Annette. I have a war with the bald faced hornets and the yellowjackets, I cannot stand either of these, and they afflict the hive. I have made a few posts on issues with these. I am not going to retype stuff, but if you want to read more, do a search on our forum, there has been quite a lot of talk.
I have in place around my apiary "wasp traps". Yes, I use beer, the cheapest beer that I can find. The wasps (and flies) do not have discerning tastebuds like I do :). The beer traps work. I have killed many of the hideous and enormous bald faced hornets already, along with many yellow jackets. I know they go to the traps before they head into my colonies.
I would go out and spend a few dollars on wasp traps, they are a little bit costly, but honestly, the peace of mind that they bring to me is worth every penny. I know that my bees are not getting killed by these predators, they get too drunk :evil:. Actually, they drown in the beer, but have a good time in the last moments of their lives.
I will not tolerate these predators around my colonies. I know that they have uses in the gardens, eat lots of bad bugs and I appreciate this, but any that venture close to my girls is going to have the death by drown, and I don't have one little problem with that whatsoever. Check out the threads that talk about the yellowjackets. Have a wonderful day, good luck, protect your girls. Cindi