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Carpenter Ant Pest Control in Portland OR and Vancouver WA

Yellow Jackets

The most aggressive member of the wasp family, yellow jackets are common stinging insects in the Pacific Northwest. Yellow jackets bear distinct markings, are predators, and are capable of stinging rapidly and repeatedly.

Yellow Jacket Description

Sugar Ant Up-Close View in Portland OR and Vancouver WA

Size

Full-grown yellow jackets typically measure ½ half to 1 full inch in length.

Color

Yellow jackets have distinct black and yellow markings. Their abdomens feature alternating stripes of black and yellow, yellow legs, and black with yellow heads and thoraxes. 

More About Yellow Jackets

Yellow jackets live in colonies, building their nests in abandoned animal burrows, trees, and other hidden areas. Their nests are round, as big or sometimes bigger than a basketball, containing upwards of a thousand insects.

What are yellow jackets?

Yellow jackets are colony-dwelling wasps consisting of males, workers, and queens. Males are also sometimes known as “drones.” The males exist to mate and are not capable of stinging. Queens essentially lay eggs in order to expand the colony, and workers take on a variety of tasks to protect and maintain a healthy colony.

How did I get yellow jackets?

Yellow jackets are avid hunters, predators who feed on a wide variety of insects and are even drawn to food that people consume, and have no hesitancy in pursuing it. If there are food sources present and other conditions accommodating to nesting, then your home is the perfect place for yellow jackets to colonize.

What do yellow jackets eat?

Yellow jackets, much like us, love carbohydrates and sugar and find these in nectar, fruits, and tree sap. Yellow jackets also feed on a wide variety of insects, fish, and meat. This is why yellow jackets can behave aggressively during picnics and other outdoor activities where food is present. Unlike many other insects, yellow jackets have highly developed jaws for chewing. 

Where are the yellow jackets coming from?

Yellow jackets prefer to build their nests in hidden places, like high eaves, abandoned animal burrows, bushes, and shrubs. Yellow jackets are also known to build nests underground, often going undetected until the nest has been disrupted. If threatened, workers will defend the nest, swarming and stinging whatever they deem a threat.

    Still not sure if you’re looking at a yellow jackets?

     

    Yellow Jacket Tips

    Are YELLOW JACKETS Harmful?

    Are Sugar Ants Harmful Icon
    Yellow jackets sting and are very aggressive.

    Yellow jackets are the most aggressive type of wasp in the Pacific Northwest. Yellow jackets will act with hostility unprovoked and are capable of stinging multiple times in quick succession.

    How can I stay safe from yellow jackets?

    Sometimes, just being in the near vicinity of a yellow jacket nest will cause them to attack. Because yellow jacket nests are often hidden, these attacks can occur without warning.

    What happens when you get stung by a yellow jacket?

    Yellow jacket stings can be both startling and extremely painful. The initial pain of the sting is often described as a feeling similar to being shocked and can leave a person feeling somewhat confused and disoriented. If you or a loved one is allergic to yellow jacket stings, seek medical attention immediately after being stung. Yellow jacket stings can cause anaphylactic shock, nausea, headaches, and other symptoms.

    Are YELLOW JACKETS SEASONAL?

    Are Sugar Ants Seasonal Icon
    Yellow jackets are active from spring to fall.

    Due to the Pacific Northwest’s temperate climate, yellow jackets have a long active season. Yellow jackets typically nest in the spring, thrive throughout the warm summer and early fall months, and overwinter as the weather turns cold.

     

    can i treat YELLOW JACKETS on my own?

    DIY Sugar Ant Treatment Icon
    We do not recommend treating yellow jackets by yourself.

    Due to their aggression and the sheer number of yellow jackets in any given nest (again, these can number in the thousands!), we highly recommend you seek professional assistance when exterminating yellow jackets. You want someone experienced and effective who understands how to deal with the living colony and the nest removal.

    Aspen Pest Control’s yellow jacket removal experts can safely and successfully rid your home of a yellow jacket infestation through the right combination of experience, equipment, and commitment to a job well done.

    Yellow jacket extermination with guaranteed results

     

    Why should I call professional pest control?

    Treating yellow jackets and hornets can be dangerous and difficult. Due to the potential size of the nest and the highly aggressive nature of these insects, homeowners should seriously consider getting their problem treated professionally. Regardless of nest size, total colony elimination can be expected in 24-72 hours. Nest removal is included in the extermination cost, and results are always 100% guaranteed.

    Can I prevent a yellow jacket infestation?

    Yellow jacket prevention is based on a few simple techniques. One is treating your home and property for the pests attracting yellow jackets and other predatory insects or arachnids to your yard. The fewer sources of food they have, the less desirable your yard will be to them.

    Similarly, items like trash, recycling, or compost bins stored outside the home will attract pests if they’re not correctly sealed. We recommended turning your compost frequently to encourage quicker breakdown, proper washing and preparation of recyclables, and the use of trash cans that have lids that can be tightly secured.

    Lastly, one of the best methods for preventing further yellow jacket infestation is to ensure that their nests are removed and that areas where yellow jackets will build nests are regularly monitored. Yellow jackets are insects that maintain regular flight paths, and breaking this cycle includes nest removal.

    Early intervention is crucial for yellow jacket extermination

    Since yellow jacket colonies can comprise several thousand individuals, early intervention is vital to quickly disrupting and eradicating your infestation. The longer you wait, the larger the colony can grow, which increases the danger associated with the colony. Again, we highly recommend professional assistance when yellow jacket extermination and nest removal are concerned. Proper equipment and experience are necessary to ensure safe and effective results.

    Yellow Jacket Treatment

    1

    INSPECT

    Because yellow jackets can nest in the most hidden of areas, it’s important to work with a team that has the experience to locate where your infestation is coming from. Aspen Pest Control’s yellow jacket extermination experts have the skills and know-how to identify the root of your yellow jacket problem and devise the best solution for your unique situation.

    Aspen Pest Control Technician Treating the Floorboards of a Portland OR Home

    2

    Apply products

    Aspen Pest Control uses pet- and child-friendly products that are 100% guaranteed to be effective. Typically, the treatment process will take one to three days for the colony to be fully affected. Afterward, we can remove nests as high as the second-story eaves to prevent future infestations from recurring.

    Aspen Pest Control Technician Treating a Vancouver WA Yard with Green Pest Control Product

    3

    ONGOING OBSERVATION

    Proper pest control is not a “one-and-done” affair. True and total eradication requires diligence and periodic review of infestation sites. Most of our new customers choose our Home Protection Plan because it’s a quarterly service that not only exterminates existing pests but helps to avert pests returning to your home.

    Aspen Pest Control Technician Setting Pest Bait Trap While Talking to Vancouver WA Homeowner

    Secure your home from yellow jackets 

     

    Aspen Pest Control Technician Giving a Free Pest Control Consultation to Vancouver WA Homeowner

    100% Satisfaction guaranteed

    Pest eradication is a process, not an event. If your yellow jacket infestation returns between regular quarterly service, we’re happy to return to your home and treat the infestation to ensure you’re completely satisfied with our services. That’s our commitment to you!

    Call Aspen Pest Control today and get rid of your yellow jacket problem.

    Talk with an expert pest control technician 

     

    Vancouver Office:

    360.859.9090

    12104 NE 95th St.

    Vancouver, WA 98682

     

    Portland Office:

    503.405.4300

    8305 SE Monterey Ave

    Suite 220 Q

    Happy Valley, OR 97086

    Mailing Address:

    19215 SE 34th St

    Suite #106-155

    Camas, WA 98607

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