Recently I found a couple of yellow jackets flying around in my sunroom.Then I found a couple buzzing around in the upstairs bathroom.
Finally I tracked them down. The 'wonderful' people that built the sunroom onto the house back in the 80s left gaps. No foam. No insulation. Nothing. So now that a piece of the old butyl caulk fell out of the eave flashing, yellow jackets are under the flashing and obviously have found little holes into the house.
The white powder is insecticide. Supposedly they track through it, groom themselves, and die. I've done 2 treatments (hanging out the window at night, trying to get the spray where it should go, yeah I'm pretty crazy). All I seem to have done is get them all riled up.
I'll try one more treatment and if I don't see any sign that it's working -- I'll have to pony up for a real exterminator. *grumble* I HATE having to kill anything (especially if I have to PAY to do it!) but invasion is invasion and I stand my ground when it comes to protecting my house. And me!
I have to get them out of the house else they may well overwinter in a wall and next spring could bring real trouble. Nor can I repair that caulk until I'm sure they are gone else they may chew their way through something else if they can't use that entrance. And I LOATHE having to use insecticide here at the sanctuary. I fear collateral damage.
Gee, where's a couple of nice foxes when you need them? Foxes? <== click here for that story.
Stay tuned....
I hope you can take care of them yourselves. We finally had to hire a real exterminator a few weeks ago to get rid of the wasps that built a nest in our roof vent. We tried a Safer wasp killer but it did nothing at all, plus they seem to build nests in places that are awkward for us humans to access.
ReplyDeleteKris can you pull out that vent and reinstall with proper caulking? Also be sure the screen behind is good.
ReplyDeleteWe still get wasps inside now and then and have all new windows. We haven't yet figured where they are coming from. Also all new soffits; it's a mystery.
I hate them inside and out.
Catherine - you are right! Unless I were a monkey I couldn't get anywhere near where so many problems arise: up in trees, roofs, behind walls, eeek. Homeowning isn't for wimps.
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear from you. Your pics are always so beautiful...!
Glenda - that's not a vent, that's a soffet facia. There's only supposed to be brick behind it, but obviously there are cracks or something that is letting the yellow jackets crawl into the house. I usually don't have any problems with the paper wasps, but these (and hornets) kinda scare me.
I had to Google to know what "yellow jackets" are! So they are wasps that sting bitterly! They are hateful. But I'm sure you will find a way to take care of them.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck, Kris.
Thanks, Ha Xuan. Keep your fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteI hope that problem gets fixed without spending a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue. It seems I'm see fewer insects. It looks like they've been chewing off the powder (it's some of it is now on the ground under that eave, like snow). I'll have to get that cleaned up else it'll get in the environment. Stay tuned!
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