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What's the buzz? Yellowjackets in the schoolyard
In late summer and early fall, yellowjackets can cause problems around schools. Although they are often beneficial, preying on other insects, they can sting many times if provoked. In this way, yellowjackets differ from bees, which sting only once. Yellowjackets will aggressively defend their nest if it is disturbed.
What They Look Like and How They Live
Yellowjackets are short and stout wasps. They have either black and yellow or black and white stripes. They are fast fliers and are more aggressive than other wasps. They make nests in the ground, hanging from trees or eaves, and sometimes in wall voids. When yellowjacket numbers peak in late summer or early fall, they become pests. Garbage cans, lunch counters and playgrounds attract yellowjackets looking for food sources. Usually, yellowjackets foraging for food won't sting unless they are physically threatened. But they will aggressively defend their nest if they feel it is in danger. If someone steps on an underground nest opening or disturbs a nest in a shrub or building, yellowjackets are likely to sting many times. Sometimes coming near a nest that has been previously disturbed is enough to spark an attack. Vibrations, such as those from a lawnmower, can disturb underground nests as well.
Preventing Attacks
Look for nests in the ground, under eaves and in wall voids. Wasps often build ground nests under shrubs, logs, piles of rocks and other protected sites. To get a good idea of the nest locations and entrances, watch for wasps to enter and leave. Garbage containers on school grounds should have tight-fitting lids and be emptied frequently. Periodically, lids and containers need to be cleaned of food wastes. Dumpsters should be cleaned often with a strong stream of water. Repair windows and screens and caulk holes in siding to prevent yellowjackets from establishing nest inside a building. Inspect the building once a month for new nests before they become a problem. Nest removal and trapping can significantly reduce yellowjacket populations as well. It is best to have a pest control operator with experience in stinging insects remove nests. Eliminating yellowjacket populations with chemicals should be a last resort and only in a situation involving frequent stings because they are beneficial predators of pest insects.
For more information about the management of yellowjackets and the prevention and treatment of stings, please visit the University of Florida's School IPM Web site (http://schoolipm.ifas.ufl.edu/).
Edited by: Angela Brammer, University of Florida
