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TearAbite
D'oh
join:2001-07-25
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

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TearAbite

Member

Habits of wasps (yellow jackets)

We've had a few yellow jacket nests in the eves this year.. each one was taken out with that wasp foam-spray poison stuff (works great)..

Yesterday my wife wakes me up whining about a wasp in the baby's playroom.. whaaa whaa whaaa...

So i go into the room and find not one.. not two .. not three.. but SEVENTEEN wasps flying around the room, mostly hanging out on the ceiling fan or on the windows..

So i get the dust-buster and suck them all up, one at a time (thinking the ride would kill them).. When i emptied the dustbuster in the trash can outside they all came flying out - no problem, at least they werent in the house anymore.

I checked the windows in the baby's play-room (which do not have screens) and found one was cracked open about 1/4 of an inch and that's probably how they got in. I closed the window, and checked outside for any signs of a nest.. no nest anywhere near the windows (or anywhere)... problem solved...i thought

so i go check today to see if i missed any wasps in the room, and i look out the window and there arou 10-15 wasps just flying all around the window, bumping into it, trying to get in, etc.. they were like a bunch of evil-winged alien embryos trying to get in..

i checked around outside and still cant find any signs of a nest or anything - so the question is... HOW/WHY are they coming back to try and get in? if there is a queen still inside the room will they smell it's pheromones or something?

it's kinda kreeping me out..

EDIT: Turns out they are paper wasps, not yellow jackets:
»www.livingwithbugs.com/epw.html

BKayrac
Premium Member
join:2001-09-29

BKayrac

Premium Member

coulda been starting to build a nest, and got stuck inside while trying to go back out?

would explain why they wanted to come back

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

Johkal to TearAbite

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Check all around the window for small openings where they may have built a nest in the walls.

Not that it matters, but "Yellow Jackets" aren't wasps. They normally live in the ground. You have wasps.
dmagerl
Premium Member
join:2007-08-06
Woodstock, IL

dmagerl

Premium Member

German Yellow Jackets nest in cavities. Eastern Yellow Jackets nest in the ground. They look similar. The German Yellow Jacket is an introduced species and is more agressive than the native Yellow Jacket.

I've had several run-ins with Yellow Jacket nests in wall cavities.

Johkal
Cool Cat
MVM
join:2002-11-13
Pennsyltucky

Johkal

MVM

What regions are they found. I've not encountered that variety in PA.

CurtesyFlush
Bababooey, fafafooey, tatatoothy.
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join:2002-08-23
Fontana, CA

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Ever been stung by one? I had one fly up my uniform pants and
nail me on the inside of my thigh. The pain was the most intense I've ever felt, except for burn debriding.

TearAbite
D'oh
join:2001-07-25
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

TearAbite

Member

said by CurtesyFlush:

Ever been stung by one?
no.. and i dont plan on it.. that's why i'm keeping that baby's window closed..

They dont have venom like a bee right? but, they can sting repeatedly ?
PrntRhd
Premium Member
join:2004-11-03
Fairfield, CA

PrntRhd

Premium Member

They do have venom, usually not a problem unless you are allergic or get swarmed with multiple stings. All females can sting and each can sting more than once.

wilbilt
Pronto Resurrected
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join:2004-01-11
Oroville, CA

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We have had a huge problem with European paper wasps here the past few years. (Not Yellow Jackets - although we have them, too. They live in the ground).

The European wasps have overrun the native species, and are more aggressive. Worse yet, they will build their nests anywhere, not just in out-of-the-way places.

This time of year, they are looking for warm places to spend the winter. I have read that only the queens survive the winter, but that is not true here. I have found clusters of wasps huddled just about anywhere they are protected from the cold all winter. These are not nests, just groups of wasps.

In toolbox drawers, crevices between beams under my porch, etc. The queens emerge in the Spring and begin to build new nests, and I assume the others help.

I have taken an aggressive attitude to destroy any and all wasps I see in the Spring as well as the beginnings of their nests. This has made a very noticeable difference in their numbers during the summer.

I do not normally believe in randomly killing things, but these bugs can make my place nearly uninhabitable during the summer months otherwise.

sdgthy
@optonline.net

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Anon

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said by TearAbite:

i checked around outside and still cant find any signs of a nest or anything - so the question is... HOW/WHY are they coming back to try and get in? if there is a queen still inside the room will they smell it's pheromones or something?
I would suggest checking again very carefully for a nest within a wall. They can be very difficult to find when small because they go zipping by so fast into a small hole, until the nest is large and it's almost impossible not notice them coming and going. By that time you'll probably be able to find the nest by noise alone.

TearAbite
D'oh
join:2001-07-25
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

1 edit

TearAbite to wilbilt

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to wilbilt
said by wilbilt:

.. (Not Yellow Jackets - although we have them, too. They live in the ground).

