Pilot
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
- Messages
- 1,208
- Location
- Oregon
- Tractor
- JD 770, Yanmar 180D, JD 420 (not running), had a Kubota B6200
Here in the northwest, the queens are out. They usually become active in early May, establish their nests by early June and disappear by mid June. That's when the babies start emerging.
The time to put out your traps is right now, when you will catch the queens. Each queen is good for anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 workers and each queen killed is good for that many fewer yellow jackets later in the summer.
I have tried several traps and have settled on the ones that use a pheromone as an attractant.
On the advice of an old professor, I started putting my traps out on the first warm days of spring and we have had only a minimal number of the critters since. Several years ago in April we had a forecast for an unusually warm day, I put out my traps and caught 27 queens in one day.
This year with a very cool and wet May until now, I caught nothing until the temps warmed up a couple days ago. Caught 11 in one day.
Don't wait! By early June you will be too late.
The time to put out your traps is right now, when you will catch the queens. Each queen is good for anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 workers and each queen killed is good for that many fewer yellow jackets later in the summer.
I have tried several traps and have settled on the ones that use a pheromone as an attractant.
On the advice of an old professor, I started putting my traps out on the first warm days of spring and we have had only a minimal number of the critters since. Several years ago in April we had a forecast for an unusually warm day, I put out my traps and caught 27 queens in one day.
This year with a very cool and wet May until now, I caught nothing until the temps warmed up a couple days ago. Caught 11 in one day.
Don't wait! By early June you will be too late.