Yellowjacket Q&A

A: No. In terms of the number of wasps that will be around in late summer, when it really matters, eliminating queens in the spring has no real effect. Studies have shown that eliminating even 95% of the queens in an area does not reduce the number of foraging wasps later in the summer and the reason is pretty simple. The few queens that survive build larger nests because their competitors have been eliminated. So, don't waste time trying to trap or kill queens in the spring. Instead, use our management suggestions (see Treating Yellowjacket Nests & Using Yellowjacket Baits).

Question: Does a cold winter suppress wasp numbers?

A: Probably not. Overwintering queens are fully adapted to the local climate so even an unusually cold winter probably does not significantly increase their mortality. Plus, even if queen mortality is higher the surviving queens likely have more success, and bigger nests (same reason cited above).

The factor that does suppress yellowjacket numbers in late summer is spring weather. Cold, wet springs tend to interfere with nest initiation while warm, dry weather tends to help it along. These effects can be very localized, however.