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Yellow
jackets, fall chores, to seed or to weed, to prune or not
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By John
Fulton
[September 10, 2007]
The fall festival season brings about the
recurrence of the yellow jackets. Yellow jackets are most frequently
encountered when they scavenge for food. Their habit of feeding on
nectar and sugar can create a nuisance. Yellow jackets are attracted
to open cups and cans of soda and other sweet liquids. They are also
attracted to open cans of garbage, brightly flowered clothing and
floral-scented perfumes.
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 To reduce yellow jacket problems, all outside garbage cans must
be kept clean and well covered. Contact with the wasps can be
decreased by reducing these attractions at picnics and other
outings. In situations closer to home, the elimination of
overripe fruit from gardens and orchards will dramatically
decrease the number of scavenging yellow jackets. Having
gatherings indoors and using screens on windows will also help
avoid yellow jacket problems.
There are a variety of traps on the market that claim to
attract yellow jackets. These traps are baited with the scent of
rotting fruit or other odors equally as appetizing to the yellow
jackets. It is questionable whether these traps can out-compete
the natural and man-made attractants described above. However,
it is certain that through proper sanitation and removal of
natural and man-made attractants, yellow jacket contact can be
reduced. However, in situations where the potential for repeated
contact exists, other management methods may be necessary. These
traps can also attract more yellow jackets if placed close to
the home or patio, so place them to attract the insects away
from where you'll be.
The fall to-do list
It seems like fall has snuck up on us. It's been a very warm
and dry, but the weather is changing. It is easiest to notice
the evenings are much shorter, and we have less time to do the
things we need to do in the fall. Following is a list of things
to get into your schedule over the next few weeks, and in some
cases not to do.
Do a good job of raking up old fruit from under trees. This
old fruit harbors many diseases and insects that could cause you
problems for next year, if allowed to lie under the tree. Don't
stop with the ground cleanup, but also remove mummified fruit
and small fruit from the trees and dispose of in another
location.
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 We are now at the "breaking point" for the recommended time to
seed grass seed. If you want to try it later, you may have excellent
luck or have no luck at all. The next recommended seeding time is
mid-March to April 1. Figure on about 2 pounds of seed per 1,000
square feet of lawn for an overseeding, and 4 pounds per 1,000
square feet for a newly tilled area. Hopefully the temperature and
moisture situation will be more favorable than it has been earlier.
Now is a great time to go after those broadleaf weeds in the
lawn. Make sure that you select the correct product, use the proper
amount and do not treat areas containing fall-seeded grass. The rule
of thumb is that you need to mow newly seeded grass at least three
times before treating that area for broadleaf weeds. This means you
don't try to do both in the same fall or spring seeding season.
Broadleaf weeds that are perennial are sending large amounts of
material to the roots to enable them to come up again next year, and
translocated herbicides will be sent to the roots as well. Be warned
that this also means perennials such as shrubs are in the same boat.
Pruning chores for plants with a high sap flow should be done in
December, while other pruning chores are best done in early February
for deciduous plants and in June for evergreens. Flowering shrubs
are best done after they flower. Pruning now is often a recipe for
greater chance of damage to plants.
[Text from file received from
John
Fulton, University of Illinois Extension,
Logan County Unit]
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