Autumn Yellow Jackets

Autumn is the season that yellow jacket workers become quite aggressive. At the Labor Day picnic yellow jackets battle for hamburgers or barbecued chicken to feed the developing queens back at the hive. Yellow jackets also are common around sweets such as fallen fruit or open cans of soft drinks. Be careful when you picnic. Gently brush workers away from your food rather than slapping them. If you blunder upon a nest in the lawn or in a bush, walk away from nest as quickly as possible with a minimum of swatting and arm flailing. Quick movements will insight further attacks. Leave the immediate area of the attack. Walking through a bush (no, not one with the nest) may help throw the pursuing workers off your trail and help you escape without further stings. When an attack is made, the yellow jacket releases a chemical signal called and alarm pheromone into the air.