I just found a nest of yellow jackets burrowed in the ground of my flower garden. Actually, I found them the hard way - I was stung while watering my flowers. Does anyone know how I can get rid of them without killing my flowers or my praying mantids I have living in my flower beds. I am very nervous when it comes to insecticides - I not only appreciate the job the prayng mantids do for me, my daughter and I love to watch them.

I can't think of any product which would take out the bees, without harming the mantis.

If you can find the hole, you may want to try using a gopher gaser, (a smoke bomb, that pushes smoke with a high sulfur content into the hole) that may chase them out and away, but I would not waste any time getting it into the hole, and getting away from the spot!
I found one of those nests on time while weeding my mom's strawberry patch. I grabbed a hold of a clump of grass, and yanked out the stinking nest! I think they stopped counting at 40 or 50 stings. My arm was completely covered by them, from finger tips to elbow!

You could try blasting some Shoo Fly or Raid wasp and bee killer directly into the hole. That would give you a much smaller area contaminated by the insecticide, but any mantis that comes in contact with it would still die.

Another idea would be to put a bee trap close by, and hope you get them all.

What ever course you take make sure you do it at night! That way you won't be getting nailed from behind form those bees returning to the nest.

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Mike Maier
aka
The Plant Doc