Departments of Plant Pathology and Entomology
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
North Carolina State University

RESIDENCES,
STRUCTURES
AND
COMMUNITIES

North Carolina Pest News
Volume 11, Number 13, July 12, 1996
Stephen J. Toth, Jr. and Thomas A. Melton, editors

The information and recommendations in this newsletter are applicable to North Carolina
and may not apply in other areas.

From: Michael G. Waldvogel and Stephen B. Bambara, Extension Entomologists

Yellow Jackets

Yellow jackets will soon be gaining attention as their populations begin to increase. This is the time of year when unsuspecting lawn-mowing home owners suddenly come across a yellow jacket nest. These nests have actually been growing for weeks and have only recently reached a critical mass where they react defensively.

Yellow jacket nests are found in the ground 99 percent of the time. They are not good excavators; therefore, they choose cavities which were formerly rodent borrows, buried rotted logs, bases of nursery grown shrubbery, or gaps under masonry.

Do not use gasoline to destroy the nests. It is highy flammable and will contaminate the soil and water. Use an aerosol hornet and wasp killer sprayed directly into the hole at night. A second treatment is sometimes necessary.

Do not forget that yellow jackets can be helpful, too, because they prey on other insects. One additional note: yellow jacket traps do not work in this part of the country.

Web page last updated on 15 July 1996 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr..

This Web version is a cooperative effort between the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and the Center for Integrated Pest Management