Yellowjacket Control: How to Get Rid of Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets are a common type of flying pest most active during the summer and fall months and are often a threat in residential neighborhoods where they set up nests on or near homes. Yellowjackets get their name from the yellow and black coloration pattern found on its abdomen. Like wasps and bees, they have a stinger and will attack aggressively to protect themselves and their nest if they feel threatened.

Yellowjackets are found all over the world, and there are about 16 species that live within the United States. They are social insects and create nests for their colonies. These nests can either be underground or perched up high. Some of the more common spots where Yellowjacket nests are built are on bushes, trees and on the eaves of a house. Much like wasps, Yellowjacket nests are built with chewed up soft woody material much like paper.

This aggressive pest can be a literal pain if they happen to nest near your home and begin flying around whenever you are outdoors. If your yard has YellowJackets setting up shop, it would be wise for you to put into place a control plan to get rid of these uninvited stinging guests.

Our DIY Yellowjacket treatment guide will show you exactly how to wipe out a yellowjacket infestation quickly and affordably all by yourself. Follow the steps below carefully using our recommended products and you will be guaranteed to make your yard a Yellowjacket free zone.

Identification

Before treatment, you will first determine if the pest inhibiting your yard is a yellowjacket. Properly identifying yellowjacket will help you choose the correct insecticide and treatment plan. Listed below are some of the characteristics associated with yellowjacket control.

• Yellowjackets have black and yellow body segments and are small in size ranging from 3/8 to 5/8 inches. Due to their characteristics, they often are mistaken as bees. The best way to distinguish between bees and yellowjackets is the fact that yellowjackets have no hairs and have a brighter hue of yellow compared to bees, which are colored more golden brown.
• Body colors are composed of black and bright yellow patterns, which is where the name yellowjacket comes from.
• Yellowjackets are social and their nests can be found in a variety of places: from the underside of stairs, to wall voids in a building to long hanging branches.

Use the description and image above to help you in identifying yellowjackets on your property. If you are having trouble, reach out to us and one of our pest control experts will help you to properly ID the pest as well as offer you product recommendations for control.

Inspection

Give your yard a thorough examination to find out where the yellowjacket nest is and whether there is more than one point of entry into the nest. This will be important to note when carrying out the actual application treatment as a nest with multiple openings may come with the possibility that the yellowjackets inside the nest will escape out of different opening than the one you shoot into and will go on a stinging spree as payback for spraying their nest.

Where To Inspect

Yellowjackets either make their nests in the ground or in aerial spaces. If you see a yellowjacket, observe it to see where it travels and where it may disappear off to as they very well may lead you to their nest. Outdoors they can be found hanging in wall eaves, siding, fascia boards, soffits, and below rain gutters. Indoors, they may build nests inside chimneys, vents, attics, basements, and in windows and crevices.

In the yard, look for their nest in trees, shrubs, branches, woodpiles, yard debris, and leaf litter.

What To Look For

Look for Yellowjackets themselves and where they are traveling to. If you find one, observe its flight pattern and follow it back to the nest. In the yard, get rid of woodpiles, yard debris, leaf litter, rocks. These items could be hiding holes or burrows where wasps and bees nest. Once you have identified their nests you're ready for treatment.

Treatment

Before carrying out any form of Yellowjacket treatment, make sure you are geared up for the occasion. Dress in either thick clothing, or to ensure the most possible safety, a professional bee suit. Make sure to cover up as much exposed skin as possible as this will not only help to prevent stings but will also keep you from being overexposed to chemical pesticides that will be sprayed to control yellow jackets and their nests. Thick gloves and safety glasses will also be a good addition.

You will use three products depending on the nest location. If the Yellowjacket nest is visible and above ground, apply Stryker Wasp and Hornet. Stryker Wasp and Hornet will reach up to 15 feet away and provide instant knockdown, preventing bees/wasps from attacking. For below ground nest applications or in holes and voids, use D-Fense Dust.

If you can't find the nest, but want to prevent bees/wasps from coming close to your property, use Sylo Insecticide to create a protective barrier.

Step 1 - Outdoor Treatment with Stryker Wasp and Hornet

Stryker Wasp and Hornet is an aerosol spray that delivers a quick knockdown to Yellowjackets and their nests and has a tremendous 20-foot reach when spraying.

Wait until the evening or night when all the bees/wasps are inside the nest. Stryker Wasp and Hornet comes ready to use. Simply shake, point, and spray. Spray directly at the nest entrance for 6 to 8 seconds. Drench the whole nest and kill the remaining wasps/bees. Do not let people or pets near areas until nests are no longer active.

Step 2 - Treat Nests or Holes with D-Fense Dust

For Yellow Jacket Nests that are not located high up and instead are lower to the ground or underground, apply D-Fense Dust. D-Fense Dust is a deltamethrin dust and can successfully kill Yellow Jackets on contact.

Yellow Jacket nests can be tucked away in or under bushes, or buried underground with a small entrance hole or located deep inside a wall void of a building or the weephole of a house. This is when D-Fense Dust can be useful.

It is best to use a handheld pesticide duster to treat these holes and nest areas for precision and accuracy of getting the dust where you need it to go. Add D-Fense Dust to a duster at a rate of 2 to 3 grams per square yard or 0.5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Lightly squeeze the duster to puff dust directly to nests and holes.

Step 3 - Barrier Treatment with Sylo Insecticide

To apply Sylo Insecticide you will first need to calculate the square footage of the treatment area. You can do this by measuring and multiplying the area length times the width (length x width = square footage). Sylo Insecticide can be applied at a rate of 1.3 oz. to 5.1 oz. in a gallon of water.

Spray the foundation of your home by spraying 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation and also spray, window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, rain gutters, and areas where wasps or bees have been seen. Do not let people or pets enter areas prayed until 2 to 4 hours.

Prevention

After yellowjackets have been eliminated from your yard, you will need to carry out preventative measures to ensure they do not return.

• To prevent Yellowjackets from forming large colonies in your structure be diligent about knocking down recently built nests with Stryker Wasp and Hornet. Large infestations happen when small nests go untreated.
• Keep yard clean of nest by mowing and pruning foliage. Occassionally sweep the soffits of patios and seal crevices and crack with caulk.
• Store all trash and debris in sealed trashcans to limit food source.
• Drain standing water sources like birdbaths or plant pots after rain.

Key Takeaways

What Are Yellowjackets?

• Yellowjackets are a common wasp type that likes to build nests around residential areas and is known to be territorial and an aggressive attacker.

How to Get Rid of Yellowjackets

• Our top recommendations for treating yellowjackets is to locate the nest and spray Stryker Wasp and Hornet. Sylo Insecticide can be used to create a protective barrier around your home to keep yellowjackets away. For controlling Yellow Jacket nests underground, in weepholes, or wall voids, use D-Fense Dust.
• Remember to be properly dressed for treatment with long sleeve clothing or to be completely safe, a professional beekeeping suit.

Preventing Yellowjackets Reinfestation

• Prevent yellowjackets from returning with regular quarterly applicaitons of Sylo Insecticide and maintaining yard.