View full sizeYellow jackets at a ground nest.Yellow jackets love warm, dry weather, so it's time to put up your wasp radar when you're enjoying meals in the backyard in August. Nests begun by a queen in the spring may contain hundreds or even thousands of workers by August or September.
Workers are attracted to any meat-based or sugary item, so this is the time of year when these venomous insects are the most troublesome and dangerous. Control them with traps and lures as necessary -- see Kym Pokorny's story for an easy
and for
-- but keep in mind that they are beneficial insects and help control pest insects in the garden. The Oregon State University Extension Service offers a helpful
One important point the primer makes is that yellow jackets rarely reuse a nest the next year. However, sometimes a nest close to human activity, like one near your front door, may have to be removed, and the Extension Service includes tips for removal.
Compared with honeybees, yellow jackets are more likely to sting without provocation and they deliver a more painful sting. Go
-- Homes & Gardens staff
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