Spring in the garden: yellow jackets

So the last several posts have been more on the "cardigan" side of things; there have also been lots of "possum-y" projects this week, so let's see some of that!

Project 1: Yellow jackets
Argh, so, it was a very warm winter here in the Denver area. We didn't have much cold, and certainly not much VERY cold. So the yellow jackets are out early. In fact, I am not convinced that it got cold enough to kill them. That's a major bummer. We had a nest under our porch and it's hard to access and it didn't become apparent until late summer (when they're super mean), so we figured, eh, we'll just let winter take them out. Since the almost never re-use nests, we figured we'd be good to go. Then we got this stinking mild winter and I'm right back where I left off 5 months ago.

Yellow jacket turf. You can see the rabbit wire I was trying to attach when, ahem, the hammering woke up some yellow jackets. Not happy (both me and the yellow jackets).

OK, so, time to take things into my own hands! Internet to the rescue! Lots of googling later (this article from the Colorado State University Extension Office was probably the best resource I found), here's the game plan:

Line of attack:
1.) "If it's a big nest and you can't get to it, just let winter kill 'em for you." OK, right, bummer, next step.

2.) Similarly, "Don't leave a bunch of meat and sodas laying around." OK, we're vegetarians and haven't eaten on the porch since probably last October. Clearly this is not the issue. And also, we live in a neighborhood with a lot of other people who MAY engage in these activities, so we can't control that. No help here.

3.) "Shoot 'em with wasp-killing spray." Would if I could. Nest seems to be under the porch, maybe just behind that trellis? Also, that's a giant rose bush in front of it. (Plan Q is to cut down said rose bush on the next cold day--we have at least 3 more days of snow predicted, so one of those. Cutting down said rose bush might give me better access?)

4.) "Yellow jacket trap with pheromones." Check and check. This is my best hope, but I'm a little disconcerted that I haven't caught anything yet. (Yes, I know I've placed the trap WAY TOO CLOSE, per the manufacturer specifications. But I want them to realize that there is another "nest" RIGHT NEXT to where they have chosen, and move out. Also I have three other traps placed in other locations that are more in line with manufacturer specifications, so if this one won't work because I placed it badly, they have other options.)

Fake yellow jacket nest?
I even drew a little yellow-jacket going in the drawn-on "hole"
at the bottom, to try to convince them.

4.) "They are very visual creatures; make a fake yellow jacket nest and hang it where they can see it. They will relocate." OK, OK, I know this is super goofy, but I will try pretty much anything at this point. I am really trying to avoid having to find a yellow-jacket-proof suit, ripping off my rabbit fence, pulling apart the deck, cutting back the rose and grape plant along this elevation, and then actually being able to spray the nest.

5.) "They don't like the smell of Dawn dish detergent; spray that, diluted, around places they might want to nest and it will deter them." Well, that's not hard, so I tried it. I even sprayed down the fake nest I made with Dawn, because the last thing I need is for them to decide to move into that nest, too!

So far? Lots of nothing. They are still here. And the traps have been in place since last Wednesday, and I haven't even caught a single yellow jacket. Two--no, make that three--possible explanations: too cold still, not flying around enough (doubt it); they aren't actually yellow jackets (I'm pretty sure, but not 100% sure); none of the proposed solutions actually works.

I still haven't tried scattering cucumber slices around--allegedly they don't like the smell of that? And I haven't made one of those home-made traps out of a soda bottle , but I think the commercial traps should be more effective, especially in the spring (since apparently/allegedly yellow jackets want meat in the spring/summer, and sweet/fruity things in the summr/fall)? I have used the commercial traps with some success in the past, but the lack of success this season has been disconcerting.

Anyone with suggestions, please chime in! And I'll try to let you all know if any of these approaches actually works. Otherwise, I may not be able to finish attaching the rabbit fence until NEXT winter, and that'd be a depressing prospect.