Yellowjackets have poor night vision and generally stay in the nest at night. Larger, late-season nests may have a few sentries posted at the opening to the nest, so approach the nest with caution. 2. Use a light source that can be turned off quickly in case the yellowjackets swarm out of the nest.
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 101
A large nest can be home to thousands of stinging insects, so always be cautious. Yellow jackets are least active from dark until just after dawn. But that doesn't mean they won't attack when provoked.
Once you find a yellowjacket nest, you will want to wait until nighttime before you attempt to apply treatments. Dawn, dusk, and especially during the day are not advised since the wasps are active during these times. If you treat a nest during the day, there is a strong possibility the wasps will swarm and chase you.
Dump dry Ice. 'Dry ice can be hard to get a hold of in some places, but it is a fast, non-toxic option for those seeking to use natural methods of removing yellowjackets,' Rachel says. Dry ice kills yellowjackets and many other pests on contact and again works best for nests underground.
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.
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.
What Eats Yellowjackets? 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.
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!
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.
Yellowjackets have poor night vision and generally stay in the nest at night. Larger, late-season nests may have a few sentries posted at the opening to the nest, so approach the nest with caution. 2. Use a light source that can be turned off quickly in case the yellowjackets swarm out of the nest.
Yellowjackets are most active between 10 am and 4 pm, weather dependent.
Spraying the entry point with a liquid wasp spray or other aerosol will kill a lot of yellow jackets, but you will not get material into the nest itself. Nests treated with aerosols will almost always bounce back. The preferred material for bee and wasp control in a wall void is an insecticidal dust.
Use Peppermint Oil
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.
According to the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association, most yellow jacket colonies grow the largest during late summer and early fall, just when their food sources begin to diminish. Just like humans, when they are not eating and are hungry, they get frustrated and aggressive.
Yellow jackets can sting multiple times, unlike most bees, which sting only once. Bees have a barb on their stingers that becomes stuck in a victim's flesh, producing a single sting, while yellow jackets have stingers without barbs that can puncture flesh multiple times while injecting venom.
Peppermint oil: Yellow jackets are not fond of mint-based herbs like spearmint and peppermint. The great thing about peppermint oil is that it naturally repels all sorts of pests, including yellow jackets, wasps, flies and spiders.
wear light colored clothing since yellow jackets are attracted to brightly colored clothing and to dark clothing.
Wasps from the Vespula and Dolichovespula genera are called yellow jackets in the US. Yellow jacket species are smaller than other wasps but more aggressive. They're more likely to sting than other wasps, but their stings hurt less.
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.
How Long Do Yellow Jackets Live? LIke other similar insects, yellow jacket queens live longer than the workers (almost a year longer). Workers tend to live around 22 days.