Yellow jackets are social, stinging insects that are active throughout the warmer parts of the year in much of the United States. While yellow jackets serve a functional purpose in controlling other insects, they can be harmful to humans. Yellow jackets, when agitated, can sting multiple times, resulting in pain and swelling, especially in people with allergies.
Features
Yellow jackets are usually half an inch long with yellow and black stripes along its abdomen. Their stingers are smooth and do not get left behind when a person is stung, making it possible for yellow jackets to sting their victims multiple times. Yellow jacket nests are made of a wood fiber comb that can be large enough to house hundreds and even thousands of yellow jackets. They can usually be found in hollow trees or under roof eaves. Yellow jackets subsist primarily on fruit and plant nectar. By late summer and early fall, yellow jackets turn to human foods to replace their diminishing regular food supply. They are especially attracted to sodas, sweets and certain meats.
Time Frame
Each year in the spring, the surviving yellow jacket queen begins to create that year's nest and lays the eggs of the future adult workers. By the end of the summer, the population of the yellow jacket colony can reach several hundred. In the beginning of the fall, the yellow jacket population decreases and all the worker yellow jackets die.
Warning
During the late summer and early fall when yellow jackets begin to search for other food sources, humans and yellow jackets have more frequent contact. Picnics, cookouts and open garbage cans can attract yellow jackets and increase the risk for yellow jacket stings. Yellow jacket stings should not be taken lightly, as they have the potential to become life-threatening in those individuals with allergies.
Prevention/Solution
There are several ways that humans can work to limit exposure to yellow jackets or eliminate their nests all together. At outdoor gatherings, trash cans should be sealed and all food dishes should be covered until served. Drinks should be checked frequently to make sure a yellow jacket has not entered the drink container. Yellow jacket nests under eaves and near homes can be treated with canned insecticide spray specifically for yellow jackets.
Benefits
While yellow jackets can sting and harm humans, they are an invaluable source of pest control in gardens and on farms. Yellow jackets are predators of crop-damaging pests like flies and caterpillars, helping farmers and gardeners to protect their plants and save a considerable amount of money in damage.
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