Temperatures may be cooling, but yellow jacket season is just heating up before winter sends them packing. Jarratt said the best protection against yellow jacket stings is awareness. Because they generally nest in the ground, they may go unnoticed until it's too late to avoid them. They also build nests in storage buildings, garages and boats.
Yellow jackets become very aggressive and defensive when someone threatens their territory.
Jarratt urged anyone participating in outdoor activities such as mowing, hiking and picnicking to watch carefully for yellow jackets. Yellow jackets often cause problems around schools and parks where people discard sodas and candy in open trash cans, Jarratt said. The best way to keep yellow jackets away from these places is to use covered trash cans and try to keep the area clean. There are no sprays available to combat individual yellow jackets, Jarratt said. But treatments can be directly applied to the insects' nest.