The Yellow Jacket

We have ALL experienced yellow jackets at one time or another in our life. These are the most abundant and most aggressive stinging insect of the bunch.

1. They can sting AND bite. Since yellow jackets don’t lose their stinger, they can sting numerous times, and will do so unprovoked. In fact, they usually bite your flesh to get a better grip as they jab their stinger into your skin.

2. They’re defensive. Yellow jackets vigorously defend their nests. They will assign a “guard” to stand watch at the nest opening and alert the colony to a threat. Attacks of hundreds of yellow jackets from nests can be triggered by vibrations – thus, mowing lawns, trimming bushes or just playing in your yard can be hazardous during the late summer season when colonies are large.

3. They sting you for no reason. Even if you’re minding your own business and nowhere near a nest, yellow jackets don’t care — they’ll sting you anyway!

4. They’re scavengers. Yellow jackets are a common pest at picnics and other outdoor activities. They scavenge for meat and sweet liquids, which brings them into frequent contact with humans with ample opportunity to sting. Kids with ice pops and soda are often bothered and stung.

5. Their sting packs a punch. For people who are allergic, one yellow jacket sting can be deadly. But even if you don’t have an allergic reaction, the sting is plenty painful. The amount of stings becomes the problem. Even pets are at risk with the abundance of ground nests they can make.

All County strongly recommends that you DO NOT attempt to treat these nests on your own. It is very dangerous, not only from the stings, but homeowners get seriously hurt falling off ladders and roofs. Damage to the house and siding can occur with miss applied chemicals. Call All County, WE CAN HELP!