Yellowjacket repellent and safety concerns

moxiewild

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Hi everyone!

I'm having a hell of a time with some yellowjackets at the feeding station at one of my colonies.

I have a very short window I can feed them in due to nocturnal wildlife and vultures during the day. I feed at 6 am, and used to pick up the food sometime between 8-9 am until recently. I've been picking it up earlier and earlier trying to beat the yellow jackets, but it's starting to get to the point where I'll only be able to give them about 30 minutes to eat, and ideally, I'd like to give them a little longer for various reasons.

I don't know where the nest is, but it's very likely on someone's property nearby and I'm trying to remain discreet, so I'd rather not approach neighbors. Likewise, setting out a trap also isn't very feasible or safe in this particular area, so a repellent is more or less my only option aside from only giving them a 30 minute window to eat.

I've read and found at least one study that indicated certain essential oils can be used to repel yellowjackets, and of those, peppermint oil appeared to be the most cat-friendly.

I was wondering if anyone might have any insight on some of the products I'm looking at.

Peppermint oil pellets -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z788D1W/?tag=thecatsite

Peppermint oil spray by the same company -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCRRPS8/?tag=thecatsite

Both are supposedly pet friendly.


My main concerns are

1. Safety for the cats

2. That it won't repel the cats as well

Anyone got any ideas?
 

di and bob

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My outside cats have always eaten in a 30-minute window on their own.
I really think anything you use for the Yellowjackets will also offend the cats. There are yellowjacket traps out there, I think I would try one of those. You could try to put a dish of food inside a cage where the cats can't get to it with bait/poison. Just make SURE it is disposed of and the cats don't get it. There may even be some organic poisons out there that specifically target just yellowjackets.
 

StefY

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Hi everyone!

I'm having a hell of a time with some yellowjackets at the feeding station at one of my colonies.

I have a very short window I can feed them in due to nocturnal wildlife and vultures during the day. I feed at 6 am, and used to pick up the food sometime between 8-9 am until recently. I've been picking it up earlier and earlier trying to beat the yellow jackets, but it's starting to get to the point where I'll only be able to give them about 30 minutes to eat, and ideally, I'd like to give them a little longer for various reasons.

I don't know where the nest is, but it's very likely on someone's property nearby and I'm trying to remain discreet, so I'd rather not approach neighbors. Likewise, setting out a trap also isn't very feasible or safe in this particular area, so a repellent is more or less my only option aside from only giving them a 30 minute window to eat.

I've read and found at least one study that indicated certain essential oils can be used to repel yellowjackets, and of those, peppermint oil appeared to be the most cat-friendly.

I was wondering if anyone might have any insight on some of the products I'm looking at.

Peppermint oil pellets -

Amazon.com: MDXconcepts Pesto Rodent Organic Peppermint Oil Repellent Pellets – Effective Alternative for Mouse Traps - 100% Naturally Derived – Effective for Up to One Year – Repels All Mice and Rats - 1.25lbs: Health & Personal Care

Peppermint oil spray by the same company -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCRRPS8/?tag=thecatsite

Both are supposedly pet friendly.


My main concerns are

1. Safety for the cats

2. That it won't repel the cats as well

Anyone got any ideas?
I was actually looking for advice too. I have the same problem. They are insane and swarms of them. I read to cut cucumbers and place them on aluminum foil it causes a chemical reaction that the YJ hate. I think it worked for the first two days but not anymore. I ordered 3-thyme plants from amazon. I feed my guys behind a fence so they will be hidden. I also read lemon grass plants repel them also. Both are safe for cats. They aren’t being delivered until Friday so I’ll let you know.
 
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moxiewild

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My outside cats have always eaten in a 30-minute window on their own.
I really think anything you use for the Yellowjackets will also offend the cats. There are yellowjacket traps out there, I think I would try one of those. You could try to put a dish of food inside a cage where the cats can't get to it with bait/poison. Just make SURE it is disposed of and the cats don't get it. There may even be some organic poisons out there that specifically target just yellowjackets.
I would love to set traps, but I can’t in this area due to needing to maintain discretion and because it is a narrow area traveled by people and unaccompanied kids quite often, so not an area I want to be attracting hundreds of yellow jackets to.

We are also working on feeding them within a certain time window, but I only started feeding them recently, so they will not eat in front of me yet and not all have learned the schedule as is thus far.
 
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moxiewild

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I was actually looking for advice too. I have the same problem. They are insane and swarms of them. I read to cut cucumbers and place them on aluminum foil it causes a chemical reaction that the YJ hate. I think it worked for the first two days but not anymore. I ordered 3-thyme plants from amazon. I feed my guys behind a fence so they will be hidden. I also read lemon grass plants repel them also. Both are safe for cats. They aren’t being delivered until Friday so I’ll let you know.
If the area/situation will allow it, I would HIGHLY recommend Rescue Yellowjacket traps!

We have several up around our property, and a single trap catches about 100 after 2-3 days. So even for very large nests, it usually only takes us a week or two to finally eradicate it.

Best time to be vigilant about trapping is during the spring when the queens are out. You won’t catch nearly as many YJs, but because they’re queens, each one you do catch prevents hundreds more later in the year.

Use something sweet in one and something high protein (low fat) in the other to see what they’re responding to best at the time you use them. It changes throughout the year in most places.

I really wish we could use these at this particular colony, but it’s just not feasible.

