Why you may be noticing increased yellow jacket activity

NILES, Mich. -- Chris Runyon, the owner of Niles Exterminating, says yellow jackets are in the wasp family. He says wasps are typically darker in color, while yellow jackets have the well-known yellow stripes on their bodies.

It may often be easier to spot wasp nests, since you may see them up in a tree, for example. Yellow jackets, however, could take you by surprise. Runyon says they tend to nest in the ground, walls, or other hard-to-reach places. He says when spraying doesn't work—that's usually when people call him.

So why does it feel like there could be more yellow jackets now?

"In spring, the queen starts her colony, and so there's less of them. By August and September, the nest is fully active and full-grown and active, and she, at that time, also quits feeding the colony. And so, they go out in search of other foods and places. That's why you'll see them around trash cans, and if you spill pop-- or some kind of sugary thing on the ground. That's why they kind of bother humans, because they're in search for food," said Runyon. 

The yellow jackets are aggressive because they are often looking for food around this time. Runyon says they will attack people and pets. If you have a pet, Runyon recommends taking a look around for nests in your yard periodically.

Before you mow, Runyon recommends walking around the grounds of your property and looking for potential spots in the ground where yellow jackets could be going in and out of, or hovering above the ground.  

"Had a call the other day, and they had a guy that was mowing the yard and got stung because he had run over, it was like a gopher hole in the ground, and they had gone into the gopher hole and made their nest, and so when he mowed over it, they came out and stung him," said Runyon. 

Runyon tells ABC57 that yellow jackets will typically stay around until there are a few hard frosts, but then, they come back again in spring.