Dateline – July 1, 2012

Eastern Yellow Jackets build large, paper nests underground. This colony was found under the canopy of trees ringing Lemmon Lake in the Joppa Preserve.

Yellow Jacket colonies can successfully overwinter, but this one is unlikely to. This area will almost certainly be underwater with the coming of rain in fall, winter, and spring.

3 Replies to “Eastern Yellow Jacket – Underground”

  1. We have an underground yellow jacket colony directly adjacent to a large black oak tree in our backyard. We have lived at this property for the past 42 years, and most of our trees have been relatively healthy for all of that time. However, the subject black oak started to loose foliage last year, and now nearly half of the tree’s foliage is gone. While it could just be the death of an old tree, I have a suspicion that the adjacent underground yellow jacket colony may be adversely affecting this tree’s root system? Please advise if I am justified in my suspicion?
    Thank you.

    1. I don’t know the answer to that question. My impression is that yellow jacket s simply build large paper nest underground. I wouldn’t expect that alone would have a negative effect on a mature tree. Maybe one of my readers will chime in with a more definitive answer.

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