Relocating a Yellow Jacket Nest - PEP BB animal.sand.yellowjacket

I moved a yellow jacket nest recently.  Luckily for me they built it inside a bird house so moving it was a bit simpler than normal.  The first picture is of the nest in the bird house on the side of my garden shed.  Not good since we come and go from that shed daily.  You can see a wasp on the lower edge of the hole.  Second photo is of the nest in a much better spot, a post on the other side of the garden.  I didn't take the picture of it no longer at the original location since, in this case, it seemed obvious that I did move it.  I also forgot.  So I can go out and take another picture if needed

Is this only for yellowjacket nests or for any wasp's nest? I see the first video is about paper wasps, which I had never considered to be yellowjackets.

I checked with the boss and made an adjustment to the wording of the BB.  Any wasp/hornet/yellow jacket with a papery nest will work.

Moving a teeny wasp nest from right above the deck door.

This yellow jacket hive decided that my radio and power box ( which is just an old nuc box ) since I have to get in this box at least once a week, I thought I should just relocate these guys so i don't destroy their hive.

I had a very protective mother yellow jacket who started a nest on my deck railing. I relocated her and the nest to one of my out buildings so she had plenty of cover and warmth.

I've knocked them down at other times, but this was the first time I'd rehomed them. Today I relocated a yellow jacket's nest from the front of the classroom at Wheaton Labs between events, June 2022.

Here's a photo of the nest in a light fixture above the entrance door of the Galley/workshop:



I carefully transferred the nest to a stainless steel bucket for transport. Fortunately, no one was home at the moment.



Finally, I moved the nest to the rock wall near the brushpile and northern hugel beds.



Thanks, volunteer reviewers...! :D

I've NEVER even considered doing this...but as we speak I'm watching a red wasp and paper wasp scout out cozy nesting spots on my front porch.  I don't want to kill them (and don't even have anything to kill them with other than maybe vinegar?!) so to my questions:
1. is there anything I can do to deter them from my front porch?  can I spray vinegar or essential oils up there or something?  anything else?  if i spray them often enough with the hose will they eventually go find another spot? or just sting me?  or do i just need to let them build their nest then (eek) move it?
2. when you move the nest...wouldn't the adults need to be on the nest to know where I moved it to?  i watched a couple of videos of moving nests and they all waited to make sure an adult was on the nest when they moved it.  eee gads.  I'm shaking in my boots over here...
3. Lastly, can i move it when it is super tiny (only a couple of cells) or do I need to wait until it is bigger.  I literally can't believe I'm even thinking/talking about this.  Gulp.  

AND last question - I am planting LOTS o pollinators...are there any of these waspy critters I should definitely drive out rather than assume they are going to be beneficial?  I'm finding conflicting info online and it is the first time I'm doing lots of planting.  Thank you!

Michele Morken wrote:I've NEVER even considered doing this...but as we speak I'm watching a red wasp and paper wasp scout out cozy nesting spots on my front porch.  I don't want to kill them (and don't even have anything to kill them with other than maybe vinegar?!) so to my questions:
1. is there anything I can do to deter them from my front porch?  can I spray vinegar or essential oils up there or something?  anything else?  if i spray them often enough with the hose will they eventually go find another spot? or just sting me?  or do i just need to let them build their nest then (eek) move it?
2. when you move the nest...wouldn't the adults need to be on the nest to know where I moved it to?  i watched a couple of videos of moving nests and they all waited to make sure an adult was on the nest when they moved it.  eee gads.  I'm shaking in my boots over here...
3. Lastly, can i move it when it is super tiny (only a couple of cells) or do I need to wait until it is bigger.  I literally can't believe I'm even thinking/talking about this.  Gulp.  

AND last question - I am planting LOTS o pollinators...are there any of these waspy critters I should definitely drive out rather than assume they are going to be beneficial?  I'm finding conflicting info online and it is the first time I'm doing lots of planting.  Thank you!

I've refrained from mowing thus far, and my land has become a veritable paradise for pollinators, which is super exciting! But today my excited was tempered with concern as I noticed several wasps scouting the patio near my front door for nest locations.

I do not have an answer for you, but I can tell you what did not work for me last fall. Like you, I did not want to kill the wasps that were building a nest near my carport, so I sprayed the nest with a hose to dislodge it. The next day the nest was back up in the same location. I dislodged the nest again with the hose. An hour or so later, I saw the wasps were back in the same spot rebuilding their nest. I spent the next half an hour trying to shoo the wasps away with a stick (Mercifully, I did not get stung!). They continually scattered only to regroup closer to my front door. Seeing as they had not been aggressive enough to attack me while I was trying to shoo them away and not wanting them closer to the front door, I decided to let them be. They rebuilt their nest in their original location, and over the next few months I had no problems with them even though I had to walk by their nest everyday.

Unfortunately, the wasps I encountered today seemed a little more aggressive, so I am not sure I want to be as lax this time around. I have the same question about how to move the nest without being attacked but also somehow doing it when the adults are present so they know the new location.  

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
- you must move a yellow jacket nest from an inconvenient location to a useful location
   - any papery wasp, hornet or yellow jacket nest qualifies for this
   - ground nests do not qualify

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must:
- post a picture of the yellowjacket nest in an inconvenient location
- post a picture of the yellowjacket nest no longer in that same location
- post a picture of the yellow jacket nest in a useful location

These wasps were outside my window all summer.  It was awesome to watch them!  I need to clean my windows, though.  This BB is great!  I moved their nest to an empty Lazutin Hive that we won't be using for awhile (it needs new siding and the legs made into a stand...hired a guy to make this one who didn't stay to specs...yay, more practice for me).

Although, while researching, found wasps and other stingies do facial recognition with you.  That's why they hover in front of your face to see if they recognize you.  Worst thing to do is swat at them...that is considered an attack and they will reciprocate.  I duck and tell them I'm a friend and encourage them to protect me and my house.  

Michele Morken wrote:I've NEVER even considered doing this...but as we speak I'm watching a red wasp and paper wasp scout out cozy

Hi Michele,  I would wear, at the very least, a bee hat with netting, long sleeves, gloves, and close up your pants leg.  Better yet, can you borrow a bee suit from someone?  Then, it won't be so scary or dangerous.

Went to cook on the grill and found a friend. Not the first time it’s happened so I was expecting it. Moved her from the inside of the lid to a cardboard box out by the back fence, with some scrap wood as a roof.

Over the past few years, I’ve tried to attempt this several times.

Lessons I’ve learned:
Glue sucks. Shocker, I know, but I successfully moved and glued nests to a new spot twice. The wasps immediately left once, then the second time a wasp stuck around and I found it dead a few days later, right next to the nest.
Glue. Sucks. Learn from my mistakes.

Dropping the nest isn’t great either. Fairly sure one of them died because I dropped her on her head too many times. I’ll be a great parent.

Dropping it in water is extra bad. Drowning and sadness ensues rapidly. Recommend avoiding. (Another parenting hack)

Building little “wasp boxes” out of wood (background of last photo) is a mixed bag of results. Even if you’re successful, spiders may move in and eat the wasps. So they often become cobweb corrals.


Positive lessons:
Building Cobweb Corrals, huge success.

Wasps voluntarily nest in cardboard boxes, as long as the box is relatively protected and stable.
They will also nest in those paper leaf bags, especially if the bag is crumpled on the ground.
This can be used to overwinter wasps from disadvantageous locations identified in fall.

Early morning and late night are easier for moving because the wasps seem calmer.