Yellowjacket Nests

Yellowjacket nests are usually built underground, although some species will construct their nests in hollow logs, trees, attics, between walls, or under eaves of houses. An underground yellowjacket nest is difficult to locate because the entrance is about the size of a nickel.

Yellowjacket nests are established by a single queen in the spring. She builds 20-45 cells, lays eggs in them as they are constructed, and forages for nectar and arthropod prey to feed the developing larvae. In about 30 days, the first 5-7 workers emerge and take over the nest-building functions while the queen lays more eggs.

Yellowjackets construct their nests of plant fibers gathered from weathered or decayed wood or even living plants. A yellowjacket nest consists of a number of rounded combs attached one below another. The combs are usually covered with a layered envelope allowing only one opening. A "guard" will usually be stationed at the entrance of a nest to warn of possible danger.

Nest size varies from 300 to 120,000 cells, although the majority of nests average 2000 to 6000 cells and are 3-6 inches in diameter. The largest yellowjacket nests are those of perennial colonies, which do not die out over winter but continue on for additional seasons with multiple queens. These would be most likely found in warmer climates. The nest of one such colony in California was discovered to be nearly 4 feet long, and a nest found in Florida was 9 feet tall. In November 2000, a nest was discovered in a park in Clermont, Florida which measured about 6 feet in height and 8 feet across and weighed 200 pounds. A pest control operator estimated that it contained 25,000 yellowjackets. The record for any yellowjacket nest probably belongs to a nest found in 1960 in New Zealand, which was nearly 15 feet tall, probably contained several million cells in about 1890 combs, and weighed an estimated 1,000 pounds!

The nest decomposes after the season ends and is not reused.

It is important to note that a nest need not be on your property to cause a yellowjacket problem, since yellowjackets can travel up to 1,000 feet (a distance of 3 football fields) from the nest to forage for food.

If you do have a nest on your property, we recommend calling a pest control operator to remove it because of the danger involved.