Hi I have read here about borax getting rid of yellow jackets. I have a lot of yellow jackets this year. I watch them fly over the fence and down the block so an exterminator is not an option. Does borax really get rid of these pests? Have had this problem for years. Thought I would ask before ordering 14 boxes of this stuff. Thanks for all the advice I have leaned from you all. Howard H.
Borax and yellow jackets
- Thread starter hhanna
- Start date
You may want to do a little Googling. The things I see on the internet say Boric Acid, not Borax is preferred. Not sure where you'd apply it because from what I read you'd want to put that stuff at the entry to their nest.
Boric acid is what I put in my pool. Borax achieves the same thing, but you have to add muriatic acid to balance the pH during the addition. It does seem to help keep them away from the pool without killing them. It doesn't work for everyone though.
Wasps are generally beneficial, so I would avoid pesticides too. Not to mention pesticides tend to kill off beneficials along with the target pests.
Wasps are generally beneficial, so I would avoid pesticides too. Not to mention pesticides tend to kill off beneficials along with the target pests.
I dont know about yellow jackets, but borax works wonders on ants. They have to ingest it, so you have to put it in something they will eat. Mixing it in jelly works for sugar ants. Mixing it crisco works for fat eating ants.
Just keep any pets (or small children) away.
Yellow Jackts go for sweets, maybe a sugar water and borax mix would do the trick.
-dave
Just keep any pets (or small children) away.
Yellow Jackts go for sweets, maybe a sugar water and borax mix would do the trick.
-dave
Borax will also kill ants. Mix some sugar with borax on a plate and leave out so they walk in it. This works inside if they get in your kitchen.
I kill ants in the house with boric acid. I mix my own, but you can buy it premixed. If you know what you are doing (ant leave trails, use them), it's very effective and doesn't leave any residual poisons like other methods. I've heard borax works just as well. The concentration used in pools is about one thousandth of what I use to kill ants (1 tbsp per cup sugar water).
I had lots of wasps drinking from my pool for a year or two. Mostly paper wasps and mud dabbers, but not yellow jackets which look more like bees. During the winter months they are slow and sometimes fail to escape and end up in the skimmer. I've been stung once and surprised many times. Then I added 15 ppm borax (and the required acid to balance). Now I rarely see them. The change was drastic and sudden, so in my experience, borax works very well for wasps even at lower than recommended levels.
I hope it doesn't kill them. As said above wasps are beneficial and since I grew up with honey bees, I'm not to worried by them.
I had lots of wasps drinking from my pool for a year or two. Mostly paper wasps and mud dabbers, but not yellow jackets which look more like bees. During the winter months they are slow and sometimes fail to escape and end up in the skimmer. I've been stung once and surprised many times. Then I added 15 ppm borax (and the required acid to balance). Now I rarely see them. The change was drastic and sudden, so in my experience, borax works very well for wasps even at lower than recommended levels.
I hope it doesn't kill them. As said above wasps are beneficial and since I grew up with honey bees, I'm not to worried by them.
Borax, sugar and peanut butter mixed up works great for many ant types. Sugar eaters and fat eaters. I mix it up really well and then fill up disposable straws with it just by repeatedly pressing the straws into it. Then I cut the straws into small sized lengths of bait. Works well and is neater that way.
As far as the pool goes, I imagine low levels would help keep them away, higher levels might kill them.
As far as the pool goes, I imagine low levels would help keep them away, higher levels might kill them.
svenpup
LifeTime Supporter
I have 50ppm borates and 3000ppm salt and a small presence of yellow jackets around the property.
While neither the salt nor borates seems to deter them from approaching the pool, I think the modified surface tension sucks them in, since as soon as they hit the water they are stuck. Every day I have a half dozen or so dead yellow jackets in the skimmer.
While neither the salt nor borates seems to deter them from approaching the pool, I think the modified surface tension sucks them in, since as soon as they hit the water they are stuck. Every day I have a half dozen or so dead yellow jackets in the skimmer.