A typical yellow jacket is about the same size as a honey bee – about ½ inch long – and they are mostly yellow in color with alternating yellow and black bands running across their abdomen. Honey bees are slightly larger than yellow jackets and are covered with small hairs which are absent on a yellow jacket. Yellow jackets can also sting multiple times whereas a honey bee can sting only once.
Most of the time, yellow jackets construct their nest underground and we find out where they are when we get buzzed or stung after coming too close to their nest site entrance. They typically dig a small hole at an angle as they tunnel underneath the soil surface or underneath mulch such as pine straw around trees and shrubbery.
As they tunnel and burrow underground, yellow jackets will build a paper nest constructed of layers of comb that is made from chewed up wood fiber. The colony grows and produces both workers and reproductive males. Mated queens will overwinter under brush piles, in hollow trees, or inside a building. Most other yellow jackets in the parent colony will die off when cold weather arrives in the winter.
Not all yellow jacket nests are underground. Some nests have also been discovered in hollow trees, behind wood siding and walls, and even in piles of trash and brush.
Yellow jackets feed on a wide range of food items including nectar in flowers and on decaying fruit. They will also feed on meat and have been known to feed on other insects and the flesh of dead animals. We tend to have more problems with yellow jackets in the late summer and early fall as their native food sources become less plentiful. They are often attracted to sweet carbonated beverages, meat, cake, fruit, and even ice cream at outdoor events and picnics.
The key to controlling yellow jackets is to locate the entrance to their nest. They are pretty sensitive to most of our insecticide products so any pesticide that is labeled for wasp and hornet control will work on yellow jackets. Knock down wasp and hornet sprays are safer to use in case they begin to fly out of the nest entrance when you decide to spray for them.
Another tip on control is to treat the entrance to the nest late in the evening, at night or early in the morning when the yellow jackets are in the nest and are not real active. Spray around the nest entrance and then get out of the area for a while. If you get enough insecticide around the entrance hole, yellow jackets that are inside the nest will eventually get the insecticide on them as they enter and leave the nest and they will die. This may take a day or two but it will work. Don’t hold a light on the entrance hole at night if you treat for them after dark because emerging yellow jackets can be attracted to the light and may sting you if you are holding the light on them.
Another trick that I have found that works for me when I treat for yellow jackets is to mix up an insecticide concentrate product in a gallon or two of water and pour the solution over the entrance hole and then just turn the bucket upside down over the hole and leave it there for a few days. Don’t hang around long if you try this – just dump out the insecticide mixture over the hole - turn down the bucket - and run.
Insecticide products that work on killing yellow jackets include products that contain permethrin, carbaryl, cyfluthrin, and bifenthrin as active ingredients.
Don’t use gasoline or diesel fuel to kill yellow jackets. This is not only dangerous but will also pollute the soil and possibly the ground water in the area.
Measures that can be taken to reduce yellow jacket problems outside are to keep food inside containers at picnics and keep trash cans securely closed to prevent yellow jackets from entering them. Also check open drink containers closely of you leave them out before you take a swig from them.
Yellow jacket traps are available in local stores and garden centers and can be placed in areas where outdoor events are going to be held a few days in advance of the event. The key in using these products is to place them in the area a few days before you are going to have the event so a reduction in the number of yellow jackets in the area will be achieved.
Finally, yellow jackets are notorious for coming to hummingbird feeders. A good remedy for this problem is to buy a hummingbird feeder that has a bee guard on it to prevent yellow jackets and bees from getting to the hummingbird mix. Also keep in mind that yellow jackets are attracted to yellow color so try to use a solid red colored feeder or paint over the yellow color with red paint.
Yellow jackets are creatures of habit like us and tend to pattern their flight paths to an easy source of food. You could try moving the hummingbird feeder to another spot for a few days and see if this stops the yellow jacket problems. Hanging a yellow jacket trap in the vicinity of the feeder can also help to attract them away from the feeders and aid in controlling them.
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