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How to Get Rid of Yellow Jacket Nests

Sonia Nair
A yellow jacket nest in the premises of your house can be a cause of concern. Here is a brief overview about this wasp nest and its removal.
Yellow jackets are aggressive wasps that can cause painful stings. So the sight of these roaming around the premises can be worrisome. If found frequenting a particular area, check the place for their nest. Usually, these wasps live as large colonies and nest removal can be risky.

Some Facts about Yellow Jacket Nests

Yellow jackets are known for their stings. They are small-sized and often mistaken for bees. They have yellow and black colors on the body. In some species, you may see white color instead of yellow. They are parasitic.
They also feed on leftover food, especially sweets and meats. They are social wasps and build their nests in hidden locations. Yellow jacket nests are often found inside ground and in the voids on the wall. They may also build their nests on trees, walls, beneath roof structures, and attics.
Yellow jacket nests are made of a paper-like pulp, that is made by chewing wood fiber. It is said that, a yellow wasp nest may contain several thousands of wasps; and large colonies have more than 15000 cells.
In case of yellow jackets, life cycle is a yearly affair. The lone queen starts making a nest during the onset of spring and lays eggs, which hatch to form the first batch of workers, who indulge in collecting food.
The queen concentrates on laying eggs, while the larvae feed on the food collected by workers, who also build more cells in the nest to accommodate the growing colony. During spring and fall, these insects search for food, and are found roaming around the premises.
The colonies turn really huge, by the end of summer and early fall. During this time, the new males and new queens mate. With the onset of winter, the workers, the old queen and the other members perish; but the new queens burrow into ground, where they spend the winter.
These wasps do not tolerate any kind of disturbance to their nest. In that case, they defend their nest and attack the intruder. Yellow jacket stings are painful, and it is said that, these wasps sting repeatedly. Such stings can be more dangerous for allergic people who may develop severe reactions.
If you find such a nest in the ground, wall or any other area near you, do get rid of these insects and the nests.

How to Get Rid of a Yellow Jacket Nest

Firstly, find the nest by observing the flight path of these wasps. If you find them enter and leave a given point, you can track the nest easily. If the nest is huge, hire pest control professionals for their removal.
Removing a yellow jacket nest can be risky, as these insects are really aggressive. So you must take enough precautions, before removing their nest. If you are allergic, stay away from wasps and wasp nests, and seek professional help. Given here are some tips to remove a yellow jacket nest.
✦If you want to get rid of a yellow jacket nest, it is always better to do it in the late evening or night. Make sure to wear protective gear, like gloves, face mask, hats that cover the ears, goggles, shoes, and clothes (preferably leather) that cover the whole body. This will protect you from their stings.
✦It is advisable to remove a yellow jacket nest before summer, when the colony expands in size. You may either use dust insecticides or aerosol sprays meant for yellow jacket wasp control.
✦If the nest is an aerial one, it will be somewhat easy for you to locate its opening, for spraying the insecticide. Saturate the nest with the insecticide. You must keep an extra can with you, so that you can use it, if needed.
Leave the site, as soon as possible. If you are not sure of the results, repeat the process for the next two days. Follow-up is necessary if you notice activities near the nest.
✦The same method can be followed for removing a wasp nest that is located inside the ground. All you have to do is to spray the insecticide into the opening and repeat it for the next two days. Once you are sure that the insects are dead, close the opening of the nest in the ground, using stone and soil.
✦Removing a yellow jacket nest on the wall can be tricky at times. Even if you locate the entrance, the nest would be somewhere deep inside.
In such cases, spray the insecticide through the entrance and leave it open, so that the insects that frequent through the opening, carry the chemical into the nest, thereby causing their death. Repeat the use of insecticide for a few days.
✦If you cannot find the entrance of the wasp nest in the wall, you may drill a hole and spray the insecticide directly into the wasp nest. In such cases, seal the hole, soon after you finish spraying the insecticide. If you find the entry point, make sure to spray the insecticide through it too.
Once done, ensure that the insects are dead, and remove and destroy the nest. In some cases, you may be able to remove the nest without causing any damage to the existing structures.
Otherwise, treat the nest with a long-lasting insecticide that will take care of the larvae inside, if there are any. In short, yellow jacket nest removal can be risky. So, do it with extreme caution. If you are not confident, leave the task for pest control professionals.