Why Are Yellow Jackets Hanging Around My El Paso Pool?

Posted by Mosquito Squad Plus

September 17, 2026

Why Are Yellow Jackets Hanging Around My El Paso Pool?

Food, sugary drinks, and a dependable water source. What wouldn’t yellow jackets love about your pool?

One curious visitor might swing by for a quick drink – it happens! And while yellow jackets around poolside areas are not all that uncommon, especially this time of year, repeated and persistent sightings could mean there’s a nest nearby.

At Mosquito Squad Plus of El Paso, we understand the importance of keeping the backyard pool a favorable destination, where your family can escape the heat. Here’s why these and other pests tend to want to hang out around your favorite hangout.

You Swim in It, Yellow Jackets Drink from It

Like other outdoor pests, yellow jackets obviously require water to survive. And because natural moisture sources can be scarce during summer in El Paso, swimming pools, fountains, birdbaths, pet bowls, and other sources of water become attractive watering holes.

Yellow jackets will often land along the pool edge to sneak a drink and can even become trapped on the surface of the water. If you see a yellow jacket (dead or alive) in the pool, do not attempt to handle it with bare hands. These uninvited pool guests can sting repeatedly in attempt to defend themselves.

Simple ways to make your outdoor spaces less attractive to thirsty yellow jackets include fixing leaky outdoor faucets or irrigation systems. Monitor pet bowls and other small water receptacles. Unfortunately, getting rid of yellow jackets in your pool isn’t as easy as emptying the water and smashing it with your foot.

Your Poolside Buffet Is Their Poolside Buffet

If it’s water that attracts yellow jackets to your pool, the food and drinks can convince them to hang out longer. Early in the season, yellow jackets are searching for sources of protein to feed their developing larvae. Later in the season, they become much more interested in sugary foods and drinks. Ripe fruits and desserts, soda cans and cocktail glasses, condiments, and more can all provide the sugar they’re in search of.

It’s important to keep dishes covered until it’s time to serve. Be sure to promptly clean up spills, rinse beverage containers and remove them from the area, and place any and all food waste inside a tightly closed garbage bin.

Always look before drinking from an open can. Yellow jackets can go in unnoticed, and that’s a surprise nobody wants.

How Do You Know if a Yellow Jacket Nests Are Nearby?

One yellow jacket sighting here and there is likely nothing to be alarmed about, but if you’re seeing several yellow jackets in one area repeatedly, there could be a nest nearby. From a safe distance, you can watch to see if they follow a particular flight path into the ground, among landscaping, wall openings, or gaps around any outdoor structure.

It’s never recommended to plug an entry point, or to burn, flood, or dig out a yellow jacket nest.

Why Are There So Many Yellow Jackets Right Now?

Yellow jackets are most active close to your outdoor spaces during late summer and fall, once their colonies have grown to a substantial size.

Mosquito Squad Plus of El Paso can inspect your property and the structures around it for yellow jacket activity and hidden nests. Then, we can recommend an appropriate control plan to help keep your backyard pool and favorite outdoor spaces ultimately enjoyable.

Where Do We Offer Pest Control Services?

Mosquito Squad Plus is much more than just an El Paso mosquito control company. We proudly serve the following areas and beyond with highly effective pest control solutions, including El Paso rodent control: