Summer without the Sting
Or how to protect pollinators and avoid the dreaded yellowjacket, all at the same time.
by Fawn Pattison - Vea el artículo en español
If you haven’t heard yet about the tragic and staggering declines in honeybee populations around the world, you may be living under a rock. Colony Collapse Disorder is a mysterious syndrome that is decimating honeybees and causing serious problems for farmers, who rely on them to pollinate their crops. But the story doesn’t end with honeybees. A recent National Academy of Sciences report found that many wild pollinators, such as bumblebees, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds are also declining in North America.
So if you’ve got some wasps or bees buzzing around your yard, rejoice! For the most part, these are beneficial insects critical to the ecosystem around you. Unless someone in your family has a serious allergy and the nest is located in a high-traffic area, you should leave them to do their important business.
One type of wasp, however, causes more headaches – and painful stings – than any other: the yellowjacket, striped scourge of summer picnics. Yellowjackets forage for food in the summer time, and they won’t hesitate to harass your picnic guests. They’re also a nasty surprise if you happen to run over their nest with your lawnmower. Here are some tips for avoiding yelllowjacket stings while conserving the other pollinators in your yard:
Outdoor parties
Yellowjackets are garbage connoisseurs. Keep them off your summer guest list by following a few simple tips:
- Cover the garbage! When you have a party outdoors, make sure that all trash cans have tight-fitting lids, and that they stay on during the party. Cover your recycling bins, or place them away from where guests will be.
- Keep pitchers of sugary drinks covered, and get someone to make a regular sweep to gather trash and empty, sticky cups.
- Use a yellowjacket trap. While ineffective for removing nests, traps are great at distracting yellowjackets from the tasty fare at your backyard barbecue. Hang a couple traps nearby to draw the yellowjackets away from the party area. Just remember to take them down again afterwards – the traps catch all sorts of other beneficial insects as well.
Eliminating a nest
Yellowjackets typically build their nests in the ground, though you may also find them living in a stump or in the wall of a building. If you absolutely must eliminate a yellowjacket nest, we have found that the following works quite well: placing a heavy glass mixing bowl over the opening of the nest to suffocate the nest.
Wait until dark when no yellowjackets are active, and wear gloves, pants and long sleeves. Place the bowl over the nest’s opening, stuffing in small rags to close any gaps between the bowl and the ground. Do not shine any light directly on the nest. Mark the spot with a warning sign to make sure that no well-meaning passers-by remove the bowl before the job is done. In direct sun, heat will kill the yellowjackets off within a day or two. In the shade, it may take as much as ten days – you’ll know when you no longer see any yellowjackets buzzing around inside the bowl. Apparently they will not dig another exit as long as they can see the sky.
Remember that yellowjackets are beneficial – they eat many insects that we consider pests, and they are an important food source for other wildlife as well. Before you act, be sure that you have correctly identified them – the internet is full of tools for insect identification. Think twice before messing with a yellowjacket nest, as the nest will die out naturally as soon as cold weather comes. Avoiding them may be all you need to do to keep from being stung.
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