[DRAFT]

We have reached the point where coexisting with our yellow jacket nest is dangerous. Here are some extirpation options that we’re considering. Each is gruesome.

For all cases, do this after dusk, because the wasp will be home.

• Smother. E.g. Fill a wheelbarrow with ice. Dump it over the hole. Cover the hole and area with a heavy tarp. Weigh down the tarp with bricks. Cover the tarp with soil or wood chips. (Downside: very involved and requires a flat, bare area.)
• Cook. Cover the hole with a thick piece of clear plastic, seal the edges tight to the ground. The nest will cook. (Downside: this is seasonal and only works with a flat, bare area.)
• Boil. Pour 10+ gallons of boiling water into the nest. (Downside: the need for being there to dump the water, meaning that we would need protective gear.)
• Drown. Alternatively, use 10+ gallons of soapy water.
• Use the garden hose on full to saturate the nest.
• Your done when water is not able to go further into the hole.
• Shut the water off and let the water absorb completely into the hole.
• Wait until after the yellow jackets have calmed down.
• Dump 1/3 cup blue dawn dish soap into the entrance.
• Turn on the garden hose again at about 1/2 throttle until suds emerge.
• Leave the hole for an hour.
• Repeat the last two steps until there is no further yellow jacket activity.
• If necessary, use a tool like a long pipe to break up the nest and then repeat.
• Spray. Use an organic spray with mint oil as the active ingredient. Alternatively, use a spray that freezes the yellow jackets on contact.
• Wasp & Hornet Killer. Contains:
• Indian Palmarosa Oil
• Pyrethrins
• Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids
• D-Limonene
• Ethyl alcohol-SDA 3C
• Dust. Use a pesticide dust.
• Avoid
• Flammable liquids, because they infuriate the insects.

Warning: Use protective gear!

References

http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/yellow-jackets/7700.html Briefly describes several options for extirpating yellow jackets.

http://advancedsurvivalguide.com/2013/08/06/underground-yellow-jacket-nest/ Details the soapy drowning option.

http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/lawn-pests/yellow-jacket-control/ Suggests several natural commercial products.