The southern yellowjacket wasp might not be as widespread in the state as some have reported, a local entomologist advises, but the eastern yellowjacket is native to the area and here to stay.

Despite a few reports from media outlets in recent weeks, Tawny Simisky, who specializes in woody plant entomology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, said the southern yellowjacket does not appear to be prevalent in much of Massachusetts at this time, as the species is typically found south of the Bay State. But conflicts between humans and the eastern yellowjacket, or Vespula maculifrons, usually increase in the fall.

“This is because the annual colonies that these yellowjackets produced are large after having been built by workers since the springtime,” she said this week. “They like the same foods that we like to eat outside, particularly at picnics or fall season fairs. They’re really out there [searching] the landscape for sugar.”

Simisky added that the German yellowjacket, or Vespula germanica, which was accidentally introduced into the eastern United States in the 1970s, is much more common in Massachusetts. Vespula squamosa is the scientific name for the southern yellowjacket.

Whereas honeybees perish when their stingers and abdomens are torn off after they attack someone, yellowjackets do not and can sting numerous times. Simisky said wasps sting only in perceived self-defense or defense of their colony. Anyone who may be nervous about wasp stings can rest assured that wasps will cease to exist when the area has its first frost of the season. The worker wasps are killed by the cold, leaving only a single queen that will begin a new colony and spend the winter in a sheltered place.

Simisky said evidence suggests wasps are attracted to both dark and bright colors, so she recommends people wear light colors to deter the insects. She also stressed the importance of not swatting at wasps that help themselves to your food, as they will quickly move on.

Simisky said wasp stings are unpleasant for anyone, but inherently more dangerous for those allergic to them. She recommends homeowners call a professional to remove any colony they find on their property.

Thomas Glazier, co-owner of the Greenfield-Pittsfield territory of Mosquito Joe, said he has seen an uptick in wasp removal calls this year. Mosquito Joe is a subsidiary of Neighborly, which bills itself as the world’s largest home services company.

“This is my second year ... and I’ve had double the stinging-insect removal jobs we had last year,” he said, adding that colonies reach their peak size (up to 10,000) in the fall. “They get more aggressive this time of year because food is more scarce.”

He noted the wasps are known to build nests in the ground and he uses a special application to combat them. Glazier even found a massive wasp nest in a horse blanket earlier this year.

Steve Rossetti, owner of Florence Pest Solutions, said he has only recently started to see a decrease in calls for wasp removals.

“Those yellowjackets are a big deal this year, it seems,” he said.

Rossetti said wasps try to get inside houses this time of year because it gets cooler at night. They can make it into wall voids and go unnoticed.

“It’s not an easy thing, to get these guys,” Rossetti said.

He mentioned the best defense is applying a preventative solution in the spring.

Simisky also urges the public to be on the lookout for the northern giant hornet, or Vespa mandarinia, and report any finding to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources at tinyurl.com/HornetReport. She said the northern giant hornet is not native to North America and was first discovered on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, in September 2019, and in Washington state that same year. Simisky advised they attack and feed on bee and wasp colonies and other pollinators.

More information about that non-native species is available at tinyurl.com/HornetInfo. Hornets look like yellowjackets, but in the case of the northern giant hornet they are significantly larger than the southern, eastern or German yellowjacket. Adult northern giant hornets are quite large, with workers being 1 to 1½ inches long and queens up to 1¾ inches long.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.