Summary: Bees are buzzing. Wasps are stinging and you're trying to have a quiet picnic. Pest control 101 tells you that food in the open during late summer is an invitation to dance with angry insects.
Trying to picnic in late summer can be hazardous to your health. I'm not talking about heat stroke from ninety degree temperatures and humidity you can cut with a knife. Nor, am I speaking of getting food poisoning from that potato salad that has been baking too long in the sun. I'm referring to the health hazard caused by nature's little stinging machines, the Yellow Jacket wasp.
As summer comes to an end and the kids are preparing to return to school, you decide to have one more family gathering. “Let's get everyone together for an “end of summer” picnic.” Unbeknownst to you,
Paravespula germanica, the German yellow jacket, is planning its own “end of summer” event on the same patch of land where you hope to spread you blanket.
You need to know that from August through October, yellow jackets build up in large populations and scavenge for human food (carbonated beverages, cider, juices, ripe fruits and vegetables, candy, ice cream, fish, ham, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc.) All worker yellow jackets die with the first frost, so they are in a frenzy to collect food for the hive that will help the over-wintering queen survive. By the end of summer a yellow jacket colony can reach a maximum size of 4,000 to 5,000 workers and a nest of 10,000 to 15,000 cells.
Knowing all this, if you are still determined to have that picnic, keep these tidbits of information in mind. Keep food covered until eaten, especially ripe fruit and soft drinks. Any scent of food caused by outdoor cooking, eating, feeding pets or garbage cans will attract many bees and wasps Yellow jackets have a lance-like stinger without barbs and can sting repeatedly. This insect is bold, aggressive and, if provoked, can sting repeatedly and painfully. Should a yellow jacket wasp fly near you or land on your body, never swing or strike at it or run rapidly away. Quick movements often provoke attacks. When a wasp is near you, remain calm and stationary for a while. Then, move very slowly away from where the wasps are swarming and avoid stepping on the ground nest.
Wasps and bees can fly about six to seven miles per hour so humans can outrun them. However, by the time you start running you may incur numerous painful stings caused by your rapid movement. Never strike, swing or crush a wasp or bee against your body since it could incite nearby yellow jackets into a frenzied attack. Wasp venom contains a chemical "alarm pheromone," released into the air, signaling guard wasps to come and sting whomever and whatever gets in their way.
Bon Appétit and don't say I didn't warn you.
Click here to watch my short video on how to control wasps.
Comments
Jen
20 Jul 2009, 20:45
I moved into my dorm(5th floor) about 2 weeks ago and noticed there were a
couple of dead wasps around the window. I think they are yellow jackets.
They around 1.5 cm with thin waists, yellow & black stripes, no fuzz,
yellow legs, and black antennae. For the past two weeks I've been living
here, 3 live wasps have gotten in my room at night, attacking and invading
my ceiling light. I called housing after the first incident and they put
caulk or putty into the large openings in my window, but 2 wasps have
gotten in after this. I've been able to kill them, but I'm wondering if
more will keep coming? Should i be worried?
Ask the Exterminator
21 Jul 2009, 11:48
The wasps are looking for food, not you. But, that said, they are finding
their way inside via cracks and openings from the outside. Call the
maintenance department and tell them to return and keep doing it until they
find all the entry points.
diana
23 Jul 2009, 19:08
We have a restaurant and a big garden. How can we keep wasps from the
garden and from our guests, so that they can peacefully eat their lunch,
because that is wright now impossible. There is no nest near our garden, we
already looked for it. They are just everywhere at the moment. Thank you
Ask the Exterminator
23 Jul 2009, 20:32
The wasps may be coming from nests as far away as a quarter mile, so
hunting for nests is futile. There are a few things that may help. Fans are
one. The wasp do not do well in air currents. Another control method is to
put wasp traps outside the perimeter of your restaurant. They are
inexpensive plastic jars with one-way entryways. You can bait the jars with
lots of diffent types of food bait. The traps usually provide suggestions
in the instruction label. They are available online.
Doug
25 Jul 2009, 08:23
I know you've been asked this many times, as i've read your postings, but i
have one thing differing than the others. the time of year, if it makes
any difference.
For the last week or two, we've been killing off "lethargic" german yellow
jackets from inside our North East Ohio house. We only find 2-3 a day, in
various points within the house, and usually only in the morning/early
afternoon.
I was content to leave them alone untill they die in winter, untill i
rolled over on one in my bed this morning.
Do you believe that these are random strays, new queens, or is it more
likely that i have a nest in one of my walls/attic that is starting to get
too large?
Ask the Exterminator
25 Jul 2009, 13:30
We usually see lethargic wasps during cold weather. Consistent appearances
of wasps indoors indicates a possible nest. Start the search.
Mark
27 Jul 2009, 09:32
Thanks for the info. I have treated the nest with boric acid powder,
applied with a highpower duster. But the wasps are still there. Time to
call in the pros.
Mark
27 Jul 2009, 10:41
Srry, forgot to ask this, what is the knockdown time of boric acid on
yellowjackets? maybe it's not over yet. Thanks
Ask the Exterminator
27 Jul 2009, 11:14
Boric acid is a slow knockdown. Better to use Tempo dust.
Phil
27 Jul 2009, 22:42
My problem is the same as the others...recurring nests year after
year...never in the same spot so I get stung year after year and its
getting old...is there something I can spray my yard with that will prevent
them from building nest in it? If so when should I spray it and how often?
