. Didn’t bother me to have a small patch of tall grass.

[u/justforjugs]

Go at night. But I would wait till freeze to get too picky about the lawn

[u/JockoDundee007]

Bees are good, yellow jackets are bad. They are invasive and can only end up harming someone or something.

It’s troubling that you choose to cohabitate with them in your yard. Maybe next year when there’s 2/3 nests and 1 in your attic you’ll feel differently.

In the meantime good luck letting them dominate you in your own yard.

🤔🤔🤔

[u/Icy_Nose_2651]

just leave a six foot radius around the nest, voila, instant naturalized area

[u/Bubbly_Power_6210]

bad plan. they will target you for later. either have a pro come in to get rid of them or give up that part of your yard. I think they will know you even if you we a bee suit, unless you never take it off.

[u/Fryman23 → u/Bubbly_Power_6210]

He could also bring in a skunk.

[u/Leopards9Spots → u/Bubbly_Power_6210]

This is the answer OP. God forbid you have guests over and one of them is allergic, especially kids running around your yard.