Seeing yellowjackets and wasps around your yard does not necessarily mean that there is a nest on your property. Although there is no nest to remove, you may still be able to reduce the number of yellowjackets and wasps in your yard by removing what is attracting them there.
Foraging wasps and yellowjackets are often attracted to food, sugary drinks, and garbage with food residues. To minimize attractants:
Keep your food and drinks covered to keep yellowjackets from landing on them, and check your food or drink before bringing it to your mouth.
Keep garbage in closed containers.
If you have fruit trees in your yard, harvest or discard ripe fruit promptly.
Foraging wasps and yellowjackets are generally not very aggressive, but may sting in self-defense. DO NOT swat at them - remain calm and wait for the yellowjacket or wasp to fly away.
Yellowjacket traps and spray insecticides are not recommended for foraging yellowjackets; they are not generally effective.
Page last reviewed: September 20, 2023
Sign up for updates from San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District
Thanks for signing up!
There was an error saving your request. Please make sure you entered a valid email.
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and
channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District
has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and
commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and
other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome
feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.
If you need any special assistance or accommodations:
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations.
The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best
practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.
Compliance Procedures and Reports
In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards,
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely
changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.
Linked Documents and Third Parties
Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do
not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our
agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties,
we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.