What attracts yellow jackets to people?

What attracts yellow jackets to people includes food, sweet smells, bright colors, and movements that yellow jackets associate with food sources or threats, especially in late summer when colonies are large and workers seek sugars. Food attractants are main, yellow jackets are attracted to sweet foods and drinks like soda, juice, beer, fruits, especially overripe fruits that ferment, and proteins like meat, fish, and pet food left outdoors at picnics and barbecues, as they hunt for sugars and proteins to feed larvae and workers. Sweet smells like perfumes, scented lotions, and hair products with floral or fruity scents attract yellow jackets that mistake them for flowers. Bright colors, especially yellow and floral patterns, attract yellow jackets foraging. Movement and swatting can attract attention as they perceive threat. Yellow jackets are also attracted to trash cans with food scraps and compost piles. In late summer, when colonies peak and larvae that produce sugary secretions mature, workers lose sugar source and become more persistent around human foods. To reduce attraction, keep food and sweet drinks covered outdoors, seal trash cans with tight lids, clean up spills and overripe fruits, avoid wearing strong perfumes and bright floral clothing, move slowly near yellow jackets, do not swat, and if yellow jacket lands on you, stay calm and gently brush it away, as swatting increases chance of sting. If nest near home, contact professional pest control for safe removal.