Yellow jackets are considered to be social wasps because they live in a colony with other wasps instead of living a solitary life like the mud dauber type of wasp.  You can find yellow jacket nests in living in the ground, in attics, in hidden cavities, or in wall voids.  You are most likely to notice yellow jacket nests by the activity surrounding the nests.  Yellow jackets will often hover around the nest opening and will fly in and out of the entrance as they deliver food to other colony members.

Yellow jacket wasps will defend their nests vigorously when disturbed.  Many homeowners have made the unfortunate mistake of accidentally driving over a ground dwelling yellow jacket nest with a lawn mower.  When yellow jackets feel that they are being threatened, they will release an alarm pheromone which will signal a massive attack of yellow jackets.

Social wasps are beneficial in that they kill a wide variety of garden pests and nuisance flies.  Yellow jackets are also considered to be scavengers.  As the summertime months come to an end, a yellow jacket nest is beginning to reach full capacity.  Food becomes scarce and many homeowners tend to notice more aggressive wasp behavior.

Yellow jackets become a serious problem when they threaten to sting humans.  Yellow jacket venom is very dangerous to those who are allergic to bee stings and to those who are not.  Because of the potency of the venom, yellow jacket stings cause more people to go to the hospital seeking emergency help than any other type of insect sting or bite.

Yellow jacket nests should only be removed by a licensed pest control professional.  Contact Stern Environmental Group for expert yellow jacket elimination services in NY, NYC, and NJ.