A stinging dilemma

Bryce Alderton

They wreak havoc around that double decker taco and soda from Taco

Bell, turning a peaceful lunch into one of annoyance.

They are yellow jackets and they swarmed around Kevin DeNike and Lisa

Amira’s lunch Tuesday afternoon as the two sat eating their tacos in

Huntington Central Park.

DeNike and Amira noticed the first yellow jacket land on their food 10

minutes after they sat down.

“She’s about to eat a yellow jacket,� DeNike said laughing, as he

watched the insect land on the corner of a tortilla that remained from

his taco.

It was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a larger problem

in Huntington Beach where swarms of yellow jackets have become a

nuisance.

The medium-sized black wasps with yellow and white markings can be

found throughout Huntington Beach these days at restaurants, parks and in

house eaves.

They target garbage cans, barbecues, picnics -- any place with food.

They especially like meat and sweets.

“You have to eat a sandwich as fast as you can,� said John Van

Oeffelen, operations manager for the city’s public works department, who

said he’s noticed an increase in yellow jackets in the last couple years.

One reason could be the weather, he said. Yellow jackets die off in

cold weather, but last year’s mild winter allowed them to multiply.

“A mild winter like the one we just had is conducive to more insects,�

Van Oeffelen said. “We’ve always seen them in the environment, just not

this many. But it’s nearly impossible to determine how many there are.�

The city began discussions with Western Exterminator Co. last week to

determine the best way to deal with the yellow jacket problem. Western

has not eliminated any yellow jacket nests.

But the city has destroyed about 20 yellow jacket nests this year.

Trapping the insects inside containers is one of the methods being

discussed.

“We’re hoping to finalize the deal in the next couple of days,� said

Western Exterminators Manager Bill Turk. “[The yellow jackets] are

attracted to restaurants like magnets. We’re hoping the trapping program

will help contain them.�

One of the keys to controlling the yellow jacket population would be

to enact a prevention program in the spring, catching the queens before

they lay eggs.

Each queen trapped in the spring or winter means one less nest of 500

to 5,000 worker bees in the summer and fall.

“There would be less of a problem now if we trapped them early on,�

Turk said.

The city empties trash cans in the park every day -- twice on Saturday

and Sunday if the cans are full -- to curtail the amounts of yellow

jackets.

Van Oeffelen recommends covering all trash containers and moving

garbage cans away from eating areas. Standing water should also be

eliminated.

A yellow jacket’s sting typically results in itching, pain and

swelling. But people allergic to their venom can develop hives and

shortness of breath.

Yellow jackets build their nests above and below ground in trees,

utility poles, house eaves, tree stumps, rodent burrows and ground holes.

A nest can hold as many as 5,000 insects.