Feasterville residents have good reason to worry when yellow jacket wasps invade. These aggressive insects may be good pollinators but they also are notorious for their painful stings.
When they nest in areas that are unpopulated or only sparsely populated by humans, there is little reason to be concerned about yellow jacket wasps. However, these pests may be drawn to residences and commercial buildings when they provide acceptable habitat for nest building. Yellow jacket wasp nests that are built close to or even within man-made structures are dangerous both to the building and to the people who inhabit it.
Only female yellow jacket wasps have stingers, but they are able to use those stingers multiple times. This is a sharp contrast to other stinging insects like honey bees and bumble bees, which are only capable of stinging once before they die. Accordingly, people who live or work in the vicinity of yellow jacket wasp infestations are at risk of suffering multiple stings. This danger is only made more acute by the wasp's ability to alert other colony members to attack. Circumstances such as these easily can put a person in the hospital and possibly put their life in danger.
Given their aggressive and unpredictable behavior, it is never a good idea to stand by and hope that a yellow jacket wasp infestation simply goes away. The reality is that the colony is there to stay unless it is removed.
Contact a licensed pest management company whenever yellow jacket wasps invade.
WHAT DO YELLOW JACKET WASPS LOOK LIKE?
Occasionally, people will see a yellow jacket wasp and think that it might be a honey bee or bumble bee instead. This usually is because all three of these insects can share similar yellow and black stripes on their bodies.
Yellow jackets tend to be even more slender than honey bees, and they have far less hair than bumble bees. Most adults are approximately one-half of an inch long. Their bodies have distinctive segments, and their waists are tiny. The wings are elongated and fold laterally against the body when the insect is resting. Like other insects, they have six legs and a pair of antennae.
WHERE DO YELLOW JACKET WASPS LIVE?
Yellow jacket wasps are exceptional survivors. They live on nearly every continent and in all sorts of climates and environments. Social insects, they live in enormous colonies that may include as many as 15,000 members. Numbers like these are why professional yellow jacket control is always a good idea.
Yellow jacket wasps gather bits of wood that they mix with saliva to create the material out of which they build their nests. These nests may be placed in a hollow log or a tree stump. Some may be located underground, but others may be found in man-made structures. Wall voids, attics, the space beneath eaves and within recycling bins or garbage cans all are common places where nests may be located.
The nest and colony continue to grow throughout the spring and summer, but it may die off in the winter. If the weather is mild, some nests will last for several seasons, perhaps with more than one egg-laying queen. Each nest is started by a single fertilized queen. She spends the winter hidden in tree bark, a stump or a hollow log before emerging in the spring to select a nesting location.
WHAT DO YELLOW JACKET WASPS EAT?
This species prefers to feed on foods that are rich in either protein or sugar. Much of their required protein comes from eating other insects like mosquitoes, flies and honey bees. Accordingly, they do perform some natural pest control. Protein also is obtained from scavenging on dead animals or from garbage produced by people. These insects also will congregate whenever food is being served.
Yellow jacket wasps tend to focus more on sweet foods as summer draws to a close. Items such as desserts, baked goods, barbecue sauce, ketchup, soda, juice and fruit are irresistible to these pests.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY YELLOW JACKET WASPS
Not all yellow jacket wasp nests are responsible for causing structural damage. Nonetheless, the wasps do look for damaged wood that they can chew on to create material to build their nest. Any wood on a fence, deck, outdoor furniture, siding, door frames or window frames may be targeted for this purpose, especially if it is not stained or painted.
Occasionally, yellow jacket wasps do chew through drywall, which enables them to enter the rooms where people live and work. This can be a grave danger to people as the aggressive insects try to defend what they believe is their territory.
ARE YELLOW JACKET WASPS AGGRESSIVE?
These pests are surprisingly aggressive, showing a propensity to sting seemingly without reason. Stings are most likely to occur in close proximity to the nest, but yellow jacket wasps are just as likely to sting when they are out foraging for food.
The stinger is shaped like a lance and fitted with multiple tiny barbs. These tiny barbs are what makes it possible for the wasp to use her stinger multiple times. By contrast, bees have stingers with large barbs that mean the stinger is left inside the victim.
DO YELLOW JACKET WASPS CARRY DISEASE?
Members of the species may forage for food in all sorts of unhygienic places like garbage dumps. This may mean that they collect potentially harmful bacteria on their stingers. Accordingly, it is possible for a sting to lead to blood poisoning or an infection.
Stings from yellow jacket wasps in Feasterville are always painful, but some people also have an allergic reaction that may include hives, severe itching and swelling that may affect the face, throat, larynx, limbs, hands or feet.
Additionally, some sting victims may develop issues with the digestive tract such as vomiting and diarrhea. Others may suffer low blood pressure, a pulmonary embolism or arrhythmias. Cerebral infarctions and encephalitis also may occur in people who are stung multiple times.
HOW TO DETECT YELLOW JACKET WASPS
Signs of a yellow jacket wasp presence include the following:
• Stinging many people in the same geographic location • Frequent sightings of aggressively flying black and yellow insects • Stains on the walls of structures • Rustling sounds emanating from behind walls
HOW TO PREVENT YELLOW JACKET WASPS
To help protect against yellow jacket problems the flowing steps should be taken:
• Looking for signs of new nests each spring • Placing covers on food served during picnics and barbecues • Keeping tight lids on garbage cans and recycling bins • Regularly cleaning garbage cans and recycling bins
HOW WE TREAT FOR YELLOW JACKET WASPS
At Newtown Termite & Pest Control, we use a multi-faceted approach for treating hornets and wasps that have become problematic for area homes and businesses. Our methodology involves making use of the most appropriate detection, prevention, and treatments methods available. By combining these measures, we ensure that your home or business remains free of wasps and hornets.
