Wasp Pest Control Archives - J&J Exterminating

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3 Tips to Avoid Wasps This Summer

As summer arrives, so do the buzzing insects that can put a damper on outdoor activities: wasps. These stinging insects can be a nuisance and potentially dangerous, especially for those who are allergic to their venom. However, with a few simple precautions and proactive measures, you can minimize the chances of encountering wasps and enjoy a wasp-free summer. In this article, we will provide you with three effective tips to avoid wasps this summer.

Understanding Wasp Behavior

Before delving into the prevention and safety measures, it’s essential to understand the behavior of wasps. Wasps are attracted to sugary substances and food scraps, making picnics and outdoor dining areas particularly enticing for them. They are also territorial and can become aggressive if they perceive a threat to their nests. Wasps are known for their distinct yellow and black markings and narrow waists, distinguishing them from other flying insects. By recognizing these characteristics, you can be better prepared to avoid encounters with wasps.

Tips to Prevent Wasp Infestations

Clear Away Food Sources

One of the primary attractions for wasps is food. To minimize the likelihood of wasp infestations in your outdoor spaces, follow these guidelines:

Keep garbage bins tightly sealed to prevent odors from attracting wasps.
Promptly clean up food spills and crumbs, especially during outdoor gatherings.
Avoid leaving sugary drinks or open containers of food unattended.

By removing these food sources, you decrease the chances of wasps being drawn to your outdoor area.

Seal Potential Entry Points

To prevent wasps from building nests in and around your property, it’s crucial to seal any potential entry points:

Inspect your home for cracks, gaps, or holes in the walls, windows, and doors. Seal them using caulk or appropriate sealants.
Install screens on windows and doors to prevent wasps from entering.
Cover vents and chimneys with mesh screens to prevent wasps from nesting inside.

Taking these preventive measures significantly reduces the likelihood of wasp infestations.

Use Wasp Deterrents

There are several natural deterrents that can help keep wasps away from your outdoor spaces:

Planting mint, eucalyptus, or citronella in your garden can discourage wasps due to their strong scents.
Hang a fake wasp nest in your outdoor areas. Wasps are territorial and tend to avoid areas where they believe other wasps already reside.
Consider using wasp-repellent sprays or non-toxic traps strategically placed around your property.

Using these deterrents can create an environment that is less attractive to wasps, thus reducing the chances of encountering them.

Safety Measures When Encountering Wasps

Despite taking preventive measures, there may still be instances when you encounter wasps. Here are some safety measures to follow:

Remain Calm and Still

If a wasp is near you, it’s important to remain calm and still. Sudden movements or panic can provoke them and increase the likelihood of being stung. Stay relaxed and avoid making any threatening gestures towards the wasp.

Avoid Swatting or Aggravating Them

Resist the urge to swat at a wasp or try to shoo it away aggressively. Swatting at a wasp increases the risk of getting stung, as it perceives this action as an attack. Stay still and let the wasp fly away on its own.

Seek Professional Help if Necessary

If you have a severe wasp infestation or are allergic to wasp stings, it’s best to seek professional help. Pest control experts can safely remove nests and provide you with advice on long-term wasp prevention.

By following these three essential tips, you can significantly reduce the chances of encountering wasps this summer. Remember to clear away food sources, seal potential entry points, and use wasp deterrents to create an environment that is less attractive to these stinging insects. If you do encounter wasps, remain calm, avoid swatting, and seek professional help if necessary. Enjoy your summer without the hassle and potential dangers of wasp encounters.

Which Wasp Species Is Nesting On Your Property?

Summer time means a lot of things, from having fun outside, to having to deal with more insects on your property. One insect species would be particularly unwelcome – the wasps. If you start to notice a lot of wasps in an area, odds are that there is a nest nearby. These nests need to be left alone, because the wasps will swarm to protect them. Here are some of the species that may be nesting on your property:

Paper wasps

Paper wasps will have colonies that are centered around one queen, and this queen will set the tone for behavioral patterns among all the members of the nest. A very hierarchical species, these wasps will build nests that look like upside down umbrellas. These nests are almost always open, and they can become quite large. The nests will be built on single supporting stalks and consist of a paper-like material.

Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets also create their nests from a papery material as well, and these nests have a single opening. Inside the nests, the yellowjackets will create hundreds of tiers of cells, in which they rear their young. This species can also create vast underground nests that become enormous over time.

Mud daubers

You will often notice mud daubers at one of your backyard picnics, or you will hear them buzzing near the outdoor pavilion in the park. The mud wasps however are a peaceful, solitary species, and they build nests in the mud, which have a tubular shape.

