Problems caused by Yellow Jackets and Wasps
When it comes to picnic guests, few are as unwelcome as yellow jackets. The type that usually show up tend to be very aggressive insects who land all over your steak and become quite perturbed when you attempt to drive them off. Yellow jackets, also known as wasps, are one of the most dreaded “pest” insects around. You will notice that I put pest in quotation marks; that is because as far as pests go, people have relatively little to worry about when it comes to yellow jackets. We will look at some of the main concerns below.
Pain and suffering
Obviously, the number one cause reason for people to want to get rid of wasps is the pain that they sometimes deal out. Wasps are particularly nasty because they both bite and sting, and both weapons pack a powerful punch. Moreover, wasps don’t have the decency to perish after stinging like their cousins the honey bee, they can go on claming more victims.
For most of us a wasp sting is just an unpleasant experience, but for some people it can be life threatening. People who are allergic to wasp stings must act quickly in order to save their lives, and this is another good reason for people to want to rid their homes and gardens of these flying insects.
Finally, wasps may be dangerous when they attack in groups. This happens most often to kids or to people who are unaware that there is a wasp nest nearby; wasps are aggressive defenders and will attack en masse if their nest is threatened. The amount of poison injected in a mass attack poses a significant risk even to the non-allergic individual.
Crop destruction?
Wasps also love to eat ripe fruit, and having a lot of them around will play havoc in a well tended orchard. They tend to show up right towards the end of the season, however, and harvesting just when fruit is at the point of ripeness will usually mitigate losses. Peaches, pears, apples, strawberries, and other softer fruits are all susceptible to harvest by wasps.
I feel it is important to make case of the good side of the yellow jacket as well as the bad. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want them stinging my kids, and I kill them when I can. Still, wasps do have their own role to play when it comes to pest reduction. They are very aggressive towards insect pests known to wreak havoc on garden plants, including caterpillars and tomato horn worms.