Here is a trivia question for you: What aggressive insect can pour out of its nest in a swarm, give chase for several yards and sting you multiple times? You probably already know the answer because you peeked at the title of this blog. It's true. Yellow jackets are a stinging insect you do not want to mess with. Everyone knows that. But here are a few facts you may not know about yellow jackets.
Yellow jackets don't make honey, but they do help to pollinate plants.
These insects are not great pollinators because they have a glossy skin instead of the fur of a bee.
Yellow jackets eat meats and sweets.
In the wild, these insects will kill animals and dissect them for their meat.
Yellow jackets will give chase for great distances and even go around obstacles to get to you.
Some people are deathly allergic to the venom in the yellow jacket.
Yellow jackets don't have a barb on their stinger and don't leave their stinger in you, so don't bother trying to scratch it off.
Yellow jackets can live in a hole in the ground. If you have a nest on your property you may get a surprise the next time you mow. Vibration can set this insect off.
Yellow jackets prefer meadows and the edges of forests to build their nests.
Male yellow jackets don't sting. But don't think for a second that those hundred yellow jackets that just poured out of that nest are male. The males fertilize the queen and tend to the young.
Yellow jackets drink the nectar from flowers.
When a yellow jacket dies it releases a pheromone (scent) into the air that inspires other yellow jackets to swarm and protect the nest.
A wasp queen is larger than both the males and the females inside a nest.
The same stinger a sterile female yellow jacket uses to sting you is the same organ that would have been used to lay eggs if she were a queen.
Yellow jacket nests have been found inside the cab of cars, on the outside of an abandoned truck, in an unused upholstered chair, an entire attic space, and even a bird feeder.
If you have yellow jackets around your home it is a sign that a nest is nearby. Give us a call at Thomas Pest Services. Our technicians know how to safely remove those nests and give you practical advice on how to keep your home protected from these stinging pests.