Invasion of the Vespula germanica

Our yard has been invaded by several nests of Yellow Jackets and I've been trying to read up on how to get rid of them. They make nests in the ground, and were 'stirred up' the other day when our lawn was being mowed (luckily no one got stung yet). So this got me thinking about insects like bees & wasps (Yellow jackets are actually a type of wasp). When I was a kid I remember there were wasps who liked to make nests in the hollow metal crossbars of swing sets on the playground at Lincoln Elementary School in Westfield. It didn't keep us from playing but those wasps looked pretty scary & aggressive.


But being the 'bleeding heart' that I am, I actually found a sick wasp trapped in my bedroom window during the colder months when I was a kid and brought it a dish with a glob of jelly on it. He never did thank me. 


I am sure I have had my share of bee/wasp stings in my life, but the times I recall are the times when my daughters got stung when they were kids. You always hate to see your children in pain, and also the worry that they might have an extreme allergic reaction (which thankfully they didn't). We all have to get stung sometime!! 


 Do you have any memories of getting stung or ideas on how to get rid of Yellow jacket nests without using stuff that would be harmful to other animals? Please post your comments, I'd love to hear from you. Meanwhile, enjoy these Bee-utiful tunes:

A current country song about a bee (couldn't find one about wasps!):

HoneyBee

And here's an 'oldie' Bee-type song:

Bumble Bee

Shoo-e! You hurt me like a bee, a bumble bee, an evil bumble bee!