Vinegar to repell bees?

[MrB]

Hello, I have a 600 gallon pond and I would like to know if I use the 4.5 gallons of vinegar recommended to repel bees, will that make it smell?
Thank you

 

[Lisak1]

What?? You want to put vinegar in the pond to repel bees? That's a new one. Do you have fish? Or plants? Neither will enjoy a vinegar bath - vinegar will also kill plants if it's concentrated enough.

Tell us more about the bees... why do they need to be repelled?

Oh and welcome to the GPF!

 

[MrB]

What?? You want to put vinegar in the pond to repel bees? That's a new one. Do you have fish? Or plants? Neither will enjoy a vinegar bath - vinegar will also kill plants if it's concentrated enough.

Tell us more about the bees... why do they need to be repelled?

Oh and welcome to the GPF!

I'm sorry, I should have been more specific. There are no fish or live plants in the pond. Just the silk ones. Why do I want to get rid of the bees? Well, because they are yellow jackets and yellow jackets (IMHO) are very nasty. As for the vinegar, I read online that it repels bees because they don't like the smell or taste or something. I can't say if it actually works so maybe that's another question. Anyhow, hope that helps and thank you for your reply.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah... gotcha! Yellow jackets are a whole other story! Repel away! I've been stung badly by yellow jackets more than once and am definitely not a fan!

I don't know if putting vinegar in the pond would work, but I do know it would smell. And while the smell does dissipate (I use vinegar all the time for household cleaning) that amount may take a good deal of time to go away.

How many yellow jackets are we talking about? Have you ever tried the homemade traps you can make out of 2 liter pop bottles? Do you know where the nest is located? That might be your best bet - get rid of the source if they are close by.

 

[MrB]

How many Yellow Jackets, I don't know, ones too many. We live up here in Spokane, Washington and around here we have lots and lots of yellow jackets. They can nest about anywhere and there's just no getting rid of them. Great idea about the traps, I've got four already. Unfortunately, they really like water when it's hot so that's going to be difficult with my pond.

 

[addy1]

Bees, honey bees, like vinegar. Wasps , yellow jackets, I have never heard that vinegar will repel them.

We use the traps. This time of year some protein, chicken fish with a bit of onslaught.

"Onslaught is also one of the only products on the market that can be used to bait for Yellow Jackets. To see how this works, please see our Apine Yellow Jacket Bait Stations with Onslaught Kit. "

 

[Lisak1]

I hear you. Like I said, I've been stung one too many times by yellow jackets. They are horrible. Basically ruin any chance of eating outdoors from mid-July on here in the midwest. I can't say they've ever been a real problem around our pond though.

 

[addy1]

I never see them hanging out around the pond. The beehives that is different. They can kill off a hive.

 

[poconojoe]

I have a funny yellow jacket story.
Many years ago when bug zappers were popular, I was at a barbecue. We noticed yellow jackets entering a hole in the eave of my friend's garage. There happened to be a hook nearby and he hung the bug zapper on it. The yellow jackets started attacking the zapper. They were well organized too. There were guards that sat by the hole and others kept coming out to attack the zapper. When it was over, there was a pile of dead yellow jackets on the ground. It was hundreds of them!

 

[poconojoe]

I remember a camping trick where we would put pancake syrup on paper plates attached to trees away from our campsite. It would draw them away.

 

[TAHOE]

vinegar will attract flies and fruit flies.