For your Home
Login or register for the customer portal
© 2025 Rentokil Initial plc and subject to the conditions in the legal statement.
Yellow jackets are aggressive stinging insects that are commonly encountered throughout the United States in the summer and fall. Builders of large ball-shaped nests, yellow jackets earn their namesake for their typical black and yellow colors.
As is the case with many other types of wasps, yellow jackets in general are viewed as very beneficial creatures. Yellow jackets feed on arthropods like ants that can potentially become pests. However, yellow jackets can inflict a painful sting on humans if disturbed.
Individual yellow jackets can sting a victim multiple times. For some people, yellow jacket stings can be life threatening.
Do not attempt to remove the nest yourself as yellow jacket removal should always be left to trained professionals. Call 800-837-5520 or contact Ehrlich online to request a free inspection of your property.
How to get rid of yellow jackets
Getting rid of yellow jackets can start with simple home remedies, but these methods may only provide short-term relief. For instance, you can use a homemade trap by filling a jar with a mixture of sugar water and dish soap to lure and capture yellow jackets. These remedies are most effective for small infestations or when yellow jackets are visible and easy to reach.
However, yellow jacket nests are often hidden in places like underground burrows, wall voids, or dense shrubs, making them difficult and dangerous to handle. Yellow jackets are aggressive when their nests are disturbed and can sting multiple times, posing serious risks. If you're dealing with a larger nest or an inaccessible location, it’s crucial to avoid taking unnecessary risks.
For long-term solutions and guaranteed safety, the best step is to contact Ehrlich’s wasp control service. Our expert wasp exterminators are trained to locate, remove, and prevent yellow jacket infestations efficiently. After a thorough inspection, we'll treat, and remove the nest if it's accessible, and provide guidance to help keep your property safe.
What are yellow jackets?
Often mistaken for bees due to their yellow-and-black coloring, yellow jackets are actually wasps. Unlike bees, which sting as a last resort, yellow jackets readily sting to defend their nest and can sting multiple times due to their smooth stingers. These insects are a significant nuisance around homes and outdoor gatherings, where they are drawn to food and sweet beverages.
Yellow jacket characteristics
At up to 5/8 of an inch long, they are slightly larger than the average honey bee worker. They have clear wings that fold neatly along their bodies when resting. These beneficial wasps live in colonies with thousands of individuals and would be a lesser threat to humans if they didn’t nest in structural voids, attics, and cavities associated with landscaping features.
Adult yellow jackets feed mainly on fruit juices and other sweet liquid materials, whereas their larvae are fed bits of soft-bodied insects. Although the end of the warm-weather months means larvae production stops and males die off after mating, the yellow jacket is at its most active during the late summer. Their diverse diet makes them particularly troublesome at picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor events.
How to identify yellow jackets
Identifying yellow jackets involves observing their appearance and behavior. Physically, they are smaller and more slender than bees, with distinctive black and yellow stripes on their abdomen. They are fast, agile fliers and are often seen hovering around food or sugary drinks.
Another key identifying factor is their nests, which have a paper-like texture made from chewed wood fibers and saliva. These nests are commonly found in concealed or underground locations, such as abandoned rodent burrows, wall voids, or dense shrubs.
Habitat
Yellow jackets are highly adaptable and build their nests in various locations, often near human activity. They thrive in areas where food and water are readily available, making residential properties ideal habitats.
Yellow jacket nests
Yellow jackets build spherical nests that grow to the size of a basketball or larger. Unlike paper wasps who only build their nests above ground, yellow jackets will build both aerial and ground nesting sites. Nests can grow to more than 15,000 members in some species.
Ground nesters are wasps that nest in old rodent burrows. Above-ground nests are found among the leafy branches of trees, shrubs, and on structures. The entrance of the nest is normally a hole located at the bottom. Aerial yellow jacket nests can be found in many different places in or around a home, including:
- Structural voids on homes
- Sheds
- Garages
- Shrubs
- Bushes
Aerial nesters are extremely defensive when their nests are disturbed. Locating the nest, through observing flight patterns, is essential to eliminate them.
Yellow jacket stings most often occur when homeowners attempt to remove nests themselves. If you’re wondering how do professionals get rid of wasps?, the process involves specialized tools and safety equipment to ensure the nest is removed without causing harm. We strongly recommend relying on the expertise of a pest control professional to remove yellow jacket nests.
Yellow jacket behaviors, threats, or dangers
Yellow jackets are known for their aggressive nature, particularly when defending their nests. They attack in large numbers if they perceive a threat, making them one of the most dangerous stinging pests to deal with. Unlike honeybees, which lose their stinger after stinging, yellow jackets can sting multiple times, delivering painful stings that can cause severe swelling and irritation.
Yellow jackets also pose a nuisance at outdoor events, as they are attracted to food, sugary beverages, and garbage. Their scavenging behavior increases the likelihood of stings, especially when they become aggressive around human food sources.
Yellow jacket removal services
Yellow jackets have a reputation for being one of the most aggressive stinging insects. Usually, they won’t sting unless provoked. However, they can get more aggressive in the early fall as resources begin to dwindle. Yellow jacket stings pose a more serious threat to humans than bees, because a yellow jacket's stinger is not barbed like a honey bee, allowing it to sting repeatedly. Some individuals are more sensitive than others, due to allergic reactions, and should seek medical attention when stung.
Property owners can count on their local Ehrlich technicians to deliver yellow jacket removal services that are both safe and effective.
- Inspection - When you contact Ehrlich, a technician will be scheduled to conduct a full inspection and confirm if your property has in fact been infested by yellow jackets or some other stinging pest.
- Treatment recommendation - After a thorough inspection of your property, Your technician will discuss with you treatment recommendations that will successfully get rid of the yellow jackets. You will then receive a quote for services and your technician will be able to answer any questions you have.
- Yellow jacket removal - Once the treatment services are agreed upon, your technician will treat all nests on your property wearing protective stinging insect gear. If the yellow jackets on your property have built an aerial nest, your technician will use an extension pole to treat the nests. Once it has been confirmed that all adult yellow jackets have been eliminated, your technician will remove the nest.
Frequently asked questions
Are yellow jacket wasps aggressive?
Yes, yellow jacket wasps are highly aggressive, especially when they feel their nest is threatened. Unlike some other stinging insects, they are quick to defend their territory and will attack in large numbers. Their ability to sting repeatedly makes them particularly dangerous when disturbed.
Are yellow jacket wasps harmful to humans?
Yellow jackets can be harmful to humans due to their painful stings, which can cause swelling, redness, and itching. For individuals who are allergic, a yellow jacket sting can trigger severe reactions like difficulty breathing, swelling of the throat, or anaphylaxis, a life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention. Additionally, their aggressive nature increases the risk of multiple stings during an encounter.
What's the difference between a wasp and a yellow jacket?
Yellow jackets are a specific type of wasp, but they differ from other wasps in appearance and behavior. Yellow jackets are smaller, with more compact, black-and-yellow-striped bodies. They tend to be more aggressive than other wasps and are scavengers, often seen around human food. Other wasps, such as paper wasps, are generally less aggressive and build open, umbrella-shaped nests, while yellow jackets often create concealed or underground nests.
What happens when you get stung by a yellow jacket?
A yellow jacket sting injects venom into the skin, causing immediate pain, redness, swelling, and itching at the sting site. The venom can also trigger more severe reactions in allergic individuals, including hives, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or anaphylactic shock. Yellow jackets can sting multiple times, compounding these symptoms. If you are stung and experience severe symptoms, seek medical attention right away. For mild reactions, applying ice, cleaning the area, and using over-the-counter antihistamines can help alleviate discomfort.