I have found clusters of wasps huddled just about anywhere they are protected from the cold all winter. These are not nests, just groups of wasps.
Maybe what i have are those paper wasps of which you speak.. their nests are like upside-down bee-hives and made of paper-like mud (or something)..
also, about a month ago i found one of those "clusters" on the other side of the house - just a big wad of about 30 wasps on top of each other.. it was really weird.. but one shot of that foaming wasp-poison took them out.. with extreme prejudice ..
TearAbite

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to sdgthy
said by sdgthy :

I would suggest checking again very carefully for a nest within a wall. They can be very difficult to find when small because they go zipping by so fast into a small hole, until the nest is large and it's almost impossible not notice them coming and going. By that time you'll probably be able to find the nest by noise alone.
i sat outside for 20 minutes watching them, looking for a nest or to see where they were coming/going to.. nothing.. they just want in that damn window.. it's like night of the living dead (wasps) ..

Vtblues
if you can't get out of it, get in to it
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join:2006-05-29
Brookfield, VT

2 edits

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A number of years ago I was doing some weed whacking along the side of my house, I was also smoking a cig at the same time (I've since quit) I felt a burning on the back of my hand and thinking it was just a hot piece from the cig I just shook it off. Within seconds I knew just how wrong I'd been about it being a spark. Dozens of yellow jackets were swarming around me stinging me repeatedly. Many were crawling under my clothing to sting me. I never knew I could throw a weed whacker so far, run so fast or disrobe as quickly as I did that day as I made my way inside. For me it's hard to imagine any insect more aggressive than an Eastern yellow jacket.
I should add that they came out of a hole in the ground.

clevere1
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join:2002-01-06
Vancouver, WA

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If in doubt, get a pro out. We had some this summer that was nesting in the corner modeling of our vinyl siding ... not so much fun when you mow the yard...

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
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join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

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said by CurtesyFlush:

Ever been stung by one? I had one fly up my uniform pants and
nail me on the inside of my thigh. The pain was the most intense I've ever felt, except for burn debriding.
and they'll just sting you for the fun of it unlike a bee that'll die after stinging so it "saves" its sting for when it needs it.

TearAbite
D'oh
join:2001-07-25
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

TearAbite

Member

I just had a conversation with my friend, Mr Google:

What i have are European Paper Wasps:
»www.livingwithbugs.com/epw.html

and not Yellow Jackets:
»www.livingwithbugs.com/y ··· low.html

it's been so long since i've seen a yellow jacket, i had almost forgotten what they looked like..

TOPDAWG
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join:2005-04-27
Calgary, AB

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Wait your wife wakes you up about wasps in your baby's room that could harm it and you call that whining?

I got lost on that one if that is what you mean.

mikedz4
join:2003-04-14
Weirton, WV

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let me tell you this much. It was 75 degrees out a week ago thursday and a hornet or yellow jacket was on my co worker's shirt so i told him. BIG Mistake he swatted it and it flew so fast at me and i swatted it about 4 times then it landed on my arm and then before i could swat it again it stung me. It hurt like crazy. Then it tried to sting me 3 more times before i got inside the store.
Let me tell you 10 days and my arm still itches like crazy and is read and I can show you where the bastard nailed me because I still have a bump on my arm.
Someone told me they leave a scent on you when they sting you that attracts other hornets/ yellow jackets in the area to sting you also. I believe it.

wilbilt
Pronto Resurrected
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join:2004-01-11
Oroville, CA

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said by TearAbite:

Maybe what i have are those paper wasps of which you speak.. their nests are like upside-down bee-hives and made of paper-like mud (or something)..
also, about a month ago i found one of those "clusters" on the other side of the house - just a big wad of about 30 wasps on top of each other.. it was really weird.. but one shot of that foaming wasp-poison took them out.. with extreme prejudice ..
It sounds like those are paper wasp nests. They may be trying to get inside for the winter. They do not start building nests this time of year, although nothing would surprise me these days.

I buy the long-range streaming wasp spray at Home Depot. It's in a black and white can. I go through about 2 cases per year.

I don't bother the honeybees, or even the ground-dwelling Yellowjackets, as they are not as much of a nuisance here.

Even the mud-dauber wasps don't bother me, as they are solitary and non-agrressive.

After about three years of actively terminating paper wasps, their numbers were reduced around my home this past summer. I plan to continue the campaign.

TearAbite
D'oh
join:2001-07-25
Rancho Cucamonga, CA

TearAbite to TOPDAWG

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to TOPDAWG
said by TOPDAWG:

Wait your wife wakes you up about wasps in your baby's room that could harm it and you call that whining?

I got lost on that one if that is what you mean.
it was the baby's play room.. baby wasnt in there.. she only went in to clean it or something..
and she must be blind because she only saw (and was only complaining about) ONE that was in the ceiling fan..

