Yellow jackets in my well

There is a yellow jacket nest in my well cap. It has a temporary power connection and there is a small gap. Just about the right size aparently.

I have put a pherenome based trap next to the nest. I will see if it attracts workers faster than the queen makes them. However I need to put the new power wires in the cap.

Spraying anything toxic into my well seems like a bad idea. I would also rather like to minimize things dropping out of the nest and into the water.

I have thought about going out at night and taping over the hole. Then come back and put a bunch of dry ice on the cap. It they are actually on the cap it might freeze them to death.

Any ideas?

Frst of all, there are many types of well heads.(deep drilled, 4", 6", 8"diam,, ,shallow 30" diam, etc, etc.
is this Well the drilled type,perhaps 6 "in diam, with a domed metal cap.?
if it is not, then please describe more accurately what type it is and others may help you out.

Try a Shop-Vac.

If they are in fact Yellow Jackets which usually make their nest in the ground, I understand they won't come out at nite. So the Shop Vac at nite might be the best way to go.

bob...

If you cover the well cap with a plastic bag tight enough so they can't get out and leave it for a week it should kill them, you can also leave a bleach soaked rag in the bag and the fumes will help take care of them also.

If you have a MIG welder, Argon will put them out.

You can also rent an Argon tank from a welding supply.

Rancher

The trap seems to be having an impact. After a couple of days I am not seeing traffic at the nest. But lots of annoyed wasps in the trap. I will let it go for a while and open the cap at night.

Just a follow-up. The trap worked perfectly. And it did not leave yellow jackets inside the pipe to fall in the well.

The traps are generally fairly useless in controlling a nest unless you get the queen before she settles in to make a nest. But close proximity if you know where the nest is may be a good general solution to the problem.