At the beginning of spring, there’s a sound that starts appearing. It’s a kind of buzzing sound. At first, you might not be able to tell exactly what it is. Then, as it grows closer, you realize the buzzing is coming from one of your local honey bees. Oh, how sweet. Then you turn and notice another kind of stinging creature, one who isn’t so sweet… a wasp!
Wasps are very aggressive and can terrorize your yard. They build nests in unusual locations and can be a terrible pain to get rid of. There once was a nest found in New Zealand that was over twelve feet long and eighteen feet around, so they could actually take over your entire living room if given enough time. To prevent a rather horrific catastrophe, you’ll want to keep wasps from ever wanting or thinking about coming near your home.
Do you have a lot of fruit trees around your property? If so, you know all sorts of creatures love to stop by for a snack. Wasps are no exception. They love the smell of rotting fruit, and they’re more likely to build their nests near natural food sources. By picking up all the rotting fruit every day, you can prevent wasps from sticking around.
Use wasp traps in trees and near eves where you’ve seen wasps hover. Plastic wasp traps lure the wasp within the bag and trap them, so there’s no need to worry about being stung.
Hang out crumbled paper bags in your eaves. Wasps are territorial and will believe it’s a “rival” wasp nest.
Did you find an empty nest? Wasps tend to leave the nest during the day. You can knock the nest down when they’re gone, but they’ll typically start rebuilding it right away. If you want to kill the wasps making the nest, purchase a good wasp spray and return to the nest at night. Be sure you wear protective clothing such as a long sleeved shirt, tennis shoes, and jeans, just in case. Stand away from the nest and spray the poison. Once you’ve sprayed, quickly get away from the area. Wasps will scatter from the nest and then drop and die. You don’t want them falling onto you though. Wasps can still sting you after they’ve died.
Knock down any unused or old nests to prevent any other wasps from moving in.
Bees can be a problem as well. Thankfully, unlike wasps, bees can only sting one time before they die. In the case of bees, try avoiding killing them if possible. At the same time, you don’t necessarily want them buzzing around your backyard and possibly stinging you either. If you do happen to come across a swarm of bees, they typically only stick around about 72 hours. However, if they insist on staying, then it’s best to call your local beekeeper. A Beekeeper will come to your home and remove your swarm without killing any of the bees. For smaller bee problems you can:
Plant flowers away from areas with heavy human foot traffic.
When entertaining, don’t use brightly colored tablecloths or other brightly colored items.
Use fans outside. This also helps with other pests such as flies and mosquitoes.
Use candles or incent sticks outside. Bees don’t like smoky areas and will try to avoid them.
Plant Marigolds near areas you don’t want bees. Plant flowers to get rid of bees? Strangely, yes. Many insects hate the smell of marigolds, including bees.
If you have a bee or wasp problem that can’t be handled with simple remedies, then it’s time to call in the professionals. The professional team at AIPM are trained in insect removal as well as all types of insect and pests. They can eliminate the threats to your property while setting up a custom plan to ensure that you never have to face the same type of infestation again. Contact us for a free consultation today.
Sources:
- https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-wasps/#.WXYuhITys-c
- https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Yellow-Jacket-Wasps-Away
- https://www.coronaca.gov/government/departments-divisions/animal-services-enforcement/bee-facts
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