Add natural wasp-repellent plants like eucalyptus, spearmint, or thyme around your yard or property. Scare off yellow jackets with a decoy yellow jacket nest; these wasps are unlikely to build a colony on territory that they believe is already taken by another nest.

Large numbers of the wasps may be attracted to garbage cans, sweet beverages, fruit, flowery clothing, and perfume. Yellowjackets rarely cause structural damage to buildings, but they may build their nests in attic and wall voids.

Yellow jacket adults feed on foods rich in sugars and carbohydrates such as plant nectar and fruit. They also search for foods high in protein such as insects and fish. These are chewed and conditioned in preparation for larval consumption. The larvae secrete a sugary substance that is eaten by the adults.

LIke other similar insects, yellow jacket queens live longer than the workers (almost a year longer). Workers tend to live around 22 days. This hierarchical system works because the workers produce food for the colony while the queens eat the food and live longer in order to lay more eggs and produce more workers.