Like wasps and hornets, yellow jackets live in a colony with hundreds or thousands of other yellow jackets. There is one queen who selects the site for the nest, then reproduces with the help of a few male yellow jackets from early summer through autumn. Most of the growing community is sterile females who are the workers. The workers build the nest and find food. By the end of the season, there may be as many as 5,000 yellow jackets in a colony. However, at the end of the season, all of the wasps leave the nest to die, and the queen finds a safe place to stay through the winter. Yellow jackets do not typically re-use a nest once they leave.
If you have yellow jackets on your property, you have a potentially dangerous situation. Yellow jackets are actually a common type of wasp. While the majority are only half an inch long, they can be aggressive and will sting a person or pet that threatens them or their nest. In fact, yellow jackets will often sting multiple times. Stings are very painful, but usually only dangerous if the person being stung has an allergy or is stung many times.
Yellow jackets like sweet foods and can be a nuisance, if not a danger, when they come across people enjoying sweet drinks and foods. They can also be quite aggressive to people and pets near their nest. Because of their aggression, they can be dangerous to control.
If you’ve encountered yellow jackets near your home, you know what pests they can be. Having yellow jackets around is like living with a constant threat, as these insects deliver painful stings and can be aggressive. Certain varieties of wasp are also scavengers and feed off many of the same foods that humans eat, so they can ruin a backyard barbeque or picnic in their search for your food.
If you’ve seen an inordinate number of yellow jackets on your property or discovered a nest, don’t wait. Call us – the local yellow jacket control experts! We are your premier yellow jacket control service.
If yellow jackets are menacing your property, call us, and we’ll help!
