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Every year in late summer and early fall, we notice the yellow jacket activity beginning to increase. 2013 is a record year for yellow jackets in Nashville and surrounding communities. At All-American Pest Control, we have eliminated quadruple the amount of yellow jacket nests on customer properties this year over years past. The yellow jacket population in any particular nest is coming to its peak right about now and yellow jackets are foraging for more food to feed their well grown colonies. They will frequent picnics and BBQs as the summer time weather comes to an end. This year has been especially rainy and cooler than usual, which has contributed to the increased activity of these stinging insects in Tennessee.
Adult Yellow Jackets are about 3/8-5/8” long and their abdomen is usually banded with yellow and black. The worker yellowjackets appear in late summer. The queen is looking to overwinter and will usually select a nest site in the ground or up high- we have found them in wall voids and tree trunks this summer. Most yellow jackets are ground nesting and build their soccer ball sized paper nest in plant roots, logs or other landscape timbers.
The colonies nesting in the ground typically select areas bare of vegetation or else clear an area around the entrance. They guard their entrance to protect the colony- like watch dogs. Yellowjackets are slow to sting unless the nest entrance is approached and they become quite aggressive. Each stinging insect can provide multiple powerful stings- if you have ever moved that lawn mower or kid’s wagon to uncover and unexpected yellow jacket nest… you know the pain of a yellow jacket sting. Some people become hypersensitive to the stings and future stings can become life threatening.
What do for a yellow jacket problem? As painful as a yellow jacket sting can be… yellow jackets are considered beneficial insects because their food consists mostly of various other insects. However, as you well know, if their nests are located close to a home or business, their control is of utmost importance to protect people and children from their painful stings. If you have encountered these stinging pests or their nest on your property, our stinging insect control services will help locate the nest. We will inspect the exterior of your property to look for any other nests that may be present. We will also check trees on your property, because yellow jackets have been building nests in trees in our service area.
Once we locate and identify all yellow jacket nests on your property, we can deliver a one-time treatment directly to the nest. This treatment will get rid of the nest safely, without causing harm to you or your family members. A lot of our customers ask us if this is something they can do on their own; our advice is to leave yellow jacket control (and control of other stinging insects) to the professionals. We have the tools and the experience to get rid of a stinging insect nest without incurring a yellow jacket sting or a wasp sting. Our professionals know when the best time to treat the nests and we do it with care to make sure that no one in the vicinity is stung by these pests.
If you have noticed increased yellow jacket activity around your home or you’ve spotted a yellow jacket nest, don’t hesitate to give us a call for immediate service. If you are looking for complete home pest control services in Tennessee, our Perimeter Pest Control program is a home pest control program that is designed to keep pests out of your home, off your property and away from your family and pets, no matter the season.
At All-American, we’re not across the country, we’re around the corner; we are locally owned and operated and live and work in the same communities in which we service. Give us a call today for more information on this year-round service program or for information about one-time treatments for yellow jackets.