I am hoping to get some info/opinions from all of the knowledgeable people here! My wife and I have a raised vegetable garden that measures about 4x20. Soil depth is about 10-12".

Last year we encountered some very aggressive ground hornets during our gardening. We found the entrance that they came in and out of which was below one of the boards that made up the raised garden. The hornets had apparently made a home inside/below the garden. We attempted to ignore them but after being stung multiple times we decided to call an exterminator. Well long story short, they came and dug out the opening. They sprinkled a dust and sprayed a chemical and several days later the hornets were gone. We were so happy to have them gone we did not even think about the possible effects the chemicals would have on our garden. Because the chemicals were not applied to the vegies themselves i did not even think about the possible exposure to insecticides that would result from the treatment.

Just recently, while preparing our garden for this year we realized that the hornets were living in a series of tunnels that have been created by chipmunks all throughout the garden! These tunnels are filled with seeds and we have already stumbled across several litters of baby chipmunks living throughout the garden!

My question is this. Does anyone believe that these insecticides could have been carried by the hornets throughout these tunnels in our garden? What are the chances that the soil could still be contaminated 8 months later? I contacted the company that sprayed and he could only guess what the person that showed up at our house actually used, but he believed it would have been a product called Tempo dust, which is an insecticide containing Cyfluthrin. I do not want my family eating chemicals and would greatly appreciate any info!

Would also love any help in getting rid of these chipmunks too! :)

Any/all info is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

John

As for the nests of chipmunks that all depends on how you feel about killing them by moving them or delaying planting and letting them mature and leave on their own. I'm a country-dwelling wildlife softie so I'd plant elsewhere and leave them alone until they mature but it is your choice of course.

Once they are gone then I'd suggest a thorough tilling of the entire bed to destroy the tunnels, seal/caulk any access points, and give some thought to fencing/enclosing the bed in some manner so that they can't return.

Dave

We start watching for yellow jacket and bald-faced hornet nests about now, and terminate those in bad locations. Boiling water poured down the entry hole at night will make them move on. On level ground, covering the entry hole with a translucent bowl will slowly extinguish a nest, too.

I've noticed that the yellow jackets often relocate in midsummer. We look for new nests in late June so as not to be taken by surprise, but we try to keep a yellow jacket nest close to (but not in) the garden. In years with a working yellow jacket nest nearby, we never see a cabbageworm on fall broccoli and cabbage.