If you have been seeing a lot of yellow jackets lately, it isn't your imagination. This is the time of year when yellow jackets are plentiful. Why? Because those yellow jackets have had all spring and summer to grow their numbers. But there are two important things you should know about yellow jacket populations.

The reason yellow jacket populations seem greater in fall is because they are smaller in spring. Much smaller. As in, a single female wasp. That's right. Most wasps die when winter comes. It is only the overwintering female that has enough energy stored inside her body to make it through the winter--that is, assuming the yellow jackets haven't found a site to build their nest that is kept warm all year long. In nature, winter is the natural equalizing force that keeps wasp populations in check.

If you have a yellow jacket nest on your property, you might be tempted to think that winter will take care of that nest. But, that leads us to the second thing you should know about yellow jacket nests: winter is the beginning of the yellow jacket life cycle. Now is when yellow jackets are producing females to send out in large numbers. Now, is when they will do everything in their power to prevent winter from wiping them out entirely. And, as you can probably guess from the title of this article, now is the time to get rid of yellow jacket nests.

When you have a yellow jacket nest removed in fall, it means that nest isn't going to be able to send out a large group of females to tuck themselves away in your eaves and roofline. It means you're not going to have them hiding in your garage, shed, and outbuildings waiting for spring to come.

Getting rid of a yellow jacket nest in fall is like getting rid of a bunch of spring nests. And that is pretty smart.

Winter may kill that one nest you found. But, it won't prevent those females from overwintering and creating an even bigger headache for you next year.

Stop the yellow jacket life cycle this fall--before it begins--by having a professional like Thomas Pest Services come over and safely remove any yellow jacket nests on your property. Our team of pest specialists are educated in the most advanced protocols for dealing with these and other overwintering pests.

If you live in our New York services area, reach out to us today, and start living with fewer yellow jackets tomorrow.