Yellow jackets are a common sight during warmer months. These social wasps, known for their distinct black and yellow markings, are often present at outdoor gatherings. Understanding their habits can help people coexist peacefully with them and clarify what truly captures their attention.
Yellow Jackets and Light Attraction
Yellow jackets are diurnal insects, meaning they are active during the day. They rely on visual cues like color and movement, along with olfactory cues (smells), for foraging and navigation. Unlike many nocturnal insects, yellow jackets are generally not directly attracted to artificial light sources.
While a yellow jacket might occasionally approach a light source, perhaps if disoriented or seeking warmth, this is not a primary attractant. Their main drive remains finding food and suitable nesting locations, rather than seeking illumination.
What Draws Yellow Jackets
Yellow jackets are omnivorous scavengers with a diverse diet that changes throughout the seasons. They are particularly drawn to sugary substances, which provide them with carbohydrates for energy. This includes ripe fruits, spilled sodas, fruit juices, and flower nectar. Decaying fruit on the ground can be a significant draw.
In addition to sweets, yellow jackets also require protein, especially in spring and early summer when they are feeding their developing larvae and the queen. They actively hunt other insects like flies and caterpillars, and scavenge for meat from various sources. This can include grilled meats, pet food left outdoors, and carrion. Their diet shifts from protein-rich foods to more sugar-rich sources as autumn approaches and larval development slows.
Yellow jackets also seek out suitable places to build their nests. They commonly construct nests underground in rodent burrows or other soil cavities. Other preferred nesting sites include protected cavities such as wall voids, attics, hollow logs, tree stumps, and under eaves. These sites offer shelter and protection for their growing colonies, which can number in the thousands by late summer.
Strategies for Yellow Jacket Deterrence
Managing food sources is an effective way to deter yellow jackets. Promptly cleaning up food and drink spills, particularly sugary ones, can significantly reduce their interest. When dining outdoors, keep food and beverages covered, and ensure garbage cans have tight-fitting lids. Emptying trash regularly helps to eliminate potential attractants.
Modifying the habitat around your property can also discourage yellow jackets. Removing fallen fruit from trees and gardens prevents it from attracting these insects. Sealing cracks and crevices in homes, especially around windows and doors, can prevent them from nesting inside wall voids. Some natural deterrents, such as cucumber peels, bay leaves, or certain essential oils like clove, lemongrass, and spearmint, can be placed to discourage their presence.
Personal precautions can also help minimize encounters. Avoiding strong-smelling perfumes, lotions, or heavily scented beauty products is beneficial, as sweet scents attract them. While yellow jackets are not typically attracted to light, using yellow-tinted or LED light bulbs outdoors can be less appealing to a broader range of insects. Traps that use sweet or protein-based lures can reduce local populations, but are most effective when placed away from human activity to draw yellow jackets elsewhere.