Health Officials In Tahoe Receiving High Number Of Complaints About Yellow Jackets
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Officials at Lake Tahoe say they've been responding to an uptick in reports of problems with pesky yellow jackets.
Karen Bender of the El Dorado County Department of Environmental Health says they've been receiving about 10 calls a day after fielding 16 in a single day last Monday.
Bender said a mild winter allowed more of the queens to survive into the spring and build the nests that can house as many as 5,000 worker yellow jackets in the summer and fall.
Bender tells Lake Tahoe News the county's specialists use special pesticides to try to kill the yellow jackets without harming honey bees.
Yellow jackets, considered pests, are part of the wasp family. They make nests in the ground, under decks, in walls and under eaves.
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