Heres how to keep these wasps away from your family.
They can become a big problem if their nests are situated near your living areas.
How can you tell what kind of wasp youre dealing with?
Credit:Getty Images /robeo
And how do you get rid of them?
Getty Images /robeo
What Are Yellow Jackets?
Manytypes of waspsare solitary.
But that can change in an instant if you accidentally annoy them.
Children and elderly individuals are more susceptible to severe reactions, says Crawley.
They fly with a side-to-side pattern before landing.
Different species have different nesting habits, says Raupp.
Yellow jackets stay active until late fall when a killing frost takes out the workers and males.
The queen leaves the nest and overwinters in a sheltered spot, such as under tree bark.
In the spring, she begins a new nest.
What Attracts Yellow Jackets?
By mid- to late-summer and fall, yellow jacket populations are at their height.
As their number build up, they gorge themselves and become more aggressive, says Crawley.
Spray directly into the hole and do not shine a flashlight inside of the opening.
Stay away from the nest for at least a day.
Theyre going to die off anyhow when cold weather arrives, says Raupp.
Also, dont attempt to plug the entry to a nest thats in a wall.
and emerge indoors, says Crawley.
Usefine mesh food coversto keep wasps and flies away from your food when dining outdoors.
Clean up spills on surfaces promptly.
Avoid the urge to swat foraging yellow jackets who are investigating your picnic.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Division of Research Safety.Health risks of bee and wasp stings.
