NVRR update – Yellow Jackets vs. the Railroad
Yesterday, while tamping the track after laying down fresh ballast and re-leveling a section, I was stung by a yellow jacket. Apparently, the vibration from the tamping angered a hidden nest beneath the surface.
Since then, I’ve tried just about everything to evict them — all without success. First, I poured a couple of cups of gasoline into the hole and lit it. That seemed to do the trick… for about half an hour. Then they were back, buzzing and furious as ever.
Today I tried a different approach: Spectracide Carpenter Bee & Ground-Nesting Yellowjacket Killer Foaming Aerosol. Again, no luck. I even read online that a mixture of Dawn dish soap and water can work — two tablespoons per gallon. So, I filled the John Deere bucket with water, added six cups of Dawn, and dumped the soapy solution into the nest. Still nothing. The stubborn swarm — about fifty strong — continues to guard the entrance.
The real frustration is that this nest is right where I need to work, and no train can pass that section without stirring them up. I plan to pick up more spray tomorrow, but at this point, I’m open to any suggestions. If anyone has a tried-and-true method for getting rid of a ground nest, I’m all ears.
Since finishing that section was impossible today, I shifted gears and built a small crossing instead. Using cinder blocks on the outside of the rails and 2x4s cut to ¾” height as rail guards, I put together a neat and functional little crossing. Tomorrow, I hope to move on to re-ballasting a portion of the original main line on the inside of the loop — assuming, of course, the yellow jackets don’t object.
A couple of pictures from today’s work are below:
I have seen on the internet where they put gasoline in a container put it on the ground at the opening and then put a container over it. The fumes will go into the ground and kill the yellow jackets. burning it only gets the ones at the surface.
I have no experience with removing yellow jackets, just what I’ve read.
It’s not earth friendly, but if you can find the entrance to the nest, attach a small container to a long pole or stick of wood. Pour a cup or cup and a half of gasoline into the container and, from a distance, pour the gasoline into the nest hole. One “treatment” normally does the trick.