Top 10 Picnic Foods Yellow Jackets Love (and How to Keep Them from Crashing Your Party!)
- Pete Rizzo
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Wondering The Real Reason Why Yellow Jackets Love Your Picnic? Your Snacks Are to Blame.
A picnic or party in the park is on everyone's short list for the summer. Family gatherings, birthday parties, team celebrations, the reasons are endless. There are always a few guests that will show up, and nobody wants them there..
Enter our little stripy “friends,” the yellow jackets. They’re here, uninvited, empty handed, and ready to turn your summer feast into an all-you-can-eat buffet just for themselves.
Why are they so drawn to our picnics? What foods make yellow jackets go wild? Let’s break it down and maybe even fend them off to someone else's picnic.
1. Soda and Sweet Drinks
Crack open a can of coke, or any soda, and you might as well ring a dinner bell. The fizz, the sugar, the sticky condensation is too much for yellow jackets to resist. They’re like tiny soda addicts with wings.
2. Fruit Juice
Apple, orange, grape, any juice is jackpot material. If it’s sweet, fragrant, and dripping down your cup, it’s an open invite. Fun fact: yellow jackets smell sugar from up to several yards away.
3. Watermelon
Juicy, dripping, sweet watermelon is summer’s crown jewel, and yellow jackets want in.
To us, it’s refreshing; to yellow jackets, it’s basically 92% sugar water, served in edible bowls. Slice one open, and you’re broadcasting, “Attention yellow jackets: VIP watermellon section is now open!”
4. Ripe Fruit
Soft, sun-warmed peaches, grapes, or apples practically call out to yellow jackets. And overripe or bruised fruit? Total bonus, they love fallen fruit on the ground, so your picnic and the orchard are fair game.
5. Deli Meats
Surprise: yellow jackets aren’t just sugar lovers. They’re protein hunters, too. That ham sandwich you’re holding? It’s brunch to them. Chicken salad? Don’t even think about turning your back. Anything with protein has them licking their tiny chops.
6. Barbecue and Grilled Meats
Few things broadcast “Come and get it!” like the smoky aroma of barbecue. Chicken wings, ribs, burgers, and hot dogs are the chef’s kiss to yellow jackets. They are carnivores at heart and will crash the grill party without shame. Welcome to summer.
7. Sugary Desserts
Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, frosted cakes are pure bliss for yellow jackets. And they’re not shy. Expect a face-to-face showdown over that last cupcake. They love these sweets as much as kids at a birthday party. Only difference? The yellow jackets didn’t bring a gift or invitation, they just came for the free sugar rush.
8. Honey and Jam
Oh, the irony. Bees make honey; yellow jackets steal it. If you’ve got PB&J sandwiches, jam tarts, or even honey-glazed anything, they’re on it faster than you can say, “Did something just fly into my hair?!”
9. Ice Cream and Popsicles
Hot day with melty, sticky ice cream? Popsicle juice running down your arm? That’s not just tempting to toddlers, yellow jackets will line up for that too. And just like toddlers, they don’t care about personal space.
10. Beer and Alcoholic Drinks
Surprise! They’re little boozy bums. Especially toward late summer, when they’re more desperate for calories, they’ll go for beer, cider, and wine. Well, pretty much anything alcoholic. If you see one doing laps around your beer can, maybe it’s time to slap on a lid?
Why Are They Such Aggressive Party Crashers?
Here’s the science-y bit: Late summer is when yellow jacket colonies peak in size. Their job of feeding the queen’s larvae winds down, leaving them restless, hungry, and on the hunt for sweet and protein-rich snacks.
Let's also add in their bold nature, and suddenly you’ve got tiny sugar-fueled party crashers in black-and-yellow leather jackets.
How to (Maybe) Keep Them Away
We can’t perform miracles, but we can make suggestions:
✅ Keep drinks covered (think lids or cups with straws)
✅ Wrap up food when you’re not actively eating
✅ Skip floral perfumes and scented lotions
✅ Set up a “decoy plate” away from your main area to lure them elsewhere
✅ Stay calm when they are close. Flailing your arms or swatting make you look like a threat to them, and a crazy person.
Remember, you’re outside in the natural world when picnicking. Think about the fact that you are in their backyard. Sharing space (or at least outsmarting them) is the name of the game.
Final Vegas Bees Buzzing
When you pack that perfect picnic, we're sure you’ve got excellent taste in your choices of both food and beverages. Unfortunately the yellow jackets know it too.
With a little strategy and a few smart moves, you can enjoy your feast without turning it into an all you can eat, free for all, buffet just for yellow jackets.
Betsy & Pete
🐝Las Vegas’s All-Natural Live Bee Removal Team
About Us: The Authors
We’re Betsy and Pete - Beekeepers on a Mission in Las Vegas
We’re not just in the bee business, we’re in the bee-saving business. Trained by a master beekeeper and backed by hundreds of successful removals, we are dedicated to rescuing and relocating honey bees with care and precision.
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At our Joshua Tree Preserve in Arizona, we care for dozens of thriving hives. Some wild, some honey-bearing, and all are part of our commitment to ethical, sustainable beekeeping.
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Beekeeping is always evolving, and so are we. We stay on the cutting edge by continuing our education, connecting with fellow beekeepers, and refining our beekeeping practices and techniques to ensure the best outcomes for both bees and people.
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