|
|
Yellowjackets
Revisited By John Albright, Biologist
- Public Information Specialist at Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District I read an article last spring advising people to trap queen
yellowjackets in April to help lessen the marauding hoards of yellowjacket
workers gracing our cookouts in the late summer. Oh, yeah -- I wrote
that! Next time a yellowjacket stings you on the lip while you're trying to eat
a hot dog, go straight in and stick a note on your refrigerator that says,
"Trap yellowjackets in April and May." Better still, have it
embroidered on your pillow where it won't get lost, and refer to it in future
years. Although I would like to think that everyone who heeded my
previous article avoided encounters with yellowjackets this year, a barrage of
impassioned phone calls has convinced me that the issue of yellowjacket control
deserves some follow-up advice. I now believe that this has been an
exceptionally bad year for yellowjackets, in spite of what I may have said
publicly earlier this year. The Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District does
not yet do yellowjacket control, but we are happy to give out information on
their control to residents within the district. The enormous interest in these
stinging pests has forced us to learn a few new things about them this year.
There are a few tips that may help bring you some relief, even this late in the
game. Both homemade and commercially available yellowjacket traps
can bring some relief if they are used correctly. Trapping in the summer will
not significantly reduce the numbers of yellowjackets, but it does help you have
some control over where they hang out. Set up the traps away from the areas that
you plan to use for your outdoor activities. Hanging traps close to your
activities will only attract the yellowjackets to you. Empty and rebait the
traps frequently. The smell of rotting meat (including dead yellowjackets) is
unattractive to yellowjackets, and they will not readily visit traps that are
not refreshed every two or three days. Traps placed in direct sunlight quickly
become too hot to be attractive to yellowjackets. However, yellowjackets
normally like to cruise around in open areas looking for insects on the ground
to prey upon. Therefore, something like a shady tree in the middle of an open
area makes a good trap location. Random application of any product to your yard will do nothing
to control your yellowjacket problem. The only effective way to really get rid
of yellowjackets late in the season is to somehow destroy their nests. The nests
are normally found near or in the ground in old animal burrows, hollow stumps,
logs, and wall voids. Yellowjackets will return to their nests at dusk because
they can't find their way around after dark. If you are patient and the nest is
near, you may be able to follow them home where they hang out with all their
thousands of sisters, brothers, and more importantly, the queen. The nest can be
destroyed by carefully noting where the entrance to the nest is, and spraying it
thoroughly with a commercially available wasp and hornet spray after dark, when
all the yellowjackets are home. Another strategy for getting rid of hives is to set out toxic
bait, which the yellowjackets take back to the nest and feed to their siblings
and the queen, thereby destroying the nest. Unfortunately, there are no
commercially available, ready-made baits. Yellowjackets find the smell of
pesticides offensive and will most likely avoid most homemade concoctions. There
is one commercially available product, Knoxout 2FM, which has specific
instructions on the label for mixing and placing yellowjacket bait. If a
homeowner wishes to utilize any such pesticide-based solution (including the use
of wasp and hornet spray) they should be careful to follow the label directions
explicitly. Improper use of pesticides is at best ineffective, and at worst,
dangerous. Finally, sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.
Removing the obvious yellowjacket attractions around your yard can go a long way
toward reducing your yellowjacket problem. For instance, people have asked me
how to keep their dogs from getting stung when they feed them outside. Well,
they could try reasoning with the yellowjackets about rightful ownership of the
food, or they could quit feeding them outside in broad daylight. It has been my
experience that dogs and cats will readily feed on food in a tightly enclosed
garage with relatively little angst. Also, cats and dogs are generally quite
content to eat after dark and before dawn, while yellowjackets aren't. The pet
owner should also clean up the pet's leftovers thoroughly so that yellowjackets
do not come to regard the pet dish as a consistent and easy source of
sustenance. A tightly closed garbage can is also much less attractive to
yellowjackets than an open garbage heap. NOTE: This was the second of two articles John Albright wrote on this subject in 1997. Since then Knoxout 2FM has been taken off of the market. Click here to read the First Yellowjacket Article. For More Information:
(530) 365-3768 For Brochures about AHB and other vector-related subjects follow this link.
|