Lake and Mendocino counties have 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 actually 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.
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 they 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 Northern California and can be found in the local hardware stores. The yellow jackets normally can be identified by their yellow color. The traps are baited with a commercially produced substance that attracts the yellow jackets. Once the yellow jackets enter the trap they can’t get out and die after a few days. The trick to successfully trapping the yellow jackets is to try and trap the queen. Once the queen is trapped the rest of the hive dies within a few days.
In recent history only one person locally has died from a yellow jacket bite. That was out at Highland Springs. A man was eating a hamburger and a yellow jacket was attracted to the meat and bit him on his lip. He went into shock almost immediately and died a few moments later, You can buy a anti yellow jacket salve to put on your hands and face and it will prevent a yellow jacket from landing on you. Yellow jackets and bees have been part of nature for thousands of years. We just have to learn to live with them.
