Yellowjackets and other wasp species do not use the same nest again the following year.
Remember, yellow- jackets and paper wasps are beneficial insects—control them only if only absolutely necessary. Yellowjackets and paper wasps do not reuse their nests the fol- lowing year, although paper wasps may construct a new nest adjacent to an old one.
Yellow jackets are visiting or making a home in your yard because they can regularly find food there. Cut off their source of food and see if they look for a new hangout spot. Keep trash containers closed. Store pet food in sealed containers, ideally in the home, the garage, or a shed.
Yellow jackets become more aggressive as early fall approaches making them more likely to sting, which is why if you have a nest on your property now is the time to treat or remove it.
Assess the situation: While seeing yellow jackets on your property can be scary, if the nest is in an area of the property that sees little to no human activity, it may not be necessary to remove it. Yellow jackets help to control the population of pest insects like mosquitoes and may actually be doing you a favor.
A colony of yellow jackets only forages about a mile from home to gather their food, so if you are seeing them frequently, odds are you're close to their colony, or nest. Nests have populations of 2,000 to 4,000 worker yellow jackets (all female), some drone (male) yellow jackets and up to 50 queens at once!
Summer storms are bad for yellow jackets, which tend to also build their nests in the ground. Whether it's in a hole in the ground, under the porch stairs or beneath the sidewalk, a yellow jacket nest has a higher chance of flooding when it rains.
An effective method for underground nests is to use a mixture of boiling hot water and dish detergent. Fill a bucket with scalding hot water and soap and pour the entire bucket over the entry and exit holes. This will likely kill the entire colony instantly but is not recommended for above-ground yellowjacket nests.
While yellow jackets tolerate colder temperatures than bees, they will eventually die off. Only the new queen, who hides deep in the ground, will survive the winter to start the colony over again in spring.
Yellowjacket nests usually last for only one season, dying off in winter. The nest is started by a single queen, called the "foundress". Typically, a nest can reach the size of a basketball by the end of a season.
After mating, males die and the fertilized females go in search of hibernation locations. Worker wasps perish in winter, leaving the hibernating queen to begin anew in spring. While nests may last through winter if built in sheltered areas, they will not be used again.
As mentioned above, Yellow Jackets are very susceptible to the weather and they will do anything they can to find a home that is safe and warm. Yellow Jackets will only die from weather exposure when there's been 5-7 days of weather under 45 degrees in a row.
Yellow jackets never just lie down and die. If their primary entry point is blocked, they will always look for another way out. This alternate escape route is often indoors.
Yellow jackets are a social wasp variety. Determine how large the nest is and where the entry and exit points are. There will likely be a few sentry yellow jackets, often referred to as worker wasps, flying around the nest opening. Treat yellow jacket nests just after dusk or just before sunrise.
If you see bees, wasps, or yellow jackets going into a small hole in the side of your house or under the eaves, etc… but you can't see their hive or nest, DO NOT SEAL UP THE HOLE! These insects will find a way out. They are good chewers and the drywall in your home is easy for them to chew through.
Similarly, rats, weasels and skunks have been known to prey upon yellow jacket nests from time to time. When it comes to the larger mammals, the unrivaled giant of wasp predators is surely the bear.
Yellow jackets will chase you. The instinct to protect the nests is strong for this insect. For this reason, they have been known to give chase for several yards. They will even go around obstacles or hover near water and wait.
Yellow jackets are less active at night and most of them will be in their underground nest. Yellow jackets are less active when the ambient temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If working at night, keep in mind a flashlight may attract the wasps.
The nest may have more than one entrance, but yellow jackets do not create a second escape hatch. The queens establish a nest wherever they find a suitable existing hole; perhaps a root rotted away or a rodent abandoned a nest.
Spectracide Pro Wasp and Hornet Killer
The Spectracide Pro line works for up to four weeks when sprayed at the nest. It is effective against wasps, mud daubers, hornets, and yellow jackets and kills any insects and the nest within seconds of contact. You'll need to coat the nest for the best results.