HOW TO GET RID OF YELLOW JACKETS ON YOUR AIKEN PROPERTY

This is a difficult topic. The goal of our pest blog is to provide you with actionable tips that can help you address pests when you find them in your home or on your property. While there are many strategies you can use to prevent yellow jackets from establishing a nest on your property, once they have, it is best to contact a licensed pest professional. There is no practical way for Aiken residents to get rid of yellow jackets' nests without the risk of injury. Yellow jackets get aggressive when you mess with their nests. This being said, let's talk about yellow jacket prevention. It's sorta like getting rid of yellow jackets—only you're getting rid of them before you have them. Here's what you should know.

Five Things That Attract Yellow Jackets

If you remove attractants that make yellow jackets want to live in your yard, it is like saying, "Get out of here, yellow jackets."

• Holes in your yard or in your home can invite a yellow jacket nest. These wasps create void nests. You can prevent these by filling in any holes you have in your yard and by sealing potential entry points in your exterior walls. Also, look for logs, stumps, wood piles, and cavities that form in natural objects that are stacked. These too can be targeted for nest creation.
• Yellow jackets eat sources of protein and carbohydrates in garbage. If you have open trash, you're asking for yellow jackets to move in. Make sure you bag your trash and store it in containers that have covers. It is also a good idea to keep you rtrash containers free of odors. The odor alone is an attractant.
• Yellow jackets eat bugs. When you attract bugs, you attract the yellow jackets that eat them. One key attractant for bugs is moisture, and one way homes begin to have trouble with moisture is that gutters get clogged or broken. Make sure your gutters are working. This will deter yellow jackets.
• Yellow jackets eat insects. Yes, there is a bit of a difference between bugs and insects. Bugs are your centipedes, spiders, millipedes, etc. They have more than six legs. All insects have six legs. If you want to reduce insects and deter yellow jackets, one of the best things you can do is replace exterior white lights with yellow lights which are less attractive to insects.
• Honeydew is a delectable treat for yellow jackets. While it is impractical to reduce flowers and flowering plants that produce sweet nectar, you can reduce honeydew as a food source. Strong plant health and a quick response to aphids, whiteflies, and scale insects can deter the creation of honeydew excretions on your landscape plants and, in turn, make your landscaping less inviting to yellow jackets.
• Water is a highly sought-after commodity. If you have puddles in your yard that sit after a rainstorm, you should address the conditions that are creating an oversaturation of your ground. Also, inspect your yard for any objects that capture rainwater. Removing these objects, or altering conditions to prevent the capture of rainwater, can make a big difference.

Detection Is Key To Preventing An Attack

If you've taken steps to deter yellow jackets but they haven't taken no for an answer, you may start to see or hear them. Since they create void nests, you're not likely to see a nest stuck to the side of your home or attached underneath a roofline of a structure on your property. What you'll see is drone activity. You may see drones entering and exiting a ground hole or a hole in your exterior. You may see drones buzzing around near your deck or landscaping. There are many ways you may detect them. When you do, reach out to the team here at Aiken Pest Control.

Yellow Jacket Control

At Aiken Pest Control, we offer year-round pest control that provides coverage for stinging insects. Life can get busy, and you can forget to be cautious about yellow jackets and other stinging insects in your yard. We think about those stinging pests, so you don't have to worry about them nearly as much. During your routine inspections, your Aiken Pest Control technician will look and listen for wasp activity and conducive conditions for wasp habitation, and address wasp nests that are found. When wasps are caught early, the risk of unwanted encounters goes down dramatically.

If you'd like to learn more about our year-round pest control, or you'd like to schedule a home pest control evaluation, connect with us today. There are enough things to worry about in life, you don't have to let yellow jackets be one of them. Let our professional service team protect your health and property from common Aiken pests.