When the weather’s nice, it’s time for picnics and barbecues. Unfortunately, pests like the yellowjacket like to crash the party. When this happens, that celebratory feeling comes to a screeching halt. Yellowjackets are well known yet most don’t recognize them at first glance thanks to their similar appearance to bees.
Why Yellowjackets Are So Dangerous
More than likely, you already know that yellowjackets sting. However, people suffer a lot more than a mere sting when it comes to this breed of wasp. Yellowjackets are extremely territorial, which means it doesn’t take much for them to be willing to sting you.
For some people, this will cause an allergic reaction. Also, they will sting repeatedly instead of just once or twice and, even more concerning, they will signal other yellowjackets in the colony to attack as well. As such, it’s estimated that over 500,000 people end up in the emergency room thanks to this pest.
Stay Protected From Yellowjackets
With yellowjackets, the best thing to do is to keep them out of the yard. The best way to do that is to take measures to ensure your yard isn’t more attractive than your neighbor’s yard. Keep in mind the following tips:
- Reduce human food and drink: Yellowjackets are attracted to your food and sugared drinks. By limiting their access, you can minimize how interested they are in sticking around.
- Eliminate standing water: Any water source whether it’s a leaking faucet, birdbath, or puddle will attract this pest. Take action to dry up these sources of water to keep them away.
- Practice landscaping: Consider changing out the vegetation from late summer flowering plants to ones that don’t flower or do so in early summer. In addition, be sure to manage your garden by picking up any rotting fruit or vegetables.
- Guard the pet food: This especially means wet or canned pet food. Not only are yellowjackets attracted to meat, but the smell from the can is also especially attractive.
- Trash matters: Next to human food, yellowjackets really love exploring your trash. As such, you can limit your exposure by keeping the lids on, cleaning out the trash can of residue, and ensuring your trash disposal happens far from the house.
Yellowjacket Control With Smith’s Pest Management
It’s a simple fact that a yellowjacket will swarm anything it perceives as a threat to the colony. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much to agitate them, which can make the situation stressful when a yellowjacket nest is present on the grounds. Since they swarm by the hundreds, the best move to make is to reach out to a pest control company trained to get rid of yellowjackets for good.
At Smith’s Pest Management, our team understands that yellowjackets are a year-round problem for the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey residents. That’s why we’re prepared to handle your yellowjacket problem at any time to ensure you get back to the comfortable living you deserve in your own home. We’ll work with you to determine where the colony is located and use the latest in yellowjacket removal techniques to ensure you remain safe while getting the results you need.
