Preventing Yellow Jackets From Becoming a Problem
Part of the approach when it comes to integrated pest management is understanding how and why a pest species is likely to show up around your home or garden. Once you know what kind of foods a pest prefers and where it is likely to make a home, you can use the knowledge to create preventative measures so that the particular pests don’t show up in huge numbers.
It’s important to note that integrated pest management strategy operates with the fundamental principle that pest species will not be annihilated. For decades peoples have worked to eliminate designated pest species, and most efforts have led to spectacular failure, even increasing the numbers of pests that we wished to eliminate! IPM means using the least toxic approach to pest control and preventing pest problems by denying pests their ideal conditions.
As pests go, wasps and yellow jackets are not that bad. They pack a nasty sting (nastier for some than others) but outside, they can prove to be quite helpful; they are aggressive predators of other insects, and having some around will keep the numbers of pests which can do more damage down. That being said, it is understandable why many people would prefer to keep wasp sightings around the house to a minimum. Here are some ways in which you can keep large numbers of wasps from invading your areas.
* Screens. The best way to keep wasps out of your home is to make sure that you have hole free screens on all of your doors and windows. Wasps love to come inside after food, and unlike flies they need a pretty big opening to get in. Also unlike flies, wasps won’t be setting up a nest inside your home, so even if the odd one gets in all you have to do is kill it to stop the problem.
* Keep an eye out in the spring. Although wasps may send out planters during any warm months to establish a new colony, they are most active in the late spring when the weather starts to get a bit drier. Keep a careful eye out around your yard during this time, for newly started wasp nests. Be sure to check all around wood and wooden structures including dog houses and fences; wasps seem to prefer this type of habitat for building their nests.
* Don’t use those home made wasp traps! There is nothing worse for keeping local wasp numbers down than those home made traps filled with a little bit of pop or other sugary substance to catch wasps. It’s not very likely that wasps caught in the trap come from close by; they are a far ranging species and all the traps will do is attract wasps from - literally - miles around.
* Pick ripe fruit! Another thing that will really attract wasps is ripe fruit. You need to be sure to pick berries and tree fruits as soon as they begin to ripen, or you will be seeing a lot of wasps when you go to harvest!