State officials say yellowjacket population in Connecticut is growing
Experts at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven say we are seeing more yellow jackets because our winters lately have been milder, and the bees are surviving.
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You may be seeing more bees around.
Yellowjackets to be precise.
Their population is growing in our state.
Experts at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven say we are seeing more yellow jackets because our winters lately have been milder, and the bees are surviving.
Yellowjackets are attracted to anything sweet, like fruit or soda.
You will especially see them this time of year in Orchards, cider mills, and anywhere there is fruit.
They build huge football sized nests but some also build nests in the ground.
There are now 16 different species of yellowjackets in Connecticut.
State officials say it's best if you're going to be out in your yard to avoid wearing perfume and hairspray.
And mind your garbage cans.
"Cover your garbage cans. Cover any sweets if you're eating outside. Cover cupboards to prevent them from getting access. Soda cans, they can actually go inside the soda that could be very unpleasant for you if you get stung in the mouth," said Dr. Gale Ridge at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
If you get stung. Put ice on it.
State officials say the yellow jackets have been attacking spotted lanternflies, trying to control their population growth.
The bees are attracted to the honeydew the lanternflies defecate.
