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Arming Yourself with Info About Controlling your Yellow Jacket Population | Savvy Gardening: Garden Ideas, Tips, Pictures, and More

Feb 11 2007

Arming Yourself with Info About Controlling your Yellow Jacket Population

Published by Jennifer at 10:34 pm under Pest Control

Although all wasps will defend their nests, the Yellow Jackets and are one of the most aggressive

One of the most bothersome of the social wasps is the Yellow Jacket. Yellow Jackets tend to aggressively defend their nests when they are disturbed; this is especially true of ground and cavity nesting ones like the western Yellow Jacket.Â

This defensive behavior amplifies as the season develops and colony populations become larger while food becomes harder to find. In the fall, Yellow Jackets can be spotted at picnics, barbecues, near trash containers, around pet food dishes, and anywhere that ripe or overripe fruit can be found; this is because they are mainly scavengers. There are times when the number of scavenger wasps can be rather large.Â

If you need a quick solution for a severe Yellow Jacket problem it is important that if possible you enlist the help of a professional pest control operator. Professionals use microencapsulated baits to control these pests. There are a number of options for controlling Yellow Jackets on your own such as traps designed with bait, early-season removal of nests, or spraying the nest or nesting site with an insecticide designed specifically for that use.

There are aerosol formulations of insecticides available on the market that are labeled for use on wasp or hornet nests. These products can be very efficient against yellow jackets, however caution needs to be exercised when using them.

If they sense a poison is going to be applied to their nest, wasps will attack applicators. Wasps will attack applicators when sensing a poison applied to their nests, and even the freeze-type products are not a sure fire method in preventing all of the wasps from flying out.

When using sprays to control your Yellow Jacket population, it is vital that you wear protective clothing that will cover your entire body. This should include gloves as well as a veil over your face. Also, make certain that your eyes are protected and that youâ€™re clothing guards you from any hazards with the pesticides you are using.

Typically, wasps are most likely to be in their nest at night. Even after dark however, and using formulations that spray an insecticide stream up to 20 feet, there is a good chance you can get stung.

Nests that are located underground can be a large distance from any entrance that you can see. Therefore, your spray may not reach far enough to hit the yellow jackets. Yellow Jackets that are partly intoxicated and very agitated are likely to be stumbled upon at a large distance from the nest entrance. This can even occur on the day following an insecticidal treatment.

If you do not wish to deal with all of this yourself, you can protect yourself and your family from Yellow Jacket risks by hiring a pest control professional.

There are a large number of pesticides currently available for use against pests such as the Yellow Jacket. A suitable application will use the least toxic and most efficient and proficient method and materials. These materials should always be applied by qualified applicators in a way that guarantees the maximum effectiveness with as little risk of harm as possible. This is because these materials have the ability to be toxic and caution when using pesticides should always be taken.

Any pesticides should only be applied when individuals are not in the area where there is a chance they could be exposed to or harmed by toxic materials.

Opt for a pesticide that is labeled as appropriate for the area with the Yellow Jackets that you are trying to control. When a pesticide treatment is necessary use a spot treatment method. Make certain to use the pesticides only in the area that obviously contains the Yellow Jackets. Doing so will ensure that others have a less chance of being exposed to the pesticides.