Yellow Jacket Wasps A Nuisance in Hot Weather

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Yellow Jacket Wasps A Nuisance in Hot Weather | Photo 02

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uploaded by Barbara McPherson

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  uploaded by Barbara McPherson | add comment

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  uploaded by Barbara McPherson | add comment

Yellow Jacket queens emerge from their hiding places in the spring to start making a nuisance of themselves in hot weather.  Yellow jackets are found all over N. America, some making nests in the ground and some hanging nests from trees. This year, on Vancouver Island, we have been having unusually hot, dry weather which is perfect for creatures that make their homes out of paper.  They do this by chewing bits of wood with their strong mandibles to make a paste and then contribute it to nest building.  If left undisturbed a nest can reach a half metre in size and house a thousand cranky female wasps.

These wasps belong to the same family as ant and bees, both of which are capable of stinging.  Wasps have smooth stingers so they can sting repeatedly and live to sting again.  This, combined with their bad tempers poses a real hazard to humans and other animals around them.  If someone is allergic to bee stings a single wasp sting left untreated can kill.

Yellow jacket wasps are predators, working in the garden to kill caterpillars and other nuisance insects.  Unfortunately they also attack bees for food as well.

Around our small acerage we have been waging an extermination campaign against these little ladies.  Before you condemn us for killing the wee beasts, we are only dealing with those in and around our buildings and equipment.  I would soon be evicted from my greenhouse if I let them remain.  So far this summer I have removed four nests from the greenhouse.  A wasp nest growing in the hay bailer is just too dangerous to remain.