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briejean

Yellow Jacket nest buried underground

17 years ago

At the back of our yard, we have a spot where we burn leaves, twigs and such. We had collected quite a bit, so we decided to burn what we had. The fire got quite large and burned for a good 20 minutes. The heat was intense, as I wasn't able to get near it for that length of time at least. I was really surprised to find though when it died down, there were about 50 yellow jackets hovering over the smoky pile. That was two days ago, and they haven't left. They're fewer in number today, but they're still there. I suspect that there might be a nest in there under the ash. It looks as if the wasps are looking for a way in. I've put two traps out there, first with some ham hanging over some soapy water...nothing. Then I tried some pineapple hanging over soapy water, and I also added grape jelly to it...still nothing. These wasps seem transfixed on their missing nest, even though my trap sits just a foot away from the burning pile. I'm pretty certain these are yellow jackets. They measure only 3/4" or so, not bigger than that; and the dominant color on their bodies is yellow. They also don't seem overly aggressive either. I have added to the burn pile, and they don't get angry at this. They'll fly away while I'm adding more or raking the pile, then a few seconds later they return, one by one. I've stood there to watch more than once, and they don't even go near my trap. What am I doing wrong? We still have more to burn, and from what I've read about yellow jackets, I feel like I'm "playing with fire" here?? (pun intended, lol)

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