With wasps season at its highest, why are they going more aggressive than usual? Here is an insight into their behaviors and what is causing them to be attracted to people going into the fall!
About Wasps
Wasps are known for their bright yellow and black slim bodies with slender legs and hairless bodies, they can grow up the be 1.5 inches long. They are an aggressive species that will sting someone multiple times, especially if getting messed with or their nests get disturbed. They’re diet consists of natural sources like nectar, flowers, and small insects that they will feed their young. Wasps primarily like to build their nests on places like eaves, gutters, trees, fences, and burrowed underground. They work together to build them and can keep up to 75 wasps – including larvae in them. The nests are paperlike and look like upside-down hanging umbrellas or basketballs, in which the queen also stays and leaves to overwinter inside the wall of the home and then wait for spring to arrive to reproduce.
Why Wasps Get Aggressive in August?
- What causes this behavior – Wasps are at their highest in numbers and activity when August arrives, and this is the same time when their natural food sources are running low. This begins their behavioral change of them being aggressive and territorial. They begin to swarm places like gardens, picnic spots, and outdoor events where food sources are easy to find. Their behavioral change is also caused by their diet changing to sweets and carbohydrates and they get frantic looking for it.
- Tips to help with activity – Some tips to help with keeping wasps away are keeping food not being eaten in sealed containers, cleaning up liquid spills right away, and throwing garbage away in tight-lid bins. Incorporating these simple steps will definitely lessen the chance of wasps being attracted to the space you are using!
Treatment
We offer year-round protection for all types of pests, but we always keep wasps in mind. Including the protection of winter, and here is how.
- Inside treatment – A inspection is done throughout the inside, and when a technician identifies any activity happening or finds a nest, they will treat it with an aerosol or dust product. Sometimes the nests can not be removed, however, once an application of treatment, the wasps no longer return to the nest.
- Outside treatment – A thorough inspection is done throughout the whole exterior of your home, technicians will then find any nests or activity happening. They will do treatment with either a spray, dust, or aerosol product and remove any nests that are around. Sometimes, a return visit is needed to remove a nest if a longer pole is needed, however, on the rare occasion that it can not be removed, the technician will still do treatment and the wasps no longer return to any deactivated nests.
With wasps being at their peak time, we always want to remind customers of the importance of keeping track of their activity at your home. Wasps have faster reproduction cycles, and need 5-7 days before doing anything additional to them, as they do need to go through the product for it to be affected. Our product does not affect any eggs, which is why we continue to do more than one treatment to break up egg cycles.
- Overwintering treatment – Many people are unaware, but when queen wasps leave the nests, they head toward homes to hide in the walls and overwinter. This is important as when spring comes, they reproduce, and they start appearing in the home. Keeping this in mind, we do a winter treatment outside of your home with a dust product and wall injection, to help keep the activity low when spring comes, and a thorough inside treatment as well to keep the protection of your home and have long-term prevention!
If you would like to learn more about our services, or treatment options, please contact our office at (630) 451-8101