Bald-faced hornets

Despite the name, bald-faced hornets are actually a species of wasps, and you can recognize them by the white markings on their head and body. This is a highly territorial wasp species that will sting repeatedly if it feels that its nest is under threat. The nests are made out of wood fibers that are chewed up and mixed with saliva, and they will usually be at least three feet above the ground, where they can grow to the size of a basketball.

Getting rid of wasp nests

Regardless of the species on your property, you do not want to tackle the infestation by yourself. Removing wasp nests without the proper gear, knowledge and products can be very dangerous. If you notice a nest on your property, contact us today, and we will send someone over immediately who will be able to safely remove it for you.

The Different Wasp Species That You May Find In Your Garden

Wasps are annoying to say the least. They come on your property, bother you when you’re going about your day, and they may even attack you and sting you. Worst case scenario, you get an allergic reaction to the sting and you end up in the hospital. However, not all wasps are trigger happy. In fact, some wasps can’t even sting. And once you move past the whole “ruining your summer” issue, wasps can be quite interesting insects.

The scavenger species

You’re having a picnic and you start to hear that all too familiar buzzing noise. Not again! You have just been visited by the German yellowjacket, which is currently looking at all the food you brought and trying to figure out what to do with it. Should it steal some of your ham to take it back to the larvae? Or maybe it should take a sip of soda and get a sugar rush. Wine or beer would be even better, since they have the same taste as fermented fruit. Despite being a nuisance, the wasps are fulfilling their natural role as scavengers, removing leftover meat, sugar or fermenting plants from the environment.

The architects

What is that grey lump of mass up there in the tree? Closer inspection should reveal that it is a wasp nest, in particular the nest of a bald-faced hornet, which can be technically considered a yellowjacket. However, these hornets nest above ground. The nests themselves are quite interesting structures – construction begins in late springs with a queen building the core of the nest where it lays eggs. Once the eggs have hatched into workers, the hive gets busy, scraping up wood pulp, chewing it into strips, and then adding these strips one at a time building up the nest. Bald-faced hornets are often harvested and then shipped off to medical laboratories where they are used to create immunizations for people who are allergic to wasp stings.

The intelligent wasps

You’ve been waiting all winter to barbecue outside, only to open your grill and find a nest of paper wasps. These wasps live in complex, social structures that are sometimes started by multiple queens that battle it out for dominance. The winner of this struggle is able to lay the most eggs, while others help the rest of the colony with child care, nest maintenance and foraging. Paper wasps are also able to recognize individuals within the nest based on the unique markings on each other’s faces. Queens will also size each other up, and observe each other during struggles for dominance. Based on these observations, a queen will decide if she wants to challenge the dominant female.

While interesting, wasps can still be a giant nuisance, and they will attack if they feel threatened. Needless to say, you do not want them nesting on your property. If you have any problems with wasps, contact us today and we will help you remove them.

Sustaining Numerous Wasp Stings Can Induce Neurological Deficits That Include Brain Swelling And Lasting Memory Loss

When it comes to wasp attacks, most people assume that only those with allergies to insect venom are at risk of dying from such attacks. This is a reasonable assumption, but quite inaccurate as well. While most wasp attack fatalities resulted from severe allergic reactions, a minority of wasp attack fatalities result from an overdose of toxic venom. However, health care professionals know that odd physiological responses can sometimes occur in people who have sustained insect bites or stings, and wasp stings are no exception. As it turns out, in rare cases, victims of wasp attacks who sustain numerous stings can experience bizarre and unpleasant neurological symptoms and they can even develop neurological conditions that sometimes result in brain tissue death, brain and spinal cord swelling and nerve damage.

Not long ago, a 45 year old man sustained 50 stings from wasps while he was mowing his lawn. The man drifted in and out of consciousness while being taken to the hospital. Once the man’s vitals stabilized, he appeared to be in good spirits, but he suddenly began alternating between complete unconsciousness and alert conscious states. The man was also unable to speak for periods of time, and while in an unconscious state, he stared blankly with dilated pupils. The man would fall into an unconscious state every two to three hours, and upon waking, he would lose all memory of being in the hospital. With steroid therapy, the man’s neurological symptoms disappeared within a matter of months.

Although rare, some people who have been injected with high amounts of toxic venom during wasp attacks have developed neurological complications as a result. These attack victims have developed eye disorders, weakness in skeletal and respiratory muscles, brain and spinal inflammation, development of necrotic brain tissue, nerve damage, cerebral bleeding, oxygen impediments to the brain and more in response to sustaining numerous wasp stings. In most cases, normal neurological functioning is restored in these individuals, but some have gone on to suffer lasting neurological deficits after wasp attacks. There are several theories concerning how wasp stings could induce such unusual neurological symptoms, but the ultimate cause of such symptoms remains unknown.

Do you think that these neurological symptoms occur in response to unusually high doses of wasp venom?