Skunks, raccoons, badgers, bears, and other mammals have been known to attack and destroy yellowjacket nests in order to eat the wasp grubs, eggs, and even adults. Skunks typically attack at night when the yellowjackets are least active, digging into the burrow, pawing through the nest, and eating the wasp larvae.
Most yellowjackets' predators are mammals that are much bigger than wasps, like skunks, black bears, and raccoons. In Georgia and Indiana, raccoons have been identified as the top yellowjackets predators. Bears are the most likely big mammals in the United States to regularly predate yellowjackets.
This insect developed such a defensive behavior due to the actions of predators like raccoons and skunks. These small carnivores dig out yellow jacket nests in hollow logs or underground to eat the tasty larval and pupal wasps inside.
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.
The smell of peppermint is a yellow jacket repellant. Combine a few drops of pure peppermint oil, a few tablespoons of dish soap and warm water in a spray bottle. Locate any active wasp nests and carefully spray the concoction around the entrance.
When you swat or kill a yellow jacket, the dead insect gives off a pheromone which attracts more yellow jackets from its colony. This is why the National Park Service recommends avoidance when it comes to yellow jackets and making sure your home is not a nesting location.
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.
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.
Wasps and yellow jackets are beneficial insects. They feed their young on insects that would otherwise damage crops and ornamental plants in your garden. They can also feed on house fly and blow fly larva.
Dry ice kills yellowjackets and many other pests on contact and again works best for nests underground. Dump finely broken up dry ice into the entrance of a yellowjacket nests and quickly cover the hole with dirt or a bowl with a tight seal.
Each nest is created by a single queen, and at the end of the season, many new queens exit the nest and find a spot to hibernate for the winter.
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.
When the weather turns colder, food sources disappear and they begin to starve. Starvation makes them angry and aggressive as they work hard to seek food. Yellow jacket colonies grow largest in late summer and early fall just when their food sources begin to diminish, providing plenty of frustrated, hungry wasps.
Attacking yellowjackets release a pheromone (chemical) that calls other yellowjackets to defend the nest. Activity around a nest, particularly activity that causes vibration, such as from a lawnmower, weed trimmer, or hedge clipping, can cause angry yellowjackets to swarm from a ground nest and attack.
Yellow Jackets will only die from weather exposure when there's been 5-7 days of weather under 45 degrees in a row.
For Yellow Jacket Nests that are not located high up and instead are lower to the ground or underground, apply D-Fense Dust. D-Fense Dust is a deltamethrin dust and can successfully kill Yellow Jackets on contact.
Treat yellow jacket nests just after dusk or just before sunrise.
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.
Tips for Preventing Yellow Jackets
Any sites where previous nests were should be sprayed with a mixture of soap and water once per month. These flying pests also hate the smell of peppermint, so it could be time to plant a few mint plants in your garden. Finally, make sure to keep your yard clean.
Late summer and early fall is when they're most active. But you knew that. "They're more aggressive this time of year," said Carol Fusco, senior naturalist at Bergen County Zoo in Paramus. "And your leftovers could be their food."
Yellow jackets don't usually leave stingers in your skin. Because of this, they can sting you multiple times, unlike bees. Bees leave their stingers in your skin, so they can only sting you once.