Yellow jackets and other wasps are beneficial insects that eat astounding numbers of aphids, mosquitoes caterpillars and flies; however, as we all know, they can inflict painful stings if you stumble upon one of their nests.
This time of year they're extra protective because the nest is filled with new queens about to leave and start new colonies.
Before entering an untended area of the garden, check for a wasp nest. Wasps fly in and out of the nest in a beeline. They never hover or forage near their nest, but they do get backed up waiting for their turn to enter a crowded entry hole.
Nests can be located on a branch, in the siding of a house, or in the ground, often under shrubbery. If you notice that you have a nest, and it's located in an out-of-the-way location that doesn't pose a risk to anyone, simply leave it alone.
As soon as it gets a little colder, the wasps will desert the nest. Keep an eye on the area, and once there has been no activity for several days, seal up the hole in the siding, or put a rock over the hole in the ground.
They'll never use the same nest again, but if you don't seal the opening, next spring a new queen might discover the hole and decide it's a great place to start building a new one right next to the old one.
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