If the nest is in an area that can be avoided, you can leave them until the end of the season when we get a few killing frosts. Yellow jackets, while being a stinging insect will not actively seek out a person to sting them, so if you can steer clear of it or put up some stakes and rope around the area for a bit, there should be no harm in leaving them as they are still beneficial predatory insects. Social wasps like yellow jackets sting when they feel threatened so if you have any pets or children that wouldn't know to not go near it, you may want to treat it. 

If you can't avoid it, then you can treat with a pesticide. Targeted and limited pesticide use shouldn't hurt other pollinators or wildlife as you are applying it only to the nest. After you have used it and know the nest is gone, you can hose off the area to help dilute the pesticide. 

You can visit our social wasp page for more information and guidance. 

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily