How to Locate a Yellow Jacket Nest

Yellow jackets are aggressive wasps that will swarm you and sting if you accidentally disturb one of their nests. If you’ve seen yellow jackets around your home or yard and suspect a nest is nearby, you’ll have to track it before getting rid of it. This article covers locating a yellow jacket nest, getting rid of it, and preventing more wasps from nesting on your property. Plus, we spoke with bee removal specialist Steve Downs to learn more about wasps and how to identify their nests.

Finding a Yellow Jacket Nest: Quick Tips

Scan your yard for yellow jackets and look for a stream of them flying in one direction. Follow their flight path to see where their nest is. It's most likely underground but could also be up high in a tree or other tall structure.

Section 1 of 6:

How to Find a Yellow Jacket Nest

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Yellow jackets are most active between 10 am and 4 pm. So it’s easier to find them flying between their food sources and nests at this time. If it’s very hot or very cold, keep in mind this timeframe might be shorter, as yellow jackets tend to be less active during extreme temperatures.^{[1]
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Look for yellow jackets flying in a straight path. Regardless of where their nests are located, wasps will fly in a straight line from their nest to their food sources, says Downs.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Steve Downs
Live Bee Removal Specialist

Expert Interview. 22 February 2021.} Stand still near where you’ve seen the yellow jackets, and look across the part of that area in full sun. Look for any insects flying quickly by in a straight line – they should stand out in the direct sun.
- Keep looking if you see one – if you see more, you’re probably seeing them come and go from their nest, and you can track the nest that way.
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Lure the yellow jackets with sugary food or beverages. If you can’t spot any yellow jackets flying, try luring them with food. They love sugary foods like fruits or soda.^{[3]
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Research source} Place the food in a shallow dish near where you think nests might be, and then watch the food trap. Yellow jackets should eventually show up near the food. Once they do, follow their path back to their nests.
- Protein-based baits, including tuna-flavored canned cat food, chicken skin, cold cuts, and ground meat also work.
- In the summer, sugar baits might work better. Try fruit juice, grenadine, ice cream, or a bit of fruit jelly.
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Search for holes in the ground of your property. Yellow jackets build nests partially underground, usually in old gopher holes.^{[4]
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Research source} They can also build nests in wood piles and dense vegetation. “You can cautiously look around the lawn area and hillsides on the property from a distance. Often, yellow jackets will nest in the ground, in dry soil areas and ivy,” says Downs.^{[5]
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Expert Source

Steve Downs
Live Bee Removal Specialist

Expert Interview. 22 February 2021.}
- If you see yellow jackets flying near such areas or a large number of yellow jackets crawling around protecting a certain area, you’ve probably found a nest.

Section 2 of 6:

Identifying a Yellow Jacket Nest

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Yellow jackets build underground or hanging nests. Ground yellow jackets usually build their underground nests in animal burrows. Aerial yellow jackets prefer to build the familiar papier-mâché-style nests that hang from trees or other tall structures. ^{[6]
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- The only hint that a hole on your property houses a yellow jacket nest is yellow jackets coming and going or staying near the opening.
- An aerial nest is a greyish color with a rounded shape similar to a football. It looks like it’s wrapped in a paper-like covering called an envelope.^{[7]
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- Downs says, “A wasp nest is much smaller than a beehive. They are usually attached to overhang structures and are approximately a few inches to a foot round in size.”^{[8]
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  Steve Downs
  Live Bee Removal Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 22 February 2021.}
- As you track yellow jackets to their nests, watch for both aerial and ground nests.

Section 3 of 6:

Treating a Yellow Jacket Nest

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Most worker yellow jackets return to the nest at sunset, so treating the nest after that should kill the most yellow jackets. Yellow jackets are also less active at night, making them less likely to sting. Plan to treat the nest about 45 minutes after sunset. If you have to treat during the day, remember that you may have to treat the nest multiple times.^{[9]
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Use insecticide dust on ground nests. A spray won’t completely saturate a partially underground nest. Use a dust insecticide to get rid of ground nests. The yellow jackets track the insecticide deep inside the nest to kill the most wasps. Sprinkle an insecticide dust labeled for use on wasps at the entrance to kill any yellow jackets that try to leave or return to the nest.^{[10]
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- After you’ve treated the nest, you can leave insecticide dust at the nest's entrance. That should kill any returning yellow jackets that weren’t already in the nest.
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Use a quick freeze wasp spray on aerial nests. Aerial yellow jacket nests are the easiest to spot – they usually hang from the eaves of houses or garages, trees, or electric poles. Standing as far away as possible, point the quick freeze spray at the nest and saturate the nest with spray. Make sure to get the nest opening as well. The nest should be completely coated.^{[11]
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- You can find these quick freeze sprays that kill yellow jackets in most home improvement stores or in your grocery store's "home" section.
- Most quick freeze sprays work 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) away, so you shouldn’t need a ladder unless you’ve found a nest that’s very, very high up.
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Hire a professional pest company for difficult nests. If you find a nest in a place that’s difficult to reach, or you suspect that a yellow jacket nest has been built in a void in your walls, call a professional pest removal company. They’ll know how to find the nest and exactly how to treat it to keep you and your home safe.^{[12]
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- The average cost for professional wasp removal (including yellow jackets) is $375.^{[13]
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Section 4 of 6:

Preventing Yellow Jackets on Your Property

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Make your property less inviting to yellow jackets. Yellow jackets like to shelter in places like woodpiles, sheds, garages, and attics. They’re also often found near water sources.^{[14]
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Research source} While it’s impossible to completely prevent yellow jackets from building a nest in your home or yard, there are several things you can do to make your property seem like less of a good place to settle.^{[15]
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- Seal cracks around your home to prevent wasps from building a nest.
- Keep garbage cans clean and tightly closed to avoid drawing the attention of yellow jackets.
- When you eat outside, don’t leave food sitting out, and clean up spills right away.
- Plant fruit trees and crops away from the house or other structures. Pick up fallen fruit and vegetables right away.
- Use natural deterrents like peppermint, clove, glove geranium, and lemongrass oils.^{[16]
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  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  
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- Treat any nests or holes as soon as you notice them.

Section 5 of 6:

What to Do If Yellow Jackets Swarm You

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Remain calm and walk away slowly with your hands covering your face. If you disturb a yellow jacket nest, they may swarm you. If that happens, try to remain as calm as possible – if you run or flail, it can increase the yellow jackets' aggressiveness. As calmly as possible, walk away from the place where you were swarmed, and get inside somewhere if you can.^{[17]
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- If you aren’t near a building or car you can get into, walk toward dense vegetation.
- Swift movements attract more yellow jackets, so don’t wave or flail your arms.

Section 6 of 6:

Treating a Yellow Jacket Sting

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Sometimes, a yellow jacket stinger gets stuck in your skin. Use a clean, blunt straightedge to scrape across the stinger to remove it. The back of a knife works well for this. Once you've removed the stinger, wash the area well with antibacterial soap and water.
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Use an ice pack and medications to ease symptoms. After you’ve cleaned the sting, apply an ice pack to the area to help soothe pain and reduce swelling. Antihistamine, hydrocortisone, or calamine lotion also help with swelling and itching that come with a yellow jacket sting.^{[18]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- An over-the-counter pain reliever may also help with painful stings.
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Apply meat tenderizer to a sting. If you're stung by a yellow jacket, make a paste with meat tenderizer and a few drops of water to treat the sting. Use a cotton ball to apply the paste to the sting. You can leave the paste on for up to 20 minutes.^{[19]
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Seattle Children's Hospital
Health information provided by Seattle Children's hospital.

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- Don't use this paste near your eyes.
- If you don't have meat tenderizer, make a paste with baking soda and apply it to the sting.
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Watch for symptoms of an allergic reaction. If you (or another person who was stung) have difficulty breathing or swallowing, call 9-1-1 immediately. If you have an EpiPen, use it to counteract the symptoms.^{[20]
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- If the person isn’t breathing, perform CPR until the medical team arrives.

Join the Discussion...

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Question

How can you safely locate a yellow jacket nest in your yard?

Steve Downs
Live Bee Removal Specialist
Steve Downs is a Live Honey Bee Removal Specialist, Honey bee Preservationist, and the Owner of Beecasso Live Bee Removal Inc, a licensed bee removal and relocation business based in the Los Angeles, California metro area. Steve has over 20 years of humane bee capturing and bee removal experience for both commercial and residential locations. Working with beekeepers, agriculturalists, and bee hobbyists, Steve sets up bee hives throughout the Los Angeles area and promotes the survival of bees. He has a passion for honeybee preservation and has created his own Beecasso sanctuary where rescued bee hives are relocated and preserved.

Steve Downs

Live Bee Removal Specialist

Expert Answer

Yellow jackets will often nest in the ground, especially in dry soil areas or in ivy. On a sunny day, cautiously look around your lawn area from a distance. You'll notice the yellow jackets flying in a straight line up and down from the ground.

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How do I go about getting to yellow jackets that have gotten into the wall, confined to the boiler room? Can I used a freeze spray to get rid of them?

Community Answer

I would suggest hiring someone to remove or kill them. You don't know how large the hive is, and they can cause harm to you.

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Warnings

If you're stung and you have trouble breathing or swallowing in the 2 hours after the sting, go to your doctor immediately.

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Before you spray a nest, make sure you have an escape route planned. Some yellow jackets may fly out of the nest, and you don’t want to get stung.

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When searching for ground nests, be careful where you step. Stepping on a ground nest can agitate the nest and cause the colony to swarm.

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