Bees in my boat

[Jitterbug55]

I live near Atlanta, Georgia and Jellow Jackets have invaded my Triton! I uncovered the boat to add some oil before going fishing this week and was confronted by MANY angry Yellow Jackets (not the Georgia Tech kind) crawling and flying out from behind the bulkhead that is behind the gas tank. Yes I did have the drain plug out, yes it was covered and sitting out for a month or two while I got married, went on a honeymoon and also went to San Francisco to vacation. But now I have bees.

I am afraid to put a bug bomb under my fantastic boat cover and set it off as I don't know what it would do to my fiberglass or my fancy dash and other plastic? I put a bowl of wasp/hornet stuff down in the battery well with a paper towel in it and it seems like some of them have died but ................ I just cannot picture being out on the lake with an onboard hive of Yellow Jackets.. So what do I do?

Someone suggested slightly opening up all of the compartments and driving around hoping that the bees will fly out and be gone, but will ALL of them fly out? I don't want one left.

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[senile1]

The instructions and warnings for the bomb you use should tell you if it is OK to use with plastic or fiberglass.

[FlyRod]

You've obviously got an active and producing nest in there. You MUST kill the adults and remove the nest.

The first thing I'd try is to make sure all hatches are closed and that the ONLY exit available to the little spear-butted demons is via the drain plug hole. Then, sneak up on them, preferably at night when all "pilots" are asleep, place the spray nozzle  of a bottle of some INSTANT kill wasp spray as close as possible to the drain plug opening and let 'er rip. So soon as the spray is exhausted, quickly place the drain plug in place. READ the data on the can to see if there is any hazard to the materials in the boat before doing this. I'd avoid the "fire and forget bombs" because they may do damage in such a confined space. Maybe not, but with my approach YOU are in control.

In the AM, carefully open a hatch cover and step away quickly. Observe to see if any wasps exit. If so, you'll need to close the hatch, remove the drain plug and QUICKLY spray a conventional, misting type, flying insect spray into the drain hole. Replace the plug and wait for perhaps 15 minutes.

Again, open a hatch and watch for flight operations. If none, you should be able to open all hatches, observe from a safe distance or perhaps through the closed window of a nearby vehicle, and decide if you've gotten them all.

Once you are certain that all adults are deceased... :-[, you can locate and remove the nest, crushing it underfoot (wear shoes!), then flush the hull out with a hose to remove the bodies and so much of the spray as possible.

Be thorough!

In the event that some of the wasps might escape through ill-fitting hatch covers or a floor drain you might cover the boat before doing anything. Then you might lift one small corner of the cover, AFTER the initial treatment, and spray some of the conventional mist underneath to "fog" the space.

Please note: You may, without knowing it ,  be hyperallergic to wasp venom. Make sure you have some over-the-counter Benedryl handy (read the cautions on the bottle!) and another person to assist you or call 911 in the event of trouble.

Good luck and keep us posted.

FlyRod

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Well there's your problem right there,.....you went and got married!  

[Jitterbug55]

Well there's your problem right there,.....you went and got married!

hey, hey hey.....  she's a fisherwoman...     While in Florida a guide called her my Snookstress.  She will not bait a hook with a bee.

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[Ben]

Yep, having gotten married will probably take care of them anyway. Done seen too many bass boats to be the first thing to go after the wedding bells quit ringing.

I wouldn't worry about the debugger bothering the boat, but I would make sure to take all my tackle, and lures and anything else I wouldn't won't to get the smell into.

Are you sure they are yellow jackets and not the yellow guinne wasp. I've never known yellow jackets not to nest in the ground. Which I guess doesn't really matter, they both have stingers that hurt like crap when they get you and wouldn't care to be on the water with a boat load of either one when they got ticked off.

[Cajun1977]

maybe its just me but i aint setting off no bug bomb  in  my boat    id deal with it   use a water hose and whack em  but i aint doing the bomb

[Glenn]

I'd call an exterminator and get his advice.  Perhaps also call the local University and see if they wanted a brand-spanking new hive for their studies --- Just come pick it up!  

Or... maybe call a beekeeper and see what he says.  Maybe he'll even take it off your hands.

[Jitterbug55]

Yep, having gotten married will probably take care of them anyway. Done seen too many bass boats to be the first thing to go after the wedding bells quit ringing.

I wouldn't worry about the debugger bothering the boat, but I would make sure to take all my tackle, and lures and anything else I wouldn't won't to get the smell into.

Are you sure they are yellow jackets and not the yellow guinne wasp. I've never known yellow jackets not to nest in the ground. Which I guess doesn't really matter, they both have stingers that hurt like crap when they get you and wouldn't care to be on the water with a boat load of either one when they got ticked off.

How can I tell what they are? They sure look like yellow jackets to the untrained eye.

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[mwhitworth25]

yea just contact a professional. if they are unavailble, go to plan 2. thats where FlyRods advice comes in.

[George Welcome]

I don't know if a bomb would work on the bees, but I do know you can use them with no ill effects to the boat. I have had to do it several times for ants.

[Jitterbug55]

I don't know if a bomb would work on the bees, but I do know you can use them with no ill effects to the boat. I have had to do it several times for ants.

Thanks to all for the good suggestions...   I don't think the bees are in a hatch area, I think they are above the gas tank between the two live wells..  There is an inspection plate there, but good golly I sure would hate to pull an inspection plate off and confront a hive of bees/yellowjackets/whatever...  I am going fishing this week come hell or high water.  the bass are bustin on Lake Lanier and I want my share.

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[telecaster]

Those house flea an roach bombs will work for yellow jackets,I dont know that it kills them right away but they dont like it so they leave.I always get them in the soffets of my house an the guy at the feed store said to use them,I just wait till dark an shove one in the vent.Now weather one would harm the finish on your boat I dont know,My brother and I killed some on his boat with JetBomb (the long stream bee killer).That did dull the finish but it buffed out.