How To Keep Yellow Jackets Away From Ruining Your Cookout

Summer barbeques are a time to kick back, relax, throw some burgers on the grill, and get attacked by yellow jackets.

Wait…what?

No one invited any yellow jackets. How rude of them to show up uninvited. But being polite was never a yellow jacket’s prerogative.  They’re way more interested in what’s on the menu. These lean, mean, buzzing machines have a tough time resisting tasty barbeques – and can you blame them? It’s like waving a red curtain in front of a bull.

How To Keep Yellow Jackets Away:

But we can stop them.

We’ve put together some great ways to prevent yellow jackets from buzzing on your parade.

First off, let’s begin with what a yellow jacket actually is.

Don’t Leave Sugar Out

Sugar is a veritable magnet for yellow jackets, especially as we enter into the fall. So if you’re planning any Labor Day cookouts, we recommend keeping sugary desserts tightly sealed, or better yet, completely out of sight until they’re ready to be eaten.

As natural food sources become scarce, yellow jackets will begin scavenging, seeking out sweet treats, and disrupting your good time. And although it may seem counterintuitive, sugar can actually increase their lifespan and reproductive function, making sweets especially dangerous to keep around during these times.

But sweets aren’t the only thing yellow jackets will be after. Virtually anything left out in unattended garbage cans can be fair game as well.

Seal Your Garbage Cans Tightly

Garbage cans have long been known as feasting grounds for raccoons and other scavengers, making them prime feasting real estate for our yellow jacket foes. I’m sure you’re familiar with the expression: “One man’s trash is another’s treasure.” That’s exactly how yellow jackets will perceive your exposed garbage – as treasure. They will actively seek out the leftover proteins and sugars on the foods we throw away. Meat, sugary sodas, and fruits are of particular interest, so make sure to keep those out of sight.

Now that we know what attracts annoying yellow jackets, let’s talk about an unexpected, inexpensive, and effective way to keep them at bay.

Create Faux Nests

Similar to gangs operating out of different neighborhoods, insects are often fearful of encroaching on another insect’s territory. And wasps are extremely territorial, so they won’t make a nest where one already exists. So what better way to keep yellow jackets at bay than by making them think that other wasps have gotten there first?

Believe it or not, there is an amazingly easy and cost-effective way to do this and it can be summed up in 3 simple words: brown paper bag.

Yes, you heard that right.

You know those little brown lunch sacks from childhood and the larger ones you get for free at the grocery store? Believe it or not, these simple paper bags could mean the difference between a yellow-jacket-free cookout and moving your guests indoors.

Here’s how to make your faux yellow jacket nest:

• Step 1: Crumple up a brown paper grocery bag so that it looks textured and nest-like
• Step 2: Attach a string to the top of it
• Step 3: Hang the bag near your doors, or in a place wasps would likely form a nest
• Step 4: Enjoy your yellow-jacket-free cookout!

If the Problem Persists

We get it - not everyone has the ability to construct a "bee-lievable" faux nest. So if your yellow jacket problem persists and they’re posing a threat, we definitely don’t recommend DIY yellow jacket removal.

Being incredibly territorial pests, yellow jackets will attack to defend their nest from danger. So we always recommend erring on the side of safety and contacting professionals. They will be able to assess the severity of your pest problem and develop an appropriate course of action.

Yellow Jacket Identification

With their black and yellow appearance, yellow jackets are often mistaken for bees, but they’re actually members of the wasp family. These ground-nesting wasps tend to rest underground in rodent burrows, so if you see a cluster of unidentifiable insects emerging from a hole in the ground, there’s a very good chance they’re yellow jackets.

In spring and early summer, yellow jackets behave as carnivores, feeding primarily on insects to provide protein to sustain the developing larvae in their colony. However, as the summer progresses into fall, their population grows and their diet changes to include more sugars, which brings us to our first piece of prevention advice.