Spring is the season where families go to enjoy the outdoors after a long winter. However, spring is also the time where a lot of insects go out from hibernation and into the open space, and one of these insects is the irritating wasps! But, what are wasps anyway?
Wasps have thinner waists which is the area where its body joins together. The bodies of wasps have bright yellow stripes that can be easily seen from afar. Wasps have six skinny, long legs with many spines and a waxy texture.
Wasps are more aggressive insects that are easily provoked. Some predatory wasps will proceed to sting you even if you aren’t threatening to smash them. Unlike the bee sting, which stubbornly stays in the skin after injection, wasp stings are easily removable from the skin. When wasps feel that their nest is in danger, they will signal their colonies of this then attack you as a group. Knowing these details, should I invest in wasp control in Oshawa during spring?
To help you out with your decision, continue reading below on how the life cycles of wasps work.
Wasp Life Cycles
Wasps live in colonies that last for about one year. All the members in the colony die during the fall season with the new queen wasps the only ones surviving. The queens leave their nests around the end of summer then look for males to mate with. After finding their mates, the queen wasps will find a new place to set up their nest, preferably in old wood barks, dying hollow logs, cracks in tiles, walls, or other similar areas where there are small spaces that they can burrow through. This is where they will stay until they finish their hibernation period.
Once winter is finished, the queen wasps will begin their activities once again. Take note that wasps do not reuse their old nesting grounds.
Wasp Nesting Habits
Wasps are very protective of their nests and can be very defensive at times due to their chemical connection. They release a pheromone that alerts their nearest colony members of the potential threat and this pheromone also marks their target so they do not lose sight of it. The act of releasing pheromones does not come only when the wasps are about to sting a target. Wasps can release these even when humans are about to swap them by displaying their stinger in mid-air.
How to Prevent Wasp Nests From Appearing In Your Property
As the popular saying goes, prevention is better than taking a cure, and this is the same when it comes to preventing a wasp swarm from destroying your evening. This is also your very first line of defense when it comes to a wasp infestation. Read further below to find out more steps that can help you with prevention while you wait for a pest control visit.
Avoid Swatting A Wasp
Trying to swap wasps is actually counterproductive if you want to prevent wasps from swarming your face. As stated above, wasps release pheromones that call on other wasps even in mid-air while you attempt to shove them away.
Make Sure There Are No Food Sources In The Open
In spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Any food left outdoors, such as pet food, picnic scraps, open garbage containers, or uncovered compost piles should be removed or covered. Wasps are insects that are attracted to human food. Wasps imprint food sources and will continue to search an area for some time after the food has been removed.
In late summer and early fall, wasps turn their attention to sweet foods. Their behavior is also more aggressive. Open cans of pop, fruit juice, fallen apples beneath fruit trees, and other sweet food sources will attract wasps. Be sure to cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid on the compost, and avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees. Remove any fallen fruit rotting on the ground.
Close All Potential Entry Points
Solitary wasps at home can be a nuisance. If you’re always seeing a lot of wasps in your home it may indicate that they are nesting inside your building. You will need more attention to the problem. Searching for and sealing off their point of entry is the best way to stop them from growing the nest. Check your house for unsealed vents, torn screens, cracks around windows and door frames, and open dampers. Observe the flight path of a wasp, especially in the morning, which may reveal the entry point. A DIY method isn’t always the safest with wasps, make sure to consider an expert.
Now, here are some good reasons why you should consider spring wasp control.
Wasps And Other Insects Come Out of Winter Hibernation During Spring
Since springtime is where other insects come out of hibernation, they are sure to attract many wasps. Wasps are natural predators that eat other insects like caterpillars, larvae, and flies. Occasionally, wasps feed on nectar from flowers too. Unlike bees, wasps love the aroma coming from human foods, especially beer and sweets so they often are the causes of irritation for people that go on picnics, which would ruin your springtime activities.
Wasps Can Damage Your Property
People are not the only ones that wasps can damage, your properties can fall victim to these insects as well. The reason is that wasps can choose to set their nests along the cracks of your house walls, behind your stairs, the attic, or basically anywhere that there’s space, moisture, and wood. Wasps are known to plow through the wooden structures inside your home then create little cracks to set up their nests. If these cracks continue to appear, they will lead to structural damage to your home.
In addition to that, the longer you leave a wasp nest alone buried in your walls, the nest will get bigger. There have been instances where wasps nests reach to lengths as longs as the walls themselves! An early appointment with wasp control experts in Toronto will help prevent this catastrophe.
Wasp Stings Pose Many Potential Health Risks
When a wasp stings you, it does not sting alone. After the initial attack, wasps will call on other members of their colony to damage you as well! And wasps don’t just sting once, they will sting multiple times!
If the victim is sensitive to wasp stings, the attack might cause a serious allergic reaction to it, which may lead to multiple illnesses appearing as well. Wasp stings are potent because even if the stringer has been removed from the wasp, it will still stick to the skin like glue, which might cause severe pain and inflammation on the stung area.
The Presence Of Wasps Are Irritating
Wasps are huge irritants whenever you encounter them. But they are especially irritating when they appear uninvited during a family gathering, a picnic, or some similar activity. But the bigger problem with this is that wasps rarely come alone. Whenever they smell the aroma of human food, expect a whole swarm to disturb your nice meal.
Your family gatherings might irritate wasp nest lodged inside the cracks of your home due to the vibrations when all the people inside are walking, loud noises from the conversations, and even during a relaxed setting where you are just trying to enjoy some fish and chips will cause the swarm of wasps to come out from the woodwork and ruin your evening.