SPOKANE, Wash. – It may not feel like it, but it’s that time of year again. It’s yellow jacket season here in the Inland Northwest.
After hibernating all winter, the queens are starting to emerge and to find out how to keep them from becoming a pest this summer, we went to the experts.
WSU Master Gardener Julie McElroy says the only way to keep the numbers of wasps and yellow jackets down this summer is by capturing the queens early on.
“Queens are what you’re after,” McElroy said.
She doesn’t suggest using poisons or pesticides. She says store-bought traps work just fine.
To maximize their effectiveness, McElroy suggests putting them up early and placing them in a perimeter around your yard or the area you are trying to keep clear.
McElroy is expecting a typical wasp and yellowjacket season this spring and summer but wants to remind everyone that while they can be annoying, they’re not all bad.
