Perhaps one of the most annoying pests that we’ve become accustomed to in our day-to-day life is the yellow jacket. Yellow Jackets are very common predatory, social insects that reside throughout most of North America. Throughout the summertime you will see them buzzing about, poking into things, and getting much too near your carbonated beverages for comfort. They spend their days hard at work, gathering food that consists of fruit or rotting meat, and other sugary substances, as well as building materials, to expand their nests. These wasps, often confused with honey bees, stockpile most of the food they gather up back in the nest where the queen resides, breeding more yellow jackets.
Luckily for us, most yellow jackets have a short life cycle simply because of their location. Yellow jackets that do not reside in the southernmost parts of the United States will not live through most winters. Most nests are primarily built exposed to the elements and can’t make it through the cold of winter. However, this isn’t the case for the lucky yellow jackets that have discovered an area inhabited by humans. Their nests can last for years if undisturbed since they can be built in the cracks of our businesses, houses, sheds, and foundations. If the yellow jackets find a place to stay warm and protected from the elements, their nest can grow up to 10 square feet in size, housing multiple queens!
Since food is such a primary concern for the majority of yellow jackets, the workers can get territorial and become agitated as cooler weather approaches in autumn. Instinct tells them that scavenging for food and a safe place to wait out the winter is a matter of life and death. The fruit has been harvested and will not grow again until spring. The meat scraps in our garbage cans will not rot as easily since the temperature is lower again. This means that the worker's yellow jackets that were content ignoring our pets, employees, and family members will not be afraid to attack and sting if they feel we’re too close to them or are interfering with their work. This is a real problem if you’ve got an established nest that didn’t seem like an issue before.
Please do not ignore the nest(s) that could be causing damage to your property in addition to putting the health of people and pets at risk. Don’t try to remove the pests yourself either! Multiple stings can be deadly, especially if one is allergic. It’s time to call a professional team that understands how to safely dispose of your yellow jacket problem. This is the time of year that they’re most agitated and dangerous. Call Big Blue Bug Solutions and rest easy knowing that your yellow jacket infestation will be taken care of.