When you hear “yellowjacket,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? A buzzing, stinging insect ruining your outdoor meal or a treasured pollinator of many plants? A yellowjacket is both!

About Yellowjackets

The most commonly found yellowjacket is the Eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons). The Eastern yellowjacket is a wasp that is 1/2 to 5/8 inch long and is black and yellow striped. The body is curved under and is wider than the head. Yellowjackets do not have any “hairs” such as are found on honeybees and bumblebees.

Yellowjackets are generally ground nesters, however, in some situations, especially in urban areas, they will make their nest above ground such as in hollow walls and attics.

During the spring and summer, the colony population increases from the fertilized solitary queen, who survived the winter, to several thousand. Adult yellowjackets feed protein to the young wasps and larvae while they subsist on sugars. Foraging for food, the wasps cross-pollinate plants while seeking small insects and nectar. Yellowjackets provide a valuable service to humans by consuming numerous insects that eat ornamental and cultivated plants.

On the other hand, yellowjackets are drawn to cookouts, picnic areas and garbage cans. Their sting, unfortunately, is especially painful. Unlike honeybees, which only sting once, wasps can sting numerous times. Some people react severely to the venom and may have problems breathing or other dangerous reactions.

To Minimize Yellowjacket Interactions

Despite their good characteristics, many people prefer to keep yellowjackets away from picnics, play areas and yards. To reduce the possibility of inviting yellowjackets to your outdoor party…

• Don’t leave moist pet food outside during the summer. Bird seed is fine, but not suet.
• Keep garbage cans washed. Securely cover all garbage cans and recycling containers. Rinse beer, wine, soft drink and ice cream containers before disposing of them.
• Keep garbage cans away from entertainment areas, play areas and pathways.
• If eating outdoors, cover all serving plates and drinking glasses/bottles to prevent yellowjackets from getting into food or drink. When yellowjackets are in the area, be sure to check your food and drink before consuming.
• Yellowjackets feed on aphids and scale on trees and shrubs. Therefore, spray for these pests in July and August, if needed, to remove that food source.
• Repair dripping hoses and faucets as the puddles can attract wasps.
• Wasps enjoy rotting fruit. Harvest tree and cane fruits when ripe. Carefully pick up all fallen fruit (gloves are a good idea!) and dispose of it in a covered container.
• Wasps create a flight-path from the nest to food sources. Avoid this area. If this is not possible, consider removing the nest.

Yellowjacket Traps

To help make your outdoor gatherings more pleasant and safer, yellowjacket traps can be effective. Hang these around the perimeter of your yard if you plan to eat outside, but never hang traps near the food area, as you will only increase the attraction to that area. Some traps are disposable and have the benefit of reducing the sting possibility. Others are “reusable” and must be emptied and refilled with bait. These increase the probability of being stung but can be more affordable in the long term.

Eliminating Yellowjacket Nests

When absolutely necessary, the elimination of a yellowjacket nest should not be undertaken lightly. If it’s early in the season and the nest is visible, a forceful water blast will break it apart. To reduce the chances of being stung, do this during the day while the workers are not home. Wasps return to the colony as dusk. Sometimes the workers will begin rebuilding in the same place. Pesticide sprays can kill wasps, and after the nest is destroyed, spraying the area can discourage rebuilding. If it’s later in the season, the aerial nest may be too large to eliminate safely.

Underground nests are a much bigger challenge to destroy. Because the entrance may be at an angle to the nest, flooding seldom works. Never try to burn a yellowjacket ground nest by pouring kerosene or other flammable liquid into the entrance and lighting it. In addition to many stings, more serious injuries may occur. This also pollutes the soil and a fire can quickly get out of control. If the flight pattern to the entrance creates a serious hardship or is close to a building, it is best to consult with an expert for safe nest elimination.

If the yellowjackets have built their colonies within your house walls or attic, it may also be necessary to contact a professional. Note: if yellowjackets are nesting in your home, do not plug the entrance/exit hole or they may chew the rest of the way into your house! Our experts can offer a professional referral for local wasp removal services or search “Pest Control” for your city on the Internet or in the yellow pages.

Yellowjackets do have their uses, but if you have no use for these stinging insects, there are many ways to eliminate them safely. Using several techniques will be most effective and will minimize the risk of being troubled by wasps again.

