Plants & Bulbs

» atopolsk - Does anyone know what attracts yellow jackets?

I found a large yellow jacket nest in my attic, the entrance to the attic space is just above a large bed of pachysandra. So I'm trying to find out if they are more attracted to an area near pachysandra as opposed to an area where there is no pachysandra.

Any info offered would be appreciated! Thanks!

-- posted by atopolsk

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» Robert Dailey - Does anyone know what attracts yellow jackets?

In response to Does anyone know what attracts yellow jackets? posted by atopolsk:

Yes. Yellow jackets are omnivorous,but basically scavengers. They will eat dead insects and live worms. They LOVE fresh garbage, dead animals, and sugar-rich foods such as soft drinks and sweets. They eat ripe fruit like peaches and raspberries late in summer. They also will go after honey-dew producing insects, such as aphids. If it is particularly dry and hot, they will become a nuisance around water sources.
There are several ways to control them:
1. Baited traps are commercially available.
2. Chemical sprays in aerosol are also commercially available. I don't like to use these, but sometimes its necessary. If you do decide to spray, do so very early in the morning or late in the afternoon. This is the time they are least active, and more will be at the nest. You may have to spray several times (several days in a row) to get them all.
3. Wait until cold weather comes. Then the colony will die out.
Let us know if you are successful.

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» atopolsk - Are yellow jackets attracted to pachysandra (Jap. Spurge variety

-- posted by atopolsk

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» Robert Dailey - Are yellow jackets attracted to pachysandra (Jap. Spurge variety

In response to Are yellow jackets attracted to pachysandra (Jap. Spurge variety posted by atopolsk:

No. Not to my knowledge.

However, pachysandra (japanese spurge) is known to harbor scale insects, which produce honeydew. The yellow jackets could be after that honeydew, which they love.

Scales are insects which spend the winter on trunks and stems of the plant. They lay eggs that hatch into immature insects called crawlers.

These are very small (about one-tenth of an inch) and soft bodied. They survive by sucking the juices from pachysandra (and other plants). Their legs eventually atropohy, and a waxy substance covers them. Some species of scale that infect pachysandra are unable to digest all the sugar in the plant sap, and they excrete as a substance called honeydew.

If the yellow jackets are in your pachysandra, I suspect that they may seeking the honeydew produced by the scale insects.

Carefully examine your plants. Uncontrolled infestation of scale can kill pachysandra in two to three years.

There are several ways to control and get rid of scale insects.
Organic methods include spraying with a mixture of insecticidal soap and horticultural oil (also called dormant oil. Late fall/winter is a good time to do this, after the plant goes into dormancy.

As a last resort, you can use pyrethrin, which is an organic pesticide made from the chrysanthemum plant.

You can also employ the use of predatory beetles like soldier bettles and ladybugs, although it it too late in the season to use them now, unless you live in the tropics.

There are also chemical pesticides available.

If you do not detect any scale insects, you might check to see if something else is attracting the yellow jackets(a piece of candy carelessly thrown in there, some spilled sugared drink, something dead, any other food that may have somehow found its way into your pachysandra.)

I hope this helps. The yellow jackets should die off in winter, but, if you have scale insects on your pachysandra, the next generation will be back in the early summer.

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» atopolsk - Are yellow jackets attracted to pachysandra (Jap. Spurge variety

In response to Are yellow jackets attracted to pachysandra (Jap. Spurge variety posted by bobcajun:

Thanks - that helps! Yes...I find new scale (white) on the pachysandra everytime I look.

-- posted by atopolsk

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