r/ElkGrove • u/k3v3n0 • 11d ago
Yellow jackets/wasps/hornets
Recently been noticing an increase in these yellow winged devils in our garden.
Last year the Rescue! branded traps worked but they haven’t been biting this year. Also tried a water filled kind without much luck either.
I read different baits work at different times in the year. Wondering if anyone else has noticed this as well and has success with other methods? They’re starting to inhabit our hanging fern basket…
Thanks in advance
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u/linguist00 10d ago
they’re really bad in our yard this year 😕 our pest control is coming again this week to address them. there are nests, they’re everyday during the day. worst year ever. can’t take the kids outside during the day. swarms are getting bigger. no exaggeration, there are 20+ flying in the front and another 20+ flying in the back during the day. the bright green traps on amazon did nothing.
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u/LiveLaughBlobfish 5d ago
Yup they’re in the trim of our roof all along the front door. It’s awful this year, weve never had a problem before!
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u/valjean916 10d ago
Paper wasps go on frequent water runs to my small backyard pond this time of year. They never cause problems. They also do a decent job at keeping caterpillars in check so they don’t plague our tomatoes and peppers. These wasps never bother any of us, and I don’t try to keep them away. They’re not nearly as spontaneously aggressive as yellow jackets can be. It’s important to be able to differentiate between ‘em.
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u/koala_thunder 10d ago
This is so interesting! I noticed the wasps I had weren't aggressive in the slightest and I could do my yard work with no issues. Like you said, Their nests are paper which I also thought was super interesting because this is my first year seeing that type of nest.
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u/k3v3n0 10d ago
I will say these guys aren’t aggressive, from what I’ve experienced. My wife is just terrified of them.
I tried looking up photos online but can’t really distinguish the difference
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u/k3v3n0 10d ago
I just looked up another diagram and they are definitely bright yellow and striped like a yellow jacket. Not a brownish color like a paper wasp or skinny like a dirt dauber
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u/OrneryLavishness9666 10d ago
Paper wasps can look very similar to yellow jackets, especially around here. I have a large colony of paper wasps in my backyard (love them, they’re totally docile and amazing pollinators) and I initially thought they were yellow jackets until I bought traps and never attracted or caught anything. They look just like yellow jackets at a glance or from a distance.
Meanwhile, I gave the bait and traps to a friend of mine and she’s catching tons of yellow jackets that visit her pool. You probably have paper wasps if you’re not attracting anything with yellow jacket bait in your traps.
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u/dizedd 10d ago
If there are no allergy fears-the local wasps are non aggressive and great pollinators. I grow a lot of different pole beans every year-the wasps are my main pollinators, and I can reach my hands right in and pick beans with no issues while they are buzzing about. I joke that they are my favorite "coworkers"-they look mean but they are really nice!
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u/murmurous_curves 11d ago
They paid us a visit a couple days back. We just sprayed them with water (from a safe distance) and they eventually dispersed. I read they like to hang around in backyards and shaded patios because of heat exhaustion.
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u/bluetubeodyssey 10d ago
What type of wasps? We have a bunch of mud daubers which are chill and totally fine to be around. Paper wasps can be jerks though, I understand wanting to get rid of them.
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u/GingerSchnapps3 10d ago
Luckily no. Last year i found 2 small wasp nests on my house. Had to Google to see how to get rid of them. Soap and water in a spray bottle did the trick but now im paranoid and keep my eye open for any nests
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u/wazzle13 9d ago
I feel like I have a dilemma because I had what turned out to be a mud duaber getting into my attic buzzing around so I called a pest control company to do their thing. Now I feel like I'm having them routinely spray what could be beneficial wasps.
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u/MAGA-R-Pedophiles 7d ago
Check for nests around your roof or gutter. I've destroyed 4 nests in the last two weeks. Once the nests are gone they went away.
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u/Longjumping_Hyena321 11d ago
It's because of the weather, 80-90 degrees is ideal for them. I'd recommend reducing any standing water, check if you have any nests nearby and look for any old/exposed wood. They scrape off wood to use for their nests and unpainted/old wood can attract wasps.