There are many different species of wasps, however, one of the most common species that you’ll find is the yellow jacket wasp. It’s important for you to understand the species of the wasps that you’re dealing with to avoid an aggressive attack from those that are social wasps. It just so happens that the yellow jacket species are considered to be social wasps, meaning they work together to build and protect nests. For you, this may seem alarming as you attempt the removal of the wasps from your property, especially with their colony on edge and ready for an attack. Here is everything you need to know about the yellow jacket wasp to better prepare yourself for handling an infestation.
General Information on Yellow Jackets
The yellow jacket wasp is commonly sighted throughout North America and the surrounding regions, mostly found during the summertime. These wasps, especially the females, are known to be extremely dangerous and territorial. Whether you find a yellow jacket nest or you find some uninvited wasp guests at your outdoor barbecue, these yellow jacket wasps are aggressively ready for an attack at any given moment. Unlike the honeybee, a yellow jacket is able to sting its victim multiple times repeatedly, and these stings can be quite painful and sometimes deadly. If it’s impossible for you to avoid the wasp and their territory, it’s advised to refrain from swatting and attacking the wasp at all costs. These wasps will not hesitate to sting anyone or anything that it feels threatened or annoyed by.
Yellow Jacket Habits
Since yellow jackets are social wasps, they will swarm together, working together to protect each other and their nest if they feel threatened. If indeed they feel threatened, they won’t hesitate to funnel out of the nest and rapidly attack anyone in sight. These insects have a strong natural instinct to protect their home and will chase through obstacle and hive over anything and everything to reach their victims. Escaping the chase from a yellow jacket usually won’t work no matter how hard you try, so it’s best to stay completely still until the wasp leaves. If you, by unfortunate circumstance, are stung by the yellow jacket, be prepared for multiple stings. Unlike bees, wasps will not die after one sting and can live long enough to cause serious harm to you.
Yellow jackets are known to reside in a variety of different areas including the woods, underground, in or at the base of trees, and other strange places that you may not consider. These pests can be extremely annoying considering they will build their nest just about anywhere. Stepping on an underground nest can cause extreme pain in more ways than one. Just from the vibration of mowing your lawn, you can disturb an underground nest and set of an aggressive swarm of yellow jackets attempting to protect their home. They also tend to hide and build their nests is some quite strange places and give you quite a scare. They can easily get into your shed or garage and build their secret nest inside of old furniture or boxes. Open the door to your garage and you may end up experiencing a swarm of angry, disturbed wasps.
The sting of a yellow jacket wasp can be more deadly than you may imagine. An individual can easily go into anaphylactic shock from multiple stings and cause potential death if they receive multiple stings. Although these stings are extremely painful for everyone, for some people, they are deadly. If you find that you are faced with a yellow jacket nest on your property, it’s best to leave it be and contact a wasp removal Toronto professional to handle the situation safely and quickly to avoid any harm.