How to Kill Yellow Jackets
Verify it’s not a honeybee., Open the doors and windows if you’re inside., Leave any food which they’re interested in., Stay calm if the yellow jacket lands on you., Avoid antagonizing the wasp., Lure and trap the wasp with food., Create a more...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Verify it’s not a honeybee.
Difficult in the heat of the moment, with the creature buzzing around your head, but it’s an important distinction.
Yellow jackets are wasps, and one of the more aggressive varieties.
Unlike several other common wasps, they share the honeybee’s alternating, banded, black-and-yellow color scheme.
These wasps have thinner bodies than bees, appearing less round and hairy, and have wings as long as their body.It’s important not to kill honeybees, who fulfill an important role in the ecosystem without exhibiting overly aggressive toward humans.
To put their contribution in perspective: it’s been said that bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food that we eat! Bees will die after a single sting, and are not typically aggressors in their interactions with humans.
They’re docile and sting only in an effort to defend and warn their hive.Wasps, however, can sting an indefinite number of times and will not hesitate to. -
Step 2: Open the doors and windows if you’re inside.
The goal here is elimination of the threat.
Sometimes that can be accomplished by providing the wasp with an escape route.
Herding the yellow jacket is not recommended, however, as your efforts may put you at unnecessary risk of being stung.
You should not, however, open a window or door that sits directly next to a known yellow jacket nest. , Efforts to reclaim any food and drink will anger the wasp.
Leave anything that it’s currently landed on alone.
Quickly cover and seal away all other food and drink, then remove it from the yellow jacket’s vicinity., Erratic movements will only increase the likelihood of being stung.
If it lands on you, refrain from making any sudden movements.
Ideally, you’ll wait for the wasp to fly away of its own accord.
If that tactic isn’t working, use slow, gentle efforts to move it along. , Rolled-up newspapers and flyswatters can kill a yellow jacket, but physical combat can open you up to a world of hurt.
Striking and failing to kill the wasp will only invite further stings.Similarly, attempting to spray a single yellow jacket with insecticide of any sort is not recommended.
It will make a mess if used indoors, and can be dangerous to anybody in the vicinity.
Killing a wasp (or inciting a sting) can also spark extreme aggression from its compatriots.
Wasp venom contains an "alarm venom," which will draw other yellow jackets in and mark you as a target. , Yellow jackets often come into conflict with humans over food.
They can be found buzzing around trash cans, and are particularly fond of fruit, meat, and sugary drinks.This can be used to your advantage: if the wasp isn’t already crawling on a piece of food you had out, try using some to coerce it into landing.
Place food inside a sealable jar, or a soda bottle with a screwable cap.
Once the yellow jacket has landed, seal the wasp away and dispose of the bottle (or release it once you’re in an appropriate environment). , Fill a bottle or bucket with soapy water, and suspend a small piece of protein (lunchmeat works well) from string, 1-2 inches above the water.
Once the yellow jacket retrieves the protein, they’ll fall into the soapy water and drown.
Mesh can be place atop the bucket if there’s concern over other animals eating your protein. -
Step 3: Leave any food which they’re interested in.
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Step 4: Stay calm if the yellow jacket lands on you.
-
Step 5: Avoid antagonizing the wasp.
-
Step 6: Lure and trap the wasp with food.
-
Step 7: Create a more sophisticated
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Step 8: soapy trap.
Detailed Guide
Difficult in the heat of the moment, with the creature buzzing around your head, but it’s an important distinction.
Yellow jackets are wasps, and one of the more aggressive varieties.
Unlike several other common wasps, they share the honeybee’s alternating, banded, black-and-yellow color scheme.
These wasps have thinner bodies than bees, appearing less round and hairy, and have wings as long as their body.It’s important not to kill honeybees, who fulfill an important role in the ecosystem without exhibiting overly aggressive toward humans.
To put their contribution in perspective: it’s been said that bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food that we eat! Bees will die after a single sting, and are not typically aggressors in their interactions with humans.
They’re docile and sting only in an effort to defend and warn their hive.Wasps, however, can sting an indefinite number of times and will not hesitate to.
The goal here is elimination of the threat.
Sometimes that can be accomplished by providing the wasp with an escape route.
Herding the yellow jacket is not recommended, however, as your efforts may put you at unnecessary risk of being stung.
You should not, however, open a window or door that sits directly next to a known yellow jacket nest. , Efforts to reclaim any food and drink will anger the wasp.
Leave anything that it’s currently landed on alone.
Quickly cover and seal away all other food and drink, then remove it from the yellow jacket’s vicinity., Erratic movements will only increase the likelihood of being stung.
If it lands on you, refrain from making any sudden movements.
Ideally, you’ll wait for the wasp to fly away of its own accord.
If that tactic isn’t working, use slow, gentle efforts to move it along. , Rolled-up newspapers and flyswatters can kill a yellow jacket, but physical combat can open you up to a world of hurt.
Striking and failing to kill the wasp will only invite further stings.Similarly, attempting to spray a single yellow jacket with insecticide of any sort is not recommended.
It will make a mess if used indoors, and can be dangerous to anybody in the vicinity.
Killing a wasp (or inciting a sting) can also spark extreme aggression from its compatriots.
Wasp venom contains an "alarm venom," which will draw other yellow jackets in and mark you as a target. , Yellow jackets often come into conflict with humans over food.
They can be found buzzing around trash cans, and are particularly fond of fruit, meat, and sugary drinks.This can be used to your advantage: if the wasp isn’t already crawling on a piece of food you had out, try using some to coerce it into landing.
Place food inside a sealable jar, or a soda bottle with a screwable cap.
Once the yellow jacket has landed, seal the wasp away and dispose of the bottle (or release it once you’re in an appropriate environment). , Fill a bottle or bucket with soapy water, and suspend a small piece of protein (lunchmeat works well) from string, 1-2 inches above the water.
Once the yellow jacket retrieves the protein, they’ll fall into the soapy water and drown.
Mesh can be place atop the bucket if there’s concern over other animals eating your protein.
About the Author
Marie Price
Brings years of experience writing about cooking and related subjects.
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