Yellowjackets--Start trapping queens soon

[Pilot]

Just a reminder that yellowjacket queens will be on the prowl when the daytime high temps start hitting about 75 deg. Queens are the only ones that survive the winter, getting pregnant in the fall. When the weather starts to warm up, they start looking to start a family, which can number several thousand per nest, but typically is less than 1000. If you trap the queens, you prevent thousands of the critters and you may not see more than a few all summer. Unfortunately, the stores ususally don't start stocking traps and pheromones until the critters become a nuisance, in late July or August, here in western Oregon.

There are several traps on the market, but the one I have had success with is here: Sterling RESCUE!® - Reusable Yellowjacket Traps
I have no connection with this company, but have been happy with their traps for about 10 years now. Others may be just as good. You may also try a pop bottle for the trap--Harbor Freight supposedly sells a gadget they can enter thru, but not get out. That way you don't buy the trap, but you can still use their pheromone. You want to look at the trap to get an idea of where to make holes in the pop bottle.

How well does the trap work? About 8 or 10 years ago, in April, we had a forecast of 80 degrees for one day & I got my traps out the evening before. I got over 25 queens in the one day, about equal to the number I caught the rest of the season. Next day we were back to 60 degree or cooler weather.

Put the trap in the sun to hasten their death. Some do escape, (maybe 25%, based on my observations) so you don't want them in there too long--the longer they take to die, the better chance they have to escape.

Good luck and good hunting!

 

[hunterridgefarm]

Thanks for the reminder. I plowed up two nest, disc up one nest, and had two nest in my fifth wheel camper last year at the campground we have it at.

I hope Lowes stocks the traps.

David

 

[Asymtave]

How do you tell the queens from the "workers?"

Bigger?

 

[rox]

Pilt,
many thanks for the info. I need to get some stuff shipped to me in France so I am going to order some. the only worry I ahve is that we need bees to polinate our fruit trees. I don't know if the wasps are actively polinating them or if it is jsut bees. I don't want to kill all my wasp population and then not get any fruit.

I can research myself but perhaps you mihgt already know. how far to wasps/yellow jackets fly? In toher words what is their range?

 

[Pilot]

The pheromone is species specific, so if you have some other kind of wasp in France, you will be disappointed.

Yellowjackets range about 1000 feet (300 meters) from their nest. The queens may go farther before they establish a new nest.

The queens are larger, but they are the only ones out in the spring. All workers and drones die in the fall, so the queens are the only ones that survive the winter--unless you have a very mild winter. In general, any yellowjackets you see now will be queens and the more you kill, the fewer workers you will have come summer.

Here in northwest Oregon, we will start seeing the queens in the next month or so and they will be around until about mid or late June. At that time you probably won't see any yellowjackets for a week or two, while the queens raise their larve. Late June or early July, you'll start seeing the workers, then more and more as the queen pumps out more and more eggs.

 

[Cottonhawk]

Pilot, thanks for the reminder. I'll try to get my traps out next week.

 

[elalexander]

Thanks Pilot. I have used the Rescue brand for several years and really like them. Hadn't even thought about putting them out yet. The local Lowes and Southern States carry them in my area for those looking for them. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Seon]

I just bought four of them yesterday...$12 a pop! But sure worth it.

 

[Oleozz]

Does anyone know of a trap that will catch bumblebees? Every summer I have a terrible time with bumblebees around my dog kennels. The kennel is located in the old barn foundation so there are many stone cracks and crevices where they could be living or in the ground somewhere, but I am never able to find the nest. I almost lost an English Setter two years ago from a bumblebee stinging him on his face. Thank goodness I was home and was able to get a benadryl and a prednisone into him while he was still able to swallow.