Common Name: Yellowjacket
Scientific Name: Vespidae: spp
Status: Painful and potentially lethal sting � otherwise beneficial
Damaging Stage: Adult

Biology: Yellowjackets are smaller than their close relatives (hornets and paper wasps), but they occur in larger colonies, sometimes with 1,000s of workers. They are usually yellow and have black dots and stripes across their abdomens. Immature yellowjackets are white, grub-like larvae. They are rarely ever seen unless the nest is torn open.

A new queen leaves the nest during the fall, mates, and passes the winter under leaf litter or the bark of trees. In the spring, the queen starts a new colony by building a gray paper nest, usually underground or in a wall void or other cavity. Newly-developed workers soon take over the foraging and defense of the colony. There is only one generation per year.

Injury: When defending themselves or their nests, yellowjackets can become very aggressive and can sting humans. This can be either painful or life-threatening depending on the individual�s skin reaction to a sting.

Action Threshold: Nests that are constructed near homes are a nuisance. The higher the larval population, the more adults need to forage in and around trash to feed them. Chemical control methods are available for large populations.

Management: There are traps and insecticides in garden stores that can be used against yellowjackets. However, it is generally best to just avoid an area where yellowjackets are present.