What To Do About Yellow Jackets Around Your South Bend Property


August 14, 2020

In the land of beautiful fields, walking trails, rivers, and farms, Indiana boasts some of the most picturesque scenery in the Midwest. South Bend is no exception. Once Winter breaks, South Bend has an abundance of activities to offer people who want to get outside and enjoy nature. Unfortunately, there are a few reasons to stay indoors, too. If you walk into a yellow jacket swarm, for instance, it will ruin your day outdoors in a hurry. Furthermore, if you fear yellow jacket nests in your yard, it will certainly negatively impact your willingness to relax in your yard or enjoy a meal on your deck.

If the fear of a bee sting keeps you from relaxing on your property, it's important to know how to differentiate yellow jackets from less dangerous bee species and implement some preventative measures to keep stinging insects off of your South Bend property.

 

yellow jackets crawling outside a nest

What To Look For

If you see yellow jackets on your South Bend property, you’ll be able to differentiate them from other bee species by their waistline. The yellow and black body of a yellow jacket comes to a tapered waist in the middle, leaving the stinger hanging almost separately from the abdomen.

They will also make their nests in different places than other bee species. Yellow jackets will nest anywhere, including holes in the ground. They will also protect their nests to their death. Unlike other bee species who die after an initial sting, they’re able to sting and inject their victims with venom repeatedly. Unfortunately, since they love anything sweet, they’ll be attracted to sugary drinks at picnics and outdoor hummingbird feeders. They may even crawl into your beverage if left unattended leaving you with a painful sip.

Severe Health Risks

Along with being more territorial than other bee species, their ability to sting multiple times is a serious health hazard. Since their nests may be on the ground, if you step on one, you’re in for a bad time. With multiple yellow jackets stinging you multiple times and injecting their venom with each sting, you’ll require medical attention even if you aren’t allergic. Their ability to sting repeatedly effectively keeps the insect population down around your home, as other insects are a favorite source of prey for yellow jackets. However, they are still incredibly dangerous to humans.

Yellow jackets also effectively communicate with each other.  A lone yellow jacket can issue a distress call when it feels threatened, leaving you quickly surrounded by the rest of its nestmates.

Prevention

Since they’re such talented communicators, you do not want to try to get rid of their nests on your own. If you do, you may incur the wrath of every angry yellow jacket in the area. Even if you don’t think the nest is active, you never know. Trying to de-nest your property yourself is a very risky activity.

While there are home remedies for yellow jacket prevention in the yard, like thyme, spearmint, and wormwood, the only safe and guaranteed method of eradication is contacting the professionals at Termishield Pest Control.  Our experts can safely and effectively eliminate yellow jacket nests and implement preventative measures necessary to keep their population under control. For more information, call the professionals at Termishield Pest Control today. 

Tags: yellow jackets | stinging insect prevention |