What Western Massachusetts Property Owners Need To Know About Yellow Jackets

August 21, 2020

In: Stinging Insects

It never hurts to do your own pest control, right? Well, in the case of yellow jackets, it can actually hurt quite a bit. Yellow jackets are social insects that gather in a swarm and give chase. When they sting, they can sting multiple times before disengaging. This can leave you, or someone you love, with several sting wounds even from a tiny nest. When you consider that a yellow jacket nest can contain several thousand wasps, it is easy to see how it can be a very painful mistake to not address the threat of yellow jackets appropriately. Here are five things you should know about yellow jacket control in Western Massachusetts.

1. Yellow Jackets Will Visit Your Yard

There is really nothing you can do about yellow jackets coming into your yard. But that isn't as bad as you might think. When a yellow jacket is away from its nest, it isn't very aggressive. Plus, it is important to understand that yellow jackets help with pollination and they reduce spider populations. Problems only arise when a nest is created in your yard and you accidentally disturb the nest. So yellow jackets control is mostly about preventing nests.

2. What Yellow Jackets Love

Yellow jackets can make nests on your property no matter what you do to stop them. But there are a few things you can do to resist them. These wasps are more likely to create nests in a yard that provides an ideal environment. Use these tips to make your yard less interesting.

• Keep trash in covered containers. Yellow jackets can find a lot to eat inside open trash.

• Keep trash receptacles clean. The odor of trash is enough to attract yellow jackets to your yard and inspire them to create a nest.

• Reduce moisture. Many pests are attracted to moist conditions. This brings spiders in close to your home to eat those pests. When spider populations increase, wasps increase. It is a bug-eat-bug world out there.

• Reduce standing water. Yellow jackets need to drink. If you have water sources in your yard, you'll give them more incentive to establish nests.

• Fill in holes. Yellow jackets prefer to create nests in the ground.

3. What You Should Know About Yellow Jacket Nests

If yellow jackets create a nest in your yard, it is likely to be in a ground hole or low, sheltered location, making yellow jacket nests difficult to see. When you inspect your yard for nests, you need to be watching for yellow jacket activity. Look for where they are coming and going from a hole in the ground or in the side of your home. Watch for where they are going under your deck, porch, patio, or stairs. Where there is activity, there may be a nest.

4. Be Careful When You Mow Your Lawn

The vibration from a mower can cause yellow jackets to swarm. On a hot summer day, when you're in your yard mowing your lawn with shorts on, it can feel like your legs are suddenly being pelted by rocks. Be cautious mowing around holes that have not been filled in, or when mowing near piles of rocks. If you don't have routine inspections from a pest professional, be sure to do them yourself, especially before you mow your lawn.

5. Inspections And Nest Removal

The best way to protect yourself and everyone living in your home is to contact the Western Massachussetts pest professionals at American Pest Solutions and invest in a pest control plan for your Western Massachusetts home. We provide routine inspections and nest removal to reduce the chances of yellow jackets catching you by surprise. Reach out to us today to get started.