Non-toxic Yellowjacket & Paper Wasp Control


By DorinDa TrouTman, rmr sTaff wriTer Last year, in Kalispell, Montana, a


14-year-old Appaloosa/Tennessee Walker scratched its back on a tree that had a swarm of feral honeybees in the branches. Honeybees swarm in a cluster of thou- sands of bees when they outgrow one hive and part of the colony goes in search of another home. The swarm fell onto the horse’s back.


A swarm is not usually aggressive (they don’t have larvae to defend), but the fall must have alarmed these bees and they stung the horse, which went into anaphy- lactic shock, and in spite of immediate and intensive veterinary care, died three days later.


This was a highly unusual circum-


stance, because honeybees are known for their non-aggressive behavior. Unlike honeybees, some wasps (es-


pecially yellowjackets), can be a nuisance around homes and barns, and can be dangerous when riding. It is a good idea to understand their life cycle, what attracts them, and how to control them. All bees and wasps are beneficial in- sects, and using non-toxic control targeted


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at the problem species is good for us, our animals, and our environment. While all wasps have painful stings, and can sting more than once, yellowjack- ets are more likely to be where humans are and can be very aggressive. There are at least eleven species of


yellowjackets in our area. Most nest un- derground, and some build paper nests — either hanging or between walls or in barns and attics. All wasps are hairless. Yellowjackets are about a half-inch long, and are yellow and black. Paper wasps are very similar to yellowjackets but are more slender and have longer, dangling legs in flight. Mated yellowjacket and paper wasp


queens hiber- nate, often underground, or in logs or wood piles, when her colony of the year dies in cold weather (a nest is only used once). Each queen begins her new colony in early spring by


Yellowjackets eating watermelon.


building a small paper nest in a sheltered place. She builds a 20- to 50-cell nest and lays a fertilized egg in each cell, which grows into a legless grub and pupates into an unfertile female worker wasp in about three weeks. Mature workers take over enlarging the nest and foraging for food while the queen stays home and lays more eggs. The workers also defend the nest, vigorously. Workers forage for insects, chew them up, and feed the mash to the larvae. In return, larvae secrete a sort of irresistible nectar that the workers eat.


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