During summer, workers begin to
outnumber larvae and there is not enough larvae nectar to supply all the workers. Workers then seek out other sweet sources such as ripe fruit and sweet food and drinks — and become a real problem to humans.
They also leave a pheromone marker that labels the animal or person stung as an enemy to other yellowjackets and at- tracts them to sting. The stinger is a hollow tube that connects to a venom sac inside the abdomen. After the stinger punctures skin, muscles pump venom into the victim. In late summer, yellowjackets become
more defensive of nests and more aggres- sive. Any disturbance can trigger a mass attack.
Colorful clothes and sweet-scented
perfume, lotion or shampoo can attract yellowjackets. White or tan clothing is best to not attract them. Loose clothing can trap a yellowjacket, causing more stings. Citronella, mint and eucalyptus oil may re- pel them. Commercial insect repellents can actually attract them. When eating outside, don’t leave soft drink or beer containers open, or food uncovered. If you disturb an underground yel-
lowjacket nest when riding (the vibration of a horse’s feet may alarm an under- ground nest), try to stay on your horse
(which may react by bucking and/or run- ning) and move quickly away. The quicker you can safely get away, the better. If you are walking, cover your face and run. Yellowjackets will defend their nest up to few hundred feet. A variety of effective non-toxic yel-
lowjacket traps are on the market, but you can easily and cheaply make a dozen that are just as effective. Place a few at least twenty feet away from where people gather.
1) Hang a piece of meat or fish just over soapy water in a bucket, bowl or dish pan. Soap breaks the surface tension and helps the wasp to drown. Place where pets cannot get it and change bait ever day or so. Yellowjackets drop down into the water after feeding and drown.
2) Cut two one-inch holes in a gallon milk jug in the upper third of the bottle. Place about two inches of soapy water in the bottom. Hang a piece of meat and/or a piece of cardboard smeared with jelly inside the bottle over the wa- ter on a string or wire and replace cap to hold it in place.
3) Cut the top third off of a large plastic soda bottle, rub the outside of the top with fruit jelly and place it upside down (cap-less) in the bottle. Staple or
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Paper wasps and nest.
tape it to the sides. Pour an inch or two of citrus-flavored carbonated soft drink into the bottle bottom. Yellowjackets crawl down through the top and can’t figure out how to get out and drown. To trap paper wasps, use this trap and bait it with a little yeast and soap added to diluted fruit juice. They are attracted to the fermented juice, and the soap helps break the surface of the liquid so they drown more easily.
Empty, clean and re-bait the trap when full (or toss it and make a new one).
For more information, download the University of Idaho Homeowner Guide to Yellowjackets, Bald-Faced Hornets and Paper Wasps, at
www.cals.uidaho.edu/ edComm/pdf/BUL/BUL0852.pdf.
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