I have a 2 acre yard so there are plenty of places that we do not frequent
and that is where I find the nest after I have been attacked...Thanks
Ask the Exterminator
28 Jul 2009, 11:16
Sub-soil wasp nests can be tough to locate, but if you can find them I
suggest treating them with a pesticide dust formulation like Tempo 1% dust.
It's a matter of elimination to win that battle.
Phil
28 Jul 2009, 12:21
Is there something I can spray my property with that will detour them from
building nests?
Ask the Exterminator
28 Jul 2009, 14:55
Applications of any of the popular pesticides like Demand or Tempo will
help, but you will have to do lots of repeat treatments and be sure to
treat all the eaves of the house.
Andy kn
29 Jul 2009, 22:16
I had a large yellow jacket nest on the inside of a wall. I located the
opening however I'm not able to acess the nest. I plugged the opening with
steel wool. Will they die in there and if so how long will it take?
I'm sure I'll have to remove the wall covering to remove the nest however
do want to let ample time for them to die.
Thanks
Ask the Exterminator
30 Jul 2009, 09:52
Please read my article at
http://www.asktheexterminator.com/Wasps/Yellow_Jacket_Nest.shtml.
david
06 Aug 2009, 07:07
hi there.i have wasps coming into my kitchen.they are nesting on the
upstairs neghbours window.she doesnt seem to care..my g-friend and son are
scared of them.is there anything like honey or something i can put outside
so they dont come inside to look 4 food?
Ask the Exterminator
06 Aug 2009, 17:03
Putting honey outside will draw more wasps, for sure. Put a wasp bottle
trap outside. You can buy them for a few dollars at any hardware store.
marie
08 Aug 2009, 13:05
We found the hive of yellow jackets outside the laundry room of our 1885
home. We can hear that they have made a nest in the wall, yesterday they
started showing up in the house. We can't figure out how they are getting
in.....what on earth do we do now. The wasp death toll since yesterday at
4:30 pm is now 25 and it is only 1:04pm
Thank you!
Ask the Extermnator
08 Aug 2009, 16:26
Monitor the wasp activity from the outside of the house late in the day.
You should be able to spot wasps returning to the nest for the night. The
point where they are entering the house must be treated with a pesticide
dust to kill the nest. You don't have to hit the nest directly, but you do
need to coat the entrance with the poison dust.
jodyann
13 Aug 2009, 01:30
i have gone into my kitchen last night and there are about 20 wasps in my
kitchen strip light, i have a big phobia of them and dont know what to
do!!!
carol
25 Aug 2009, 16:59
We have yellow jackets in the siding of our house. Can we spray them and
cover up the hole or do you HAVE TO remove the hive. We are in IL and
hopefully the fall cool/cold weather may kill whats left after spraying but
there are still weeks of warm weather left.
Amy
25 Aug 2009, 18:18
How do wasps/hornets/yellow jackets get in the "walls'? Our home was built
in 1977 and I don't see any cracks outside or around the windows. Could
they be coming in the roof, then in the attic, then in the walls? We have
bees in the house, a couple per week and I was just wondering. So, HOW DO
THEY GET INTO WALLS?? Where do I need to look??
MeMe
27 Aug 2009, 14:45
We have yellow jackets in the house. I noticed them 3 weeks ago.I found
the location of there activity. I called our exterminator. They dusted
and sprayed. We stopped seeing hundreds of them a day. But still had them
coming in the house. So I had the exterminator back out and they sprayed
and dusted again. Again the amount has reduced but I am still getting them
in the house. I have now had the exterminator out 3 times. I have
probably vaccuum up 800 plus . My question is how long should this take to
end my battle with them?? Should I put steel wool in the hole?? Help??
Giovanni
30 Aug 2009, 03:51
We're in northern IL and have an outside speaker under a cantilevered part
of the house. I see wasps going behind the speaker, so I assume there is a
nest behind the siding. In the bedroom above this, I keep finding dead
wasps on the window, which is kept closed all the time, and on the carpet
in front of the window. I don't see any obvious openings inside the room.
I have two questions. How are they getting in and why are they dieing?
steven
30 Aug 2009, 11:24
I wonder if they eat at out grill?
or the drippings below? It does not
say they "eat" at flowers. Huh
Phil
01 Sep 2009, 00:31
I posted earlier about my YJ problem but it is getting worse. I mow my
land (3 acres) every week and the amount of land I can mow is decreasing
due to my YJ problem. I now have a total of 5 active nests on my property.
I have managed to kill 4 others but 5 remain and it seems like they are
building new ones every week. Is this part of the other nests or are they
separate? If they are separate will the different nests fight with each
other? The nests are all in the ground and are in three different corners
of my property with 2 some what in the middle so I don't think they are all
connected? I can continue treating the nests but it seems they are just
taking advantage of my short grass and either moving and building a new
nest when I treat one or new ones are joining the party. Is there any way
to run them away from my property or am I just stuck with them?...Thanks
mikey
16 Sep 2009, 00:19
No pesitcide way to remove a nest! My wife is allergic and I have kids. I
can't afford an exterminator. I hooked up my shopvac hose to a 2x4 with
duc-tape near the entrance to a nest near an overhang on my house. I left
the vac on from 1pm to 4 pm and got about 50-70 bees. Then I plugged the
hole. It has been bee free ever since.
PAUL
18 Sep 2009, 09:04
I have a yellow jack nest in the ground
under my porch I need to clean up everything under there. When would be a
safe time to do this? end of sept? middle of oct?
Thanks
zara
22 Sep 2009, 13:37
can they kill you
