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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW UPDATED: Father tells of daughter's ordeal during shooting ... Redneck Games bring muddy fun for all, from obstacle course to toilet-seat horseshoes ... How to help families of UCC shooting victims ... UPDATED: Father tells of daughter's ordeal during shooting ... Redneck Games bring muddy fun for all, from obstacle course to toilet-seat horseshoes ... How to help families of UCC shooting victims ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Those 'meat bees' are really yellowjackets Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Oct. 1, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Help! I have meat bees in my yard. They dug a hole in the ground. What can I use or do to get rid of them? My yard guy got stung three times. Thanks. — Joan F. We have some suggestions, Joan, but first, to clarify, the "meat bees" you are referring to are almost certainly not bees and are more likely western yellowjackets, which commonly live in the ground. While bees are rarely aggressive (and incredibly beneficial to the environment), yellowjackets and wasps can be very aggressive, especially this time of year. According to an article provided by Sarah Laird, aka the Bee Girl, the various species of wasps get to be more of an annoyance this time of year for the simple reason that they have more time on their hands. The "worker" wasps are done feeding insects and carrion to the next generation in the nest and now have only themselves to worry about, So they head out in search of more interesting food, particularly sweet foods like pie, ice cream, juice or fallen fermented fruit. If you know where the yellow jacket next is, you can just stay clear of it — the queen will leave the nest and find a warm spot to burrow while all the rest of the yellow jackets will die in the winter and the nest will not be reused. If you can find the opening to the nest, you can take the chemical approach and spray them. But take care to do that only at night when the wasps are more dormant and use a can in which the spray can be locked on while you vacate the area, since wasp nests may have more than one door. You also could hire an exterminator to do the dirty work. A non-toxic approach — again, best used at night — is to fill a hose-end sprayer with dish soap and water, make sure it's good and soapy and then soak the nest. The soap will stick to the wasps and basically suffocate them. You can use bait stations and yellow jacket traps. They come with an attractant, but if you prefer to make your own bait, meat works best earlier in the year and sweets better in the fall. And you can reduce the likelihood of a wasp encounter by keeping your garbage covered and foods indoors as much as possible. If there's no food service around, the wasps will be less likely to hang out in your yard. Here's a couple of tips we'd never heard of: You can buy fake wasp nests (who knew?) to hang up, because wasps won't build near an existing nest. If you want to keep them out of your house, hang up a sandwich bag filled with water and a penny in the doorway. Wasps seem to think that's some kind of predator and will steer clear. Strange but true. —Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. 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