Yellowjackets and Other Stinging Insects
Late each summer, in many areas, insects such as yellowjackets
are out foraging for food. Unfortunately, more and more, these insects might be out in
areas where people are picnicking or playing.
Yellowjackets fall into the wasp family
which includes insects such as hornets and paper wasps. The other major group of stinging
insects, the bees, includes honey bees, bumble bees and carpenter bees. Though both groups have different
characteristics, it is common for people to refer to all flying, stinging insects as
"bees".
Not all bees nor all wasps are aggressive or likely to sting, but
a healthy respect for these insects is recommended. Often, these insect sting simply
because someone or their pet just happens to block the insect's normal flight pattern.
If you've never been stung, we urge caution: a sting may be fatal for some
hypersensitive individuals.
Location of Nests
There are a number of areas around a structure where
these stinging insects may enter to nest including in wall voids, on the
outside of buildings, under siding or under shingles. In other cases, they
may build a visible nest that hangs from a tree or sometime inside a shrub or
bush. The last place that stinging insects may nest in in the ground.
Yellowjackets and other Related Stinging Insect Management
Several steps may be taken to help manage yellowjacket
problems. Bottle traps may
be very effective in reducing populations of stinging insects. These traps are
baited with sweet liquids which will draw yellowjackets in. Once inside, they cannot find
their way out. The opening that they've entered through appears black and
abundant light inside the bottle confuses them and obscures the holes that would
allow them to escape. The
bottle trap we sell is the
Victor Flying Insect Trap. Black light electrocution type units are of little value
because these insects are diurnal rather than nocturnal and are not normally attracted to
such traps during the daylight hours.
Lawn sprays can reduce the number of stinging insects around in
general, but the risk to other non-target organisms is increased. Premise treatment along
the outside of buildings such as along eaves and gutter areas may repel insects from these
areas.
In most cases, insects will enter through a small
opening on a structure. Targeted application of known nesting sites with
a insecticide dust is probably the most effective treatment and most ecologically sound.
Dust formulations of insecticide, when applied at entry
points, will be picked up by all incoming and outgoing insects, thus effectively eliminating
the inhabitants. The Bug Clinic sells Apicide,
an insecticide dust, which comes in a ready-to-use applicator canister with an
attachable extension tube for this purpose.
Apicide contains 5% carbaryl (Sevin) which is very effective at killing bees and
wasps due to their sensitivity to this group of products.
In cases where a nest is clearly visible, an aerosol
product such as
Whitmire Wasp Freeze may work well. It
shoots a stream of product ten feet or more. It may be applied first to
the openings at the bottom of the nest where insects enter and then it may be
used to soak down the outside of the nest to kill other insects inside.
Because Whitmire Wasp Freeze contain petroleum
distillate to quickly disable flying insects, use caution if the nest in
embedded within a shrub or bush or if applying to a nest adjacent to vinyl
siding. The liquid could burn surrounding leaves and may damage vinyl
siding.
The trick to this making applications of either type of
product to kill stinging insects is to apply it at dusk (almost dark) and being
sure not to block the flight path of insects entering there. If you need
to use a light to see what you are doing at night, be sure to cover the light
with red plastic or cellophane. Yellowjackets cannot see red light.
Finally, there is also an insect repellant called
Outlast NBS-30
which is derived from a variety of plant oils which can be mixed with water,
paint or stain. When applied with water, the product repels the beetles
for about a week. If mixed into paint or stain, its repelling properties
last for two year or longer. Targeting the areas where insects return year
after year may be a good control strategy.
For more information, click here
to see our products page or call us at 800-433-1128 or 845-356-2837, fax us at 845-746-9018 or E-Mail us at
drbugclinic@bugclinic.com.
Our advice is always friendly and free!
Click
here to return to the top of the page
The Bug Clinic