We have the little bitty guys who nest in the ground. Gasoline usually fixes the problem. Any petrol based product will ruin the nest for them.
back in July, I needed to fix the lamp post in the front. I put up a small ladder and was on the second step when the attack came. I had placed the ladder such that my ankles were directly in the flight path to the underground nest.
They ate me up. It took three weeks for it all to heal.
I destroyed the colony with one of those cans that shoots out a long stream. I have poured gas down other yellow jacket holes but that was not necessary this time.