Death of a yellow jacket

[frhrwa]

Ok, more like Death of a few thousand Yellow Jackets... I want to use two pieces of screen, large enough for these flying cannibals to crawl through.. put insulators (I have) between them, now the fun part, I need a schematic for the electrical portion.. how much power, how big of a capacitor, and so on.. maybe like a HIGH Power flash for an old camera? bigger power supply tho.. thanks..

 

[Solidus]

I suggest you look up the schematics for your typical bug zapper...these use voltage multiplier ladders built with high-power capacitors and diodes to escalate voltage. Another possibility is old TV flyback transformers for CRTs - these can generate potentials of over 20 kV in some instances.

The drivers are easy to construct using MOSFETs - check out the IRF510, a pretty bread-and-butter high-power one. Create a low-voltage high-frequency inverter and use that to drive the primary of the flyback.

This shouldn't have to be said, but in the interest of full disclosure and potential liability it should be - these voltages are dangerous - I've built high-voltage supplies and met the other end of 800V before, it's not fun. 20kV is another thing entirely, so if you are to go about this project use all possible caution when dealing with such supplies. Even relatively inert-looking capacitors can store massive potentials, so if there's any doubt, don't touch it.

 

[frhrwa]

thanks for the heads up, I fully aware of HV and what it can do, USN working ET put me in touch with some really large tubes that put out extreme HV.. and we always charged up a cap to toss to the new guy when he came aboard... Appreciate the info, might go with a "flash" unit, they are readily avail. at garage sales and can be beefed enough.. just want to "pow" them so they clear the screen for the next one.. rather than lay their and fry..

 

[Externet]

Hi frhrwa !

Try an automotive/motorcycle ignition coil powering its primary with a 12 VAC wall wart,
Or 12VDC in a buzzer relay configuration, and tell results which works better !

(+12VDC)---------relay coil-------------------------NC·-------·C--------------(-)
(+12VDC)---------ignition coil primary-----------NO·

C, NO, NC are the relay contacts.

 

[Raven Luni]

You do realise you can buy these zappers quite cheaply?

 

[frhrwa]

but not high powered ones.. yellow jackets just screem ouch with the yellow tennis racket zapper

 

[(*steve*)]

Have you considered something like this?

Note that it is NOT a recommendation. It would be deadly, or at the very least VERY dangerous.

Fortunately there are no construction details.

 

[Externet]

Great! What a deadly idea ! A microwave oven transformer and an air sandwich with chicken wire. Brilliant ! I will try one next April. There you go, frhrwa, if an ignition coil does not make it...

 

[davenn]

OK, I will bite ... what the heck is a Yellow Jacket ???


Dave

 

[frhrwa]

love it, that would probably clean out the entire area.. ha.. yellow jacket, how to explain it, I'm sure there is a picture on the web somewhere, its basically a bee that stings as many times as it wants and bites a chunk out of you also.. no stinger I guess because it will just keep stinging.. but the bite is carnivorous.. yellow and black striped.. I'll see if I can find a picture, or take a picture of one..

 

[mrmodify]

I have tangled with them more than I care to remember.

Dave, Yellow jackets are probably one of the meanest type of bee/wasp we have in the US. The stings are nasty and hurt alot, you are lucky if you get away with only one sting when you find a nest. They usually build a nest under ground. When they do sting they leave some type of chemical that will attract the other yellow jackets even hours later. When you hit a nest it is not unusual for them to folllow you and get stung by 20 or more.

frhrwa, dude take some advice I understand what you want to do. Kill the nest in the late evening and do it quickly and get away they believe in vingance. A quart of Petro in a garden sprayer with the tip removed works great.

And good luck!

 

[KJ6EAD]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_jacket

 

[Solidus]

Steve, that giant microwave zapper is perhaps the most ingenious thing I've seen in awhile.

"To hell with one microwave transformers - use 8 and they'll fry!"

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Yeah it's a thing of beauty!

No doubt it's irrational and cruel to take pleasure in the death of other living creatures, but I don't like wasps, and I just find the combination of the short zapping sound, the flash of light, and the visual of a small body falling from the unit, quite satisfying.

 

[frhrwa]

amen to that.. for sure

 

[davenn]

ahhhh the common wasp

ya should have just said!! LOL

I havent seen them in Australia, we have other varieties here including a couple of native ones
but the one above is very common in New Zealand ( my old home)

Dave

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Yeah, those photos look like what we call "German wasps" with the distinctive yellow and black stripy look.

The name yellowjacket reminds me of yellowcoats, the unofficial name for the staff at English holiday camps like Butlins, and that so-called comedy show Hi-de-hi from the 1980s. And that awful Su Pollard doing her announcements, which always started with "Hellooo cahmpairs" I think I'd rather be stung by a wasp than watch an episode of that!