Lake County has plenty of insects. They vary from the mosquito to the housefly, but the title for least popular insect during the spring and summer months probably goes to the yellow jacket.
The yellow jacket is a wasp and not a bee. It has a close cousin called a paper wasp. Just about everyone has had yellow jackets swarm around their backyard, especially when they are barbecuing meat and occasionally a person is bitten. They are often called “meat bees” because they look like a bee and feed on meat.
According to scientists at the University of California, yellow jackets are by far one of the most troublesome group of insects, especially ground and cavity-nesting ones such as the western yellow jacket, which tend to defend their nests vigorously when disturbed. Defensive behavior increases as the season progresses and colony populations become larger while food becomes scarcer. In summer and fall, foraging yellow jackets are primarily scavengers and they start to show up at picnics and barbecues, around garbage cans, at dishes of dog or cat food placed outside and where ripe or overripe fruit are accessible. At certain times and places the number of scavenger wasps can be quite large.
Paper wasps are much less defensive and rarely sting humans. They tend to shy away from human activity except when their nests are located near doors, windows or other high-traffic areas.
Colonies of yellow jackets are initiated by the queen. After emerging from hibernation – it is called diapause — the fertilized queen searches for a nest site. When it has located a suitable site a small nest is formed. The queen continues to forage for construction materials and food such as spiders and other insects as well as any meat until four to seven workers have emerged. At this point the queen focuses solely on laying eggs and the nest continues to expand. Between August and September males and queens are produced, which then leave the nest and mate. The nest begins to decline around this time. The males eventually die and the inseminated queen begins diapause. The inseminated queen is the only member of the colony to survive winter. Longevity of the workers varies with colony activity and development, with the lifespan of the earliest-born workers averaging 22 days and the latest-born workers around 40 days.
Commercial yellow jacket traps are common throughout the county. They normally can be identified by their yellow color. They are baited with a commercially produced bait. The yellow jacket flies into the trap and can’t get out. It’s not unusual to see several hundred yellow jackets in a single trap. The trick is to trap the queen. If she is trapped the hive will die. There is also a special pesticide spray that is available that will kill a yellow jacket instantly.
The big fear among humans is being bitten by a yellow jacket. Dozens of people are bitten in Lake County each year. Most suffer only a sore spot but a few experience a serious reaction, which can be deadly. A yellow jacket can bite several times because it doesn’t lose its stinger.
A few years ago a man was bitten by a yellow jacket at Highland Springs Reservoir and died within a few minutes. There is a medicine that combats the yellow jacket bite and it is simply injected into the thigh and acts quickly. The problem with this Epipen is the cost. The brand name costs about $600 while the generic costs about $110. You also need a doctor’s prescription to purchase an Epipen.
Seek medical help immediately if you have any reaction after being bitten. That act could save your life.
The yellow jacket is just another interesting critter that makes Lake County special.
