- 1). Make sure you are dealing with wasps and not honeybees. Visit the Organic Consumers Association link in the Resources section for more information on disappearing honeybees and how to differentiate bees and wasps.
- 2). Plan an escape route. Open a window or door to the outside for the yellow jackets to escape, close all other doors, and plan an escape route for yourself into another room that can be closed off from the hive area.
- 3). Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeve shirts, gloves, hat, etc. Being stung is no fun.
- 4). Combine 1 Tbsp. of dish soap and water into a spray bottle. Make sure the bottle has a strong spray nozzle, allowing some distance between you and the hive.
- 5). Spray the hive as best you can from a distance. Spray at night when the yellow jackets are least active and most likely to be inside the hive. As once as they start to escape the hive in a hurry, cease spraying and jet out your escape route.
- 6). Combine mint oil and water 1:1 in a spray bottle. Repeat step 5 later that night when the yellow jackets have settled or wait until the next night.
- 7). If all else fails, purchase Raid Wasp and Hornet Killer or similar insecticide spray. Follow the directions on the spray can to douse the hive.
- 8). Call an exterminator if none of the methods worked or if the hive is just too big to handle.
- 9). If the applications worked correctly, the hive activity should come to a standstill. Wait a couple days after you believe all the yellow jackets have abandoned the hive or have died and carefully remove the hive from your house, covered completely in protective clothing.
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