Woolly Adelgid is an aphid-like insect that is a serious pest of the Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, and its cultivars. Adelgids need to be controlled as this insect spreads easily and rapidly and, if left untreated, can kill a mature hemlock in 4-10 years.

Recognizing Adelgids

Adelgids, formally called Hemlock Woolly Adelgids (Adelges tsugae) or HWA, present as a fuzzy, cottony white substance on the underside of hemlock needles. This is actually a waxy filament produced by the tiny, 1/16-inch insect as a covering and protection for itself and its eggs. These insects are native to Asia, and damage trees by sucking on the sap. As damage occurs, the needles of the tree become grayish rather than robustly dark green. When infected, trees may lose their needles and will not produce new growth on the damaged branches. Because infected trees are significantly weakened, they are subject to many other infections from diseases and pests, and ultimately die.

Controlling Adelgids

Exercising good horticultural practices is the best way to prevent Hemlock Woolly Adelgid infestations. Site your hemlock appropriately, in proper sunlight and a location where it can grow well without being cramped or crowded. Water and feed as required for optimum health, including adding extra fertilization or nutrition as required. A healthy tree will always withstand disease and insect problems better that one that is already stressed.

When Adelgids are present, apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil in early April and again in June. Be certain to follow manufacturer instructions carefully and reach the underside of the needles where the Adelgids are located. When spraying in June, do so on a cooler, overcast day so as not to burn the Hemlock needles. If your Hemlock is too large to handle on your own, contact a trusted and licensed tree-care professional for treatment. Even after you have controlled an outbreak, annual spraying is recommended to be sure the pests do not reappear.

Other types of chemical treatments that can be used against these invasive pests include…

• Foliage Sprays: These insecticides are sprayed over the entire tree to coat the foliage. They are stronger than soaps or oils and may be effective for 2-4 years. Higher toxicity can lead to other problems and contamination concerns, however, and applications should only be done by experienced professionals.
• Soil Drenches: These are insecticides that are specially formulated to be absorbed by the tree’s roots and then will be consumed by the Adelgids as they sip on the tree’s sap. This can take longer to be effective, however, but it has long-lasting impact to control these insects. They should not be used where water sources may be inadvertently contaminated.

In some areas, predator beetles have been released to consume Adelgids, and while this is not yet effective on a widespread scale, there have been positive reports and limited success.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgids are a vicious, invasive pest, but with proper control techniques, their invasion can be stopped and the majestic hemlock forests renewed and restored.

You may want to grow many different things in your vegetable garden, but weeds probably aren’t on your favorite edibles list. Weeding can be an enormous time-drain and is one of the the least liked gardening chores. What’s wonderful is that we have so many weed control methods to choose from; there’s a solution for every type of gardener and their schedule.

Safe Control Methods in Edible Gardens

When it comes to vegetable gardening, many gardeners are very particular about what goes into their soil and onto their plants, as it will eventually end up on their plates and in their bodies. Here are some indisputable safe and effective ways to control weeds, without chemicals, in your veggie or any other garden for that matter.

• Apply corn gluten meal to prevent weed seeds from germinating (don’t use if direct seeding your garden as all seeds will be affected).
• Plan your garden to crowd edible plants together, effectively crowding out weeds because there isn’t space left for them to grow.
• Manually pull weeds when the soil is wet and roots are looser. This can be done after a natural rainfall or after supplemental watering.
• Hoe when the soil is dry to break apart weeds and damage their roots. Pick up larger weeds after hoeing so they cannot reestablish themselves.
• Mulch with salt hay which contains no weed seeds. The hay will shield weed seeds from the sunlight and moisture they need for germinating.
• Lay biodegradable and compostable mulch film down to create a firm barrier to keep weeds out or to prevent existing weed seeds from germinating.
• Attract seed-loving birds such as finches and sparrows, which will happily eat hundreds of weed seeds each day for natural control.
• Consider raised beds or container gardening to more effectively control weeds and make any remaining weeding easier.
• Use fire (with all appropriate safety precautions) to burn out unwanted weeds, especially in pathway areas or along garden borders.
• Treat exposed weeds with boiling water – the hotter the better – to cook and kill them. Several treatments may be needed for the best effects.

Weeds can be some of our worst enemies in the garden, and it is impossible to eliminate every single weed all the time. By using multiple methods and keeping on top of the task, however, it is possible to minimize weeds and make this chore less onerous, without resorting to harsh chemicals.