They're back again this year all the sudden, this time nesting under the concrete slab comprising my front porch. I don't think they've been there long but there sure are a lot of them. I have gotten several stings from the nasty little buggers since I discovered them yesterday.
Last night while they were quiet and mostly in their hole under or beside the concrete (not quite ready to pull the grass up to precisely locate them), except for one in my shirt that stung me in the back, I poured about 3 gallons of soapy, boiling vinegar-and-water in, on and around their hole. It quieted them down considerably, but no idea how much damage was done to the nest. It did not fully destroyed them or the nest, as they still come and go but with a lot more social distancing.
Keeping in mind that this is outdoors in full open air, here's my question: Since the hole and underground area are still damp from the vinegar bomb I dropped in, if I now, a day later, pour in say, a quart or two of dilute bleach, which will combine with the vinegar-moistened earth to form highly toxic chlorine gas, shouldn't this fumigate the nest and destroy them all? Seems it should.
Also, are there any consequences in doing this to vegetation about which I should be aware? It seems this might do the job and also break down pretty fast with no lasting effects. Any chemists/soil scientists here?
If this worked, it would be the cat's pajamas ... and I'm glad I don't have any pets here now that would make the situation somewhat urgent, I think.
Any ideas about this or about hornets generally are welcome, albeit I'm in the middle of the stream already. In recent years, I have had -- and destroyed -- a lot of them, but this is the first time I've ever been stung.
Please no smart-ass "what a dumb $#@!" replies because I already know that.
Thanks in advance.