Yellowjacket
Vespula spp.
0 host plants
Last updated
Yellowjackets are social wasps measuring three-eighths to one-half inch long, with distinct yellow and black banding on the abdomen. You will see them building paper nests under eaves, in wall voids, or in ground cavities. They scavenge meat and sweet foods, becoming aggressive in late summer when fruit ripens and other food sources decline. Nests can contain several hundred individuals.
Locate nests early in spring when colonies are small and easier to eliminate. Professional pest control services safely remove established nests. Do not attempt to spray nests with over-the-counter pesticides. Keep garbage sealed and remove fallen fruit from the landscape. Provide alternative protein sources away from entertaining areas.
Quick Reference
Yellowjackets are about 12 mm in length, have black bodies with yellow bands and, as compared to paper wasps, are rather stocky and have all-black antennae. Yellowjackets are not direct pests of caneberry crops, however some years their numbers reach levels high enough that they pose a risk to workers, making harvesting and cultural operations difficult. Yellowjackets are more typically a problem with later-ripening caneberry cultivars.
Cultural Controls
- Spring weather has an important effect on yellowjacket populations: cool, wet weather in April and May reduces the ability of overwintering queens to build a nest and feed their young.
- heptyl butyrate traps-These traps mimic the odor produced by some ripening fruits and are effective against western yellowjackets, less so the common or German yellowjacket.
- They are not effective, even if used in large numbers, at eliminating worker wasp activity...