If i knew there was an entire swarm in there I would have told her to get them herself!

wilbilt
Pronto Resurrected
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Oroville, CA

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said by mikedz4:

Someone told me they leave a scent on you when they sting you that attracts other hornets/ yellow jackets in the area to sting you also. I believe it.
I think this is true. In my only bad experience with Yellowjackets, I had inadvertently disturbed the ground nest of a colony while working at a customer's home.

By the time I realized what was happening, I had been stung three times. I retreated into the house, but neglected to close the sliding glass door all the way.

They found their way into the opening one by one, and although I was 25 feet away across the living room, they made a "bee line" for me and continued the attack. I got stung a few times more before latching the door and swatting the remaining ones.

It was clear to me I had been "marked". The stings were quite painful and general pain in the affected areas continued for a couple of weeks.

I have been stung by paper wasps. It hurts, but not as bad or long-lasting.
Bobcat79
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join:2001-02-04

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said by dmagerl:

I've had several run-ins with Yellow Jacket nests in wall cavities.
And they'll even eat through gypsum wallboard and come into your house that way. It happened to my neighbor. All of a sudden there were yellow jackets in her bedroom. She ran out, closed the door, and called an exterminator.

boognish
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join:2001-09-26
Baton Rouge, LA

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Oh man those things are painful. There was one gate on our farm there was always a yellow jackets nest near. Every year I somehow would step on it. You don't notice at first as your leg gets hotter and then you look down and those lil boogers are stinging the crap out of you. It helps to run.

GlobalMind
Domino Dude, POWER Systems Guy
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join:2001-10-29
Indianapolis, IN

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Oh yea, yellow jackets are nasty. I recall more than one run-in with those in ground or old log nests.

I also remember they're always the ones hanging around the garbage cans. I have also seen them in walls, an apartment we rented in Indianapolis.

Those paper wasps you could say I've had a bad experience with those suckers before. At my grandmother's farm, went to get something from the barn and didn't see the nest under an overhang. Before I knew it, stung 3x and was having the ol meat tenderizer routine being applied.

I take a shoot first, what was the question? Attitude there.

Mercurybird
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join:2004-06-24
Hooks, TX

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This really keeps a lot of people guessing and scratching their head...

If you have wasps, etc. in your attic, and there is a hole in your duct somewhere, or if the vent boot doesn't sit squarely down on the ceiling where the vent that it serves is, then they can get into the house that way. So you never find the hole you're looking for, and you don't find their nest outside. So check your attic regularly.

CurtesyFlush
Bababooey, fafafooey, tatatoothy.
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join:2002-08-23
Fontana, CA

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said by TearAbite:
said by CurtesyFlush:

Ever been stung by one?
no.. and i dont plan on it.. that's why i'm keeping that baby's window closed..

They dont have venom like a bee right? but, they can sting repeatedly ?
They have venom, but not like a bee. IIRC, wasp venom is alkaline and be venom is acidic, and wasps inject a smaller amount than do bees.

What I do know from personal experience is, I'll take multiple bee stings over one wasp sting any day.

Fluke
Premium Member
join:2008-06-24
Groton, CT

2 edits

Fluke to Johkal

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to Johkal
said by Johkal:

Check all around the window for small openings where they may have built a nest in the walls.

Not that it matters, but "Yellow Jackets" aren't wasps. They normally live in the ground. You have wasps.
You are misinformed :P yellow Jackets are indeed wasps

We once had a yellow jacket nest in our bathroom wall. We didnt know what this strange sound was we could here and my dad was like I think something is in the wall. His bright idea was to make a hole in the wall with a hammer... I guess you can tell what happened next lol we all ran from the bathroom and closed the door thinking that would stop them

But every once in a while we would find a couple in the room never seeing any outside so like the others here have said, maybe its in the walls

brandon
Some truth included in this post.
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join:2003-03-31
Ocean Springs, MS

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We had some that built a nest near our front door. One day I opened the door and walked in as usual, only to feel a sharp burning sensation on my back. I felt it again and realized something was stinging me and threw my shirt off. One more sting in the back and then I saw the yellow jacket fly off as I closed the door.

I've been stung in the face by a wasp before. It wasn't even close to as painful as the yellow jacket.

John Galt6
Forward, March
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join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp

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Try this:

»www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wasp-Trap

Fluke
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join:2008-06-24
Groton, CT

Fluke to brandon

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said by brandon:

I've been stung in the face by a wasp before. It wasn't even close to as painful as the yellow jacket.
This is why their stings hurt so much They have a nasty stinger

"Yellowjackets have a lance-like stinger with small barbs and typically sting repeatedly, though occasionally the sting becomes lodged and pulls free of the wasp's body..."