If you’ve ever had the unpleasant experience of being stung by a yellow jacket, you’ve probably wondered—why me? Yellow jackets always seem to seek out some people more than others, sparking curiosity and frustration.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: yellow jackets are attracted to sugars, bright colors, motion, moisture, and sweet scents. Read on below for more details on why yellow jackets seem to keep coming after you specifically out of a crowd.
In this comprehensive guide, we will uncover the reasons why those pesky yellow jackets won’t leave you alone. With nearly 3,000 words spanning the biology, behavior, and control methods of yellow jackets, you’ll gain a deep understanding of these insects and equip yourself to keep them at bay during the warmer months.
What Attracts Yellow Jackets?
Yellow jackets are attracted to various substances and environments that they can use to their benefit. Understanding what lures these insects can help prevent unwanted encounters.
Sugary substances
Yellow jackets have a strong appetite for sugary foods and drinks. They are drawn to soda cans, candy, pastries, ripe fruits, and other sweet treats. Picnics and barbecues with these items out in the open tend to attract more yellow jackets looking for an easy meal.
Moisture
Areas with accessible moisture are prime real estate for yellow jackets to build nests. They often construct hives in holes or cavities near sources of water like leaky faucets, standing puddles, sprinklers, garden hoses, and damp areas of soil.
Backyards with a lot of moisture can become unwanted hangouts for these insects.
Motion
The movement of people and animals grabs the attention of yellow jackets nearby. They will investigate such activity to look for food or threaten anything encroaching on the perimeter of their nest. It’s common for yellow jackets to aggressively chase people or pets walking by their hives.
Bright colors
Bright and vivid colors, especially yellow, will catch the eyes of yellow jackets. Clothing, toys, and flowers in these hues can lure curious members of the species to take a closer inspection. Some research suggests yellow jackets have a preference for warmer tones in the yellow-orange range.
Sweet scents
Yellow jackets use their excellent sense of smell to locate fruit, nectar, and other sugary delicacies. Fragrances emulating these sweet foods can attract them as well. Scents of perfume, lotion, deodorant, and scented household products on a person’s skin or in the vicinity of a nest will also draw their attention.
Yellow Jacket Biology and Behavior
Feeding habits
Yellow jackets are omnivorous insects that feed on sugars from fruit, plant secretions, and human foods. They also prey on other insects, spiders, and caterpillars to feed their larvae protein. Their diverse diet allows them to thrive in many environments.
Worker yellow jackets forage up to a mile away from their nest in search of food. They carry bits of chewed up food back to the nest to feed developing larvae.
Nesting habits
Yellow jackets build nests out of chewed up wood pulp. Nests are often located underground in abandoned rodent burrows or hollow logs. However, they sometimes nest in wall voids, attics, or sheds of homes and buildings.
Colonies can grow quite large by summer’s end, with populations of several thousand yellow jackets in a single nest. The nest provides important shelter and regulates temperature.
Territorial behavior
Yellow jackets fiercely defend their nests if threatened. They swarm and sting any perceived intruder. Their stings are painful and can cause severe reactions in those allergic. Yellow jackets release attack pheromones when stinging that call other workers to join in defending the area.
This is why stings often occur in rapid succession. It’s important not to swat at yellow jackets, as quick movements trigger their defensive response.
Attraction to carbon dioxide
Exhaled carbon dioxide attracts nearby yellow jackets. They associate the gas with potential food sources. That’s why yellow jackets tend to fly around people’s faces. They also forage around trash cans and dumpsters heavy with organic waste producing CO2.
Limiting food waste and covering trash cans helps reduce attraction. However, completely avoiding their territory is often the best way to prevent stings from these aggressive insects.
Tips for Avoiding Yellow Jacket Encounters
Avoid wearing bright colors or sweet perfumes outdoors
Yellow jackets are attracted to bright colors and sugary scents, so it’s best to avoid wearing perfumed cosmetics, bright clothing, or floral prints when spending time outside, especially near known nesting areas.
Stick to solid, muted colors like whites, tans, and olive greens when hiking or picnicking to become less visible to these insects.
Stay away from known nesting areas
Be on the lookout for signs of yellow jacket nests, like small holes in the ground or clumps of football-sized gray paper nests hanging from trees, eaves, or holes in the walls. Give these areas a wide berth when possible to avoid disturbing the aggressive insects.
Keep an eye out while gardening or mowing your lawn, as vibrations and movements can rile them up.
Eliminate food sources around your home
Yellow jackets love sugary foods and drinks, so keeping your outdoor eating areas free of spills and leftovers can make your yard less attractive to them. Promptly clean up after backyard picnics, cover trash cans securely, and avoid leaving pet food outdoors.
Rinse recyclables before tossing them in the bin.
Also, seal any gaps around doors or windows with caulk or weatherstripping so the insects can’t sneak inside in search of sugary treats. Make sure window and door screens are in good condition.
Install yellow jacket traps
Traps are an effective way to reduce yellow jacket populations on your property without insecticides. DIY traps are simple to make at home using soda bottles filled with a sweet liquid bait like fruit juice or jam mixed with a small amount of dish soap.
Commercial resin traps or cone-style traps are also available. Place traps away from high-traffic areas and check them frequently to dispose of captured insects.
Using preventative measures can go a long way in avoiding encounters with these feisty flies. Stay vigilant when spending time outdoors, especially around food, and you may just make it through the summer without getting stung! 😅
What to Do if You Are Stung
Remove the stinger
If a yellow jacket stings you, it will likely leave behind a stinger. Use a flat object like a credit card to gently scrape and remove the stinger. Do not squeeze or grasp the stinger with tweezers as this may inject more venom. Once the stinger is removed, wash the area with soap and water.
Wash the area with soap and water
After removing the stinger, wash the affected area with mild soap and cool water. This helps remove any remaining venom from the skin surface. Be sure to pat dry the area gently after washing. Harsh scrubbing may further irritate the sting.
Apply a cold compress
Applying something cold to the sting helps alleviate pain and swelling. Wrap an ice pack or cold compress in a thin towel and apply to the affected area for 10-20 minutes at a time. You can continue this on and off as needed. Using cold therapy can make a world of difference in sting comfort!
Take an antihistamine
Antihistamines like Benadryl can counteract the chemicals and histamines released by yellow jacket venom. They help reduce swelling, itching, and other symptoms. Take an oral antihistamine as directed on the label. For severe reactions, an injection of epinephrine may be needed.
Monitor for severe allergic reaction
While most yellow jacket stings result in minor discomfort, some people may experience a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis. Symptoms include hives, swelling, throat tightness, breathing issues, nausea, dizziness or fainting. If any of these develop, seek emergency care right away.
Epinephrine, IV fluids, oxygen therapy and other treatments may be needed to counteract this dangerous reaction.
Conclusion
Hopefully by now you have a strong grasp on why those pesky yellow jackets seem to pursue you everywhere you go during late summer. While their biology and behavior lead them to target sources of food, moisture, and movement—especially in the form of humans—you’re armed with knowledge to prevent encounters.
By steering clear of nests, eliminating food sources, and protecting your skin and clothes when outdoors near yellow jacket habitat, you can finally shake them from your summer adventures. And if one still manages to sting you, now you know how to properly treat it to avoid excess pain and inflammation.
May your days ahead be filled with relaxation outdoors free of buzzing yellow pests thanks to this comprehensive guide!
