There are few ways to make a memorable moment in the summer than to disturb a yellow jacket nest. The little bugs are well known for not being welcoming to strangers bothering their home. Once a nest has been identified it can be render useless to the yellow jackets by pouring soapy water into the hole. Do this at night while the bees are less active. Pour and run. Many will recommend the use of gasoline, which does work, but the soapy water seems to work just as well and is less dangerous. Commercial products such as insect killing sprays are available as well.

The black flies and no-see-ums (biting gnats) of spring will soon be replaced by the mosquitoes and deer flies in summer, But, the main threat of August and September is the yellow jacket.

The Remington Yellow Jacket was the first .22 LR ammunition that I can recall seeing advertised in hunting magazines. While I am certain that I did see others, that creepy looking Yellow Jacket in the ads caught my eye. Who wouldn't want to use ammunition whose mascot was the feisty little stinging bug!

What is a yellow jacket? A yellow jacket is an insect that has yellow and black alternating stripes on the abdomen. They are about a half an inch long and the queen yellow jacket is about three quarters of an inch long. Yellow jackets have a stinger that allows them to sting over and over unlike honey bees who can only sting once. Yellow jackets often cause people fear because of how bold they are and the fact they can sting over and over.

Any homeowner who has ever experienced a yellow jacket nest in their yard can tell about the difficulty in attempting to remove them - they are very territorial, incredibly tough to kill and their sting can be very painful. The issues surrounding a yellow jacket nest are amplified considerably when applied to children and pets, who can be at greater risk simply because of their inquisitive nature. The oldest and best known remedy to remove a yellow jacket nest is to simply pour gasoline down the nest hole and set it afire.