Today I picked up food at 6:40 AM, and there was only one YJ as I was leaving. Going to try and get there at the same exact time tomorrow and see if I get similar results.

YJs aren’t active at night. So the key is to drop off food when raccoons and foxes settle down (around 6 am), and pick up the bowls before the YJs wake up (no earlier than 6:30).

Not sure if I can stick to this schedule long term (which is why I’m looking at repellents), but it’s a temporary fix for now at least!

Whew, this is exhausting sometimes!

Let me know about how your experiments go! I read the cucumber thing too and had that on my list to try as well :(
 

StefY

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I went out at 6:30 this morning and they were already buzzing around me. My problem is my apartment is butted up against a park. I can’t trap them knowing that they are just living in nature where they are supposed to be. I have two more in the colony to trap and then I can switch to dry food.
 

StefY

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I went out at 6:30 this morning and they were already buzzing around me. My problem is my apartment is butted up against a park. I can’t trap them knowing that they are just living in nature where they are supposed to be. I have two more in the colony to trap and then I can switch to dry food.
Ok. I put out my Thyme plants. I’ll let you know how the morning goes! There were no YJ tonight but they might have just gone in for the night by the time I went down.
 

StefY

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The Thyme was a failure!! I repeat the thyme was a failure. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I am now feeding YJ and then the cats. Lol. If anyone has any suggestions I’m willing to try it!!
 

StefY

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Hi everyone!

I'm having a hell of a time with some yellowjackets at the feeding station at one of my colonies.

I have a very short window I can feed them in due to nocturnal wildlife and vultures during the day. I feed at 6 am, and used to pick up the food sometime between 8-9 am until recently. I've been picking it up earlier and earlier trying to beat the yellow jackets, but it's starting to get to the point where I'll only be able to give them about 30 minutes to eat, and ideally, I'd like to give them a little longer for various reasons.

I don't know where the nest is, but it's very likely on someone's property nearby and I'm trying to remain discreet, so I'd rather not approach neighbors. Likewise, setting out a trap also isn't very feasible or safe in this particular area, so a repellent is more or less my only option aside from only giving them a 30 minute window to eat.

I've read and found at least one study that indicated certain essential oils can be used to repel yellowjackets, and of those, peppermint oil appeared to be the most cat-friendly.

I was wondering if anyone might have any insight on some of the products I'm looking at.

Peppermint oil pellets -

Amazon.com: MDXconcepts Pesto Rodent Organic Peppermint Oil Repellent Pellets – Effective Alternative for Mouse Traps - 100% Naturally Derived – Effective for Up to One Year – Repels All Mice and Rats - 1.25lbs: Health & Personal Care

Peppermint oil spray by the same company -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCRRPS8/?tag=thecatsite

Both are supposedly pet friendly.


My main concerns are

1. Safety for the cats

2. That it won't repel the cats as well

Anyone got any ideas?
Have you found a solution yet? Nothing has worked for me so far. I’ve tried it all... even the fake wasp nest. This is where I’m at... the cats seem ok with it so far... I’ve bought a pet play pen, the small it’s actually pretty big. And it Folds up very small with a travel case. The top is removable so I took the top off and replaced it with a stroller mosquito net. Four adult cats can fit in it. I pick it up after the feeding because it’s not very durable so I don’t know if it can handle the weather. It’s very easy and fast to fold up. The picture has two but the one cat is gigantic. I feed them on paper plates. It sounds like a lot but the amount of yellow jackets is insane. I also put a little Wet food a bit further away for the yellow jackets. But not enough to entice the cats.
 

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StefY

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Hi everyone!

I'm having a hell of a time with some yellowjackets at the feeding station at one of my colonies.

I have a very short window I can feed them in due to nocturnal wildlife and vultures during the day. I feed at 6 am, and used to pick up the food sometime between 8-9 am until recently. I've been picking it up earlier and earlier trying to beat the yellow jackets, but it's starting to get to the point where I'll only be able to give them about 30 minutes to eat, and ideally, I'd like to give them a little longer for various reasons.

I don't know where the nest is, but it's very likely on someone's property nearby and I'm trying to remain discreet, so I'd rather not approach neighbors. Likewise, setting out a trap also isn't very feasible or safe in this particular area, so a repellent is more or less my only option aside from only giving them a 30 minute window to eat.

I've read and found at least one study that indicated certain essential oils can be used to repel yellowjackets, and of those, peppermint oil appeared to be the most cat-friendly.

I was wondering if anyone might have any insight on some of the products I'm looking at.

Peppermint oil pellets -

Amazon.com: MDXconcepts Pesto Rodent Organic Peppermint Oil Repellent Pellets – Effective Alternative for Mouse Traps - 100% Naturally Derived – Effective for Up to One Year – Repels All Mice and Rats - 1.25lbs: Health & Personal Care

Peppermint oil spray by the same company -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KCRRPS8/?tag=thecatsite

Both are supposedly pet friendly.


My main concerns are

1. Safety for the cats

2. That it won't repel the cats as well

Anyone got any ideas?
Have you found a solution yet? Nothing has worked for me so far. I’ve tried it all... even the fake wasp nest. This is where I’m at... only two won’t go in but everyone else is... I’ve bought a pet play pen, the small it’s actually pretty big. And it Folds up very small with a travel case. Four adult cats can fit in it. The picture has two but the one cat is gigantic.
 
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