Pest Identification: Yellow Jackets

Yellow Jackets, considered beneficial social wasps, feed on sweet secretions and insects. The fertilized queen survives winter and in spring, seeks nesting sites in various locations. She lays initial eggs, tends to them until adulthood, and the new workers support the colony. In fall, nests become noticeable, leading to increased calls for removal, often due to disturbances during shrub trimming.

Yellow Jackets can be aggressive, defending their nests with multiple stings. Homeowners are advised not to attempt treatment, especially if allergic or unsure. Professionals use various methods to eradicate nests, leaving them up during treatment to ensure all members return and die. Post-treatment, there may be some hatching, but without colony support, they die.

Preventive measures include keeping trash away from people during parties, covering food, knocking down forming nests, and monitoring ground nests. Yellow Jacket nests are layered, making it challenging for sprays to reach all layers.

Yellow Jackets can sting multiple times, releasing pheromones to signal a threat. Encountering an aggressive nest requires running far away and seeking enclosed shelter. Ground-nesting yellow jackets construct nests underground, while aerial nests are typically less troublesome in outdoor eating areas. The impact on human health includes repeated stings from female yellow jackets, potential sensitivity to venom, and defensive behavior if nests are disturbed.

If you need hornets, wasps, bees, carpenter bees, and yellow jackets removed from your property, including ground wasp nests, contact the pest control specialists at Ford’s Hometown Services for prompt, professional, and effective hornet, ground wasp, bee, carpenter bee, and yellow jacket elimination.

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