Yellow jackets are social insects that live in nests or colonies with up to 4,000 workers. These flying insects typically have a yellow and black head/face and patterned abdomen. Many say that the pattern resembles stripes.
Wasps are dangerous because they can sting multiple times, injecting venom into the host. For most people a yellow jacket sting just causes a welt and temporary pain, but their sting can cause allergic reactions to people sensitive to this venom.
- Most wasps live less than one year and some only live for a few months.
- Stinging insects like bees, hornets and wasps send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year.
- Common home remedies for stings include coating the sting site with a meat tenderizer/water solution rinse, baking soda paste or even rubbing the site with an aluminum based deodorant!
There are 4,000 kinds of wasps in the United States. Typically, wasps are most active during the day and usually return to their nests at dusk. These pests are often seen flying around during the second half of summer and early fall when the colonies search for food that will sustain their queens during the winter.