How to get Rid of Yellow Jackets Naturally; Yellow Jacket Infestation

 

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Facts About Yellow Jackets

A yellow jacket is a yellow-black or white-black wasp of the genus Vespula commonly found in North-America. These pests can easily be identified by their characteristic markings, their ability to be over aggressive and territorial, their side-to-side flight pattern prior to landing, and the distinctive feature of females given the ability to sting whenever they feel threatened. The yellow jacket is an important predator of insect pests.

A yellow jacket is about 15mm-19mm in length and is different in various ways from bees as they are mistakenly called by many. Read on to clear these doubts.

Truth be told the yellow jacket are similar in length and body-color with the bees, but unlike the bees:

• Yellowjackets have yellow or white markings.
• Are not covered with tan-brown dense hair on their bodies.
• Do not have flat, hairy hind legs used to carry it.
• Do not carry pollen.

The yellow jacket has a lance-like (a pole weapon designed to be used by a mounted warrior or soldier) stinger with small barbs(a sharp projection near the end of an arrow) and is known to sting repeatedly. The stinger of a yellow jacket becomes flattened and pulls out of the wasp’s body, kinda sad right? well seems kinda good for human beings right. The yellow jacket is very venomous but luckily not to all humans but those who are allergic to its sting.

Its mouthpart is well-developed with strong mandibles for capturing and chewing insects. Yes, it eats other insects! creepy right?? these insects include the ants, spiders, flies, etc. they are also occupied with a proboscis for sucking nectar from flowers and for sucking fruits. The yellow jackets also inhabit themselves by building nests in trees, shrubs, and even inside man-made structures, soil cavities, mouse burrows, etc. These nests are built from wood fiber and are chewed into a paper-like pulp.

 

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What do Yellow Jackets Feed On?

Adult yellow jackets feed mainly on carbohydrate sources such as fruit and plant nectar. While flying side-to-side from plant to plant to collect food, the yellow jackets assist plants with pollination(they are agents of pollination, but doesn’t mean they carry pollen). When the time comes to care for the larvae during the spring period, adult yellow jackets feed on a food source that is higher in protein, these food sources include insects like flies, caterpillars, other insects’ larvae and dead corpse. The yellow jackets stick their long tongues into the food source to collect sugar. Due to the fact that they feed on nearly anything, they become a terrible nuisance during occasions such as picnics, etc.

As the nest grows, or when food supplies become scarce in the fall, the adult yellow jackets become more aggressive in finding meals and will often collide with humans or enter beehives to steal honey.

 

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Yellow Jacket Infestation

An infestation of the yellow jacket in a home is a serious issue that must be looked into and treated with caution. The yellow jacket builds its nest underground or in protected areas, and stepping on this nest may cause doom as the colony may erupt angrily as a stinging swarm.

 

How do Yellow Jackets get into My Home?

It is right to say that yellow jackets do not cause any damage to household properties as they do not build their nests inside the home but in attics, walls, cracks or crevices, etc. Yes, they do not inhabit your homes but when searching for food these pests can chew through drywall and enter into the home. If disturbed, they may erupt angrily to defend their nests by stinging you and causing serious pain to your body. It is best to avoid them.

The yellow jacket is usually attracted to the home if they smell food (meat and sweets), and having open waste cans and picnics can also lead to a serious invasion of the yellow jacket.

 

What are the Signs of a Yellow Jacket Infestation?

As they say “prevention is better than cure” so it is with this pest. It is right you know the signs of the yellow jacket infestation, and if you haven’t experienced these signs you can prevent it or stop it if you already experience these signs. Below are the signs of the yellow jacket infestation:

• Spotting a worker is a visible sign of an infestation.
• Visible sighting of a yellow jacket’s nest is another sign that you’ve got an infestation in your home.
• If you find piled up dirt or stones near burrows, that definitely is a sign of an infestation.

If any of these signs have been observed in your home, you definitely have an infestation and if not handled early enough it may lead to disaster as you become a victim in your own home.

 

How do I get Rid of the Yellow Jacket Naturally?

There are several ways of getting rid of the yellow jacket as it isn’t a one time process. Below are natural ways of getting rid of the yellow jacket naturally:

•  One very safe and easy way of getting rid of the yellow jacket is by taking out all trash and liquid foods that may attract the insect.
• Seal off any possible cracks, crevices, or possible passage through which the yellow jacket can get into your home.
• Consider using dim (not very attractive) paints as yellow jackets are often attracted to them.
• Use of traps (put raw fish into the water to attract them, and detergent to prevent surface tension, enabling them to fall in and drown) is another safe way of getting rid of yellow jackets.
• Wait until nighttime and use a bowl to cover their nests so they have no way of getting out. Their relentless efforts to escape may cause them to grow weak and die.

The question, How to Get Rid of Yellow Jackets Naturally has been answered successfully. These are the natural ways of getting rid of yellow jackets, and if these measures are followed carefully and accurately you can prevent a sting. Can’t you?

Conclusion

A yellow jacket infestation poses a very big threat to your home and if not stopped can cause a sting or two to your body. To know more about the yellow jacket infestation, contact us

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