Wasps (yellow jackets) generate fear in people usually when they are seen hovering around a garden or an outdoor activity. This is particularly true of people who have previously experienced a sting or those who have developed a sensitivity to the sting. Outdoor gatherings are usually visited by yellow jackets because of their attraction to meats and sweet foods. Stings often occur when people or animals disturb wasps while they are hunting for food or protecting the nest. Yellow jackets may also attack people or animals when unprovoked.Yellow jacket wasps live in nests. Problems usually occur when the wasp or its nest is disturbed. They have the ability to sting as a means of ensuring survival. A hollow stinger is located at the rear of the yellow jacket’s body. Upon penetrating the skin, a venom is injected through the stinger. These stings can be quite painful. They can also be very dangerous to people who have developed an allergy to the stings. Unlike the bee, a yellow jacket can sting more than once. Yellow jackets and other wasps are not killed when they sting and can and will sting over and over. When swatted or harmed, they give off a signal to other nearby hive-mates that will bring others to their defense. If a person is unfortunate enough to stumble onto a nest, he may be stung multiple times before being able to get away.
They usually nest in the ground, but will nest also in railroad ties, wall voids, and other above ground locations. In the spring, most yellow jackets will feed on insects. Many homeowners see”bees” flying around their hedges. These “bees” are usually yellow jackets and are there to eat insects on the foliage. Spraying the hedges with an appropriate insecticide will kill the food source of the yellow jackets, and they will soon leave the area.
In the fall, wasp colonies become the largest and foraging workers may be a serious nuisance as they search for food people eat or discarded food.
If a colony is disturbed, they can become very aggressive and sting. For most a sting is temporary, but painful, but for allergic individuals as single sting may result in a serious reaction, requiring medical treatment. Yellow jacket stings can be extremely painful and may take days to heal. Applying ice to the site may reduce the pain and swelling. Other recommended emergency treatments may include applying a paste of meat tenderizer directly to the site, or ammonia, vinegar or baking soda, all of which may help. If you are unable to get to any of these, try a little mud applied directly to the sting. An over-the-counter oral antihistamine may help if taken right away, especially in children. These may also have a calming affect on the frightened child.
Yellow jackets are a particularly vicious kind of wasps that closely resemble honey bees in appearance, but are entirely different in nature and habits. Yellow jackets and wasps have a very narrow waist which distinguishes them from bees. They eat other insects, but are also attracted to picnic sites, garbage cans or other “people food”, especially sweets and meat. They are extremely territorial and often make their nests in unseen holes in the ground. If disturbed, they will attack the offending person or animal without mercy. When walking in wooded areas, take note if you see yellow jackets hovering, they will often be near the ground. Although they often nest in undeveloped wooded areas, it is not uncommon to find their nests in a yard, near houses and where children play.
If you determine that you have a yellow jacket nest in your yard, you will need to closely observe their comings and goings to see where they are entering the ground. Your best chance to destroy them is to wait until dusk, when they return to the nest for the night. Advance preparation will be necessary, so you may want to observe them one evening to see their pattern and return the following evening to kill the nest. Dress in long, thick pants, long sleeves, socks, boots and gloves. Protect your face and head as much as possible, as these are primary targets of yellow jackets.
If you have ever had an allergic reaction to bee sting, you will need to seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include hives, shortness of breath, dizziness, swelling of the face or tongue or nausea and can strike very quickly, sometimes cutting off the air passages, causing suffocation. For those with allergies to bee or wasp stings, they can be more deadly than snake bites if not treated quickly. If you or someone in your family has a history of allergic reaction to bee stings, consult your doctor who may be able to give you a prescription for an injectable antidote, which you should carry with you at all times. It is easily administered and may save a life.
Warn your family that these wasps can be found in the ground and that they should never, ever investigate if they see one entering a nest. Where there is one, there may be hundreds!
Yellow jackets are an important part of the food chain, but can be very dangerous to people. If you find you need to destroy them to keep your home safe, be sure you do it effectively. You definitely don’t want to make them mad!
You definitely don’t want to make them mad! = Which is exactly what i did yesterday when it just so happened that i accidently ran over their huge ground nest while mowing the yard, only to be stung over and over b4 realizing what was happening. Those little fuckers hurt and swoll me up worse than when I got a small powered monitor speaker smashed up against my face!
Tonite is the night………they will all die in theatrical fashion:
http://hinessight.blogs.com/hinessight/2004/07/killing_yellow_.html