Yellow Jackets are, believe it or not, beneficial insects. But, they are highly aggressive and can sting repeatedly if provoked, therefore they are viewed more as pests than an insect that people want around.

Yellowjackets are capable of eating 225 flies in one hour. They will land in your garden or on you lawn, and start digging with their feet, unearth a large caterpiller, sting it, cut it up and start carrying the caterpillar pieces back to the nest.

They nest really anywhere that is dark and damp. Under eaves, inside trees, they can burrow into the ground. They are attracted to food that we eat, therefore many nests are found in populated areas, like parks, and campgrounds. They also converge around trash cans and dumpsters.

A common Yellowjacket is about 1/2" long. The body is short and stocky. The yellow jacket is black with yellow stripes and transparent wings. The queen is about 3/4"larger than her workers.

Yellow jackets in flight can resemble bees, but unlike bees, their stinger is smooth and not barbed. This means a yellow jacket can sting when provoked repeatedly.

Their nests are made of wood pieces that have been chewed to a pliable state. The nests when viewed from the ground resemble paper.

Their nest is communal and consists of workers, the queen and males. The queen is fertilized out of the nest in a dark and damp location. She emerges in early spring to select a nest suitable to lay her eggs. 30-50 days later the eggs hatch and the Queen tends to her young for the first 3 weeks. Then the young mature and start building onto the nest, searching for food and caring for the Queen who dies in early Autumn. Until her demise, the queen is a fertilized factory, laying eggs repeatedly. New queens and males that are produced will leave the nest to mate elsewhere and the cycle of building continues.

After the males mate, they quickly die, and once the queen has died, the nests will rapidly deteriorate and be abandoned. If it is a natural death of a colonized nest, the nest will not be used again. If humans interfere and try to destroy the nest before its time, the yellow jackets will not only try and attack the person harming the nest, but they will return and rebuild if any survive.

If you are being attacked by a Yellowjacket, the only way you can prevent more stings is to stay calm. Swinging your hands or running away will only provoke the insect.

Pest Control Tips for dealing with Yellow Jackets-

You can make homemade traps for Yellowjackets. You can take a piece of raw meat like liver, or chicken breast skinned and hang it on a string a few inches over a tub of water that has Dawn liquid soap added to it. The Yellowjackets will land on the meat and try to take off with their bounty. Because the load is to heavy they will drop into the water and drown.

Take an empty plastic pop bottle 2 litre size. and cut off the top 1/3 of the neck. Spray a cooking spray or some salad oil into the bottle, saturating the sides well. Drop a piece of raw meat into the bottom. Then invert the top of the bottle over the bottom of the bottle. The Yellowjackets will fly in and be unable to get out.

To remove entire nests, work strictly in the evening, when the insects are in the nest and fairly quiet. Have a long reaching fast acting wasp spray handy. Wear a hat, face mask, long sleeved shirt, tuck your pants down into your socks, wear light- colored clothing. Place a tub of hot water and liquid soap under the nest before spraying. Early spring is the best time for removal as the nest isn't very large yet.