Bees, hornets, and wasps are especially active during summer, and one might get stung if they are allergic to them. As we all know, wasps can be very aggressive when provoked. Prevention of their nests around the house is, therefore, very important. In this article, you will read about natural pest control and tips on how to remove wasp nests safely.
Understanding Wasp Behaviour
Before giving tips on the prevention measures, it’s important to understand the basic reasons wasps are attracted to your house in the first place. Food, sweet smells, and probable nesting locations are what draw wasps to a place. Thus, these dangerous insects can be observed most often during the period from mid-summer to early autumn. This is when they are looking for food to sustain it during the winter season.
Common Wasp Species
Wasps that can try to nest near your home are yellow jackets, paper wasps, and hornets. All have different nesting habits with variable degrees of aggressiveness. For example, yellow jackets are highly intrusive and often build nests in the ground or within wall voids. Paper wasps are less combative but still pose a threat, especially when their nests are disturbed. Hornets are the largest and most aggressive of all the previously mentioned, often building nests in trees or under eaves.
Methods to Block Wasps from Nesting Near Your Home
Wasps are best dealt with by not allowing them to nest anywhere around your home in the first place:
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Seal Entry Points
Wasps can enter your home through every small opening. It’ll be for the best to search your home for those openings and seal them. They can be foundation cracks, gaps around windows and doors, and torn screens. Caulk or weatherstrip all these spaces to guarantee they are as close as possible. Fix cracked screens, and to make your home more competitive against wasps, add thin metallic meshes over vents and chimneys.
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Remove Food Sources
Wasps are attracted to food, especially sugary substances. In this case, it’s important to get rid of any left-out food sources.
There are a few things that will definitely help you in preventing wasps from being attracted to your home, including:
- Keep trash cans tightly sealed and clean up spills or food residue quickly;
- Avoid leaving pet food outdoors, as it can attract wasps;
- Cover sugary drinks and foods when dining outdoors;
- Remove fallen fruit from trees, as it can attract wasps to your yard.
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Use Decoy Nests
Wasps are territorial and usually avoid building nests near existing ones. You can take advantage of this by hanging decoy nests around your home. These can be purchased at most garden centres or even made yourself using a brown paper bag. They come in handy hung in places where the wasps would like to nest, such as under eaves and among trees. Amateurish as they might appear, decoy nests will help discourage wasps from settling around your area.
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Instal Wasp Traps
In fact, wasp traps can be used as one of the most effective techniques for eliminating unwanted flying pests around the perimeter of your house. The wasp traps which you can use are the ones bought from the stores or those that are DIY ones where you use an empty plastic bottle and some bait such as sugary water or fruit juice. You should put traps around the compound, but not within the regions where people frequent in order to scare the wasps away from the compound.
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Keep Outdoor Lights Off When Not Needed
Just like other insects, wasps are attracted by light. That’s why don’t leave the outdoor lights on when they are not being used, it’s very important. Another solution is changing to yellow or red bulbs, which are less hot and don’t attract pests as much.
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Maintain Your Yard
Regular yard maintenance can be a good means of discouraging wasps from making their nests in your yard. Keep the grass in order to ward them off. Trim overgrown trees and shrubs. Dead pieces of wood or branches should be cleared, as they might be inviting enough for wasps to build a nest in. Plant wasp-repelling plants like mint, eucalyptus, and citronella around the yard.
If you would rather get rid of chemicals from the equation, natural wasp repellents can work just as well. Such methods employ scents and substances considered to be repulsive to them in order to keep them off your house.
There are different scents that keep wasps away, including:
- Peppermint Oil: Peppermint oil can keep the wasps away. The pungency in this smell provides it with a very phenomenal wasp-repelling mode. Add a few drops of peppermint oil together with water and put it in a sprayer. Spray the mixture around places where wasps can enter: the areas by window and door openings and any other places by building their nests;
- Citrus Sprays: Other effective ways of keeping wasps away include citrus oils, which come from lemons or oranges. The strong aroma masks the pheromones that wasps use in communicating. This put them in a fix when it comes to attempting to locate a possible nest site. Another effective mixture is the citrus spray, which you obtain by mixing water, a few drops of any available citrus oil, then spraying it across the house;
- Vinegar and Water: A mixture of vinegar and water can be used as a wasp repellent. For wasps, the smell of vinegar is acidic and objectionable. Besides, it is also a natural good guarding agent as well as an exquisite looking plant. There are many types of vinegar you can use for this process depending on the stain, and for combination spray, use an equal ratio of vinegar and water poured into a spray bottle. Next, it is recommended to spray the areas of the possible entrance and the spots most probably likely to be chosen by wasps for nesting;
- Herbs and Essential Oils: It is not only peppermint and citrus that have effects; others that you likely recognise are eucalyptus, clove, and geranium oil. Similarly, growing of crops like mint around your house is also friendly and will help repel the wasps from the compound.
Tips for Safely Removing Wasp Nests
The nests around the house need to be handled carefully. Removing them is dangerous, even fatal, in some cases when the wasps become aggressive. Here are a few tips on how to safely remove a nest:
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Identify the Type of Wasp
It is recommended that one take some time to establish the kind of wasp that he/she is dealing with before attempting to eliminate the nests. Nevertheless, some of the insects, such as hornets, are usually aggressive and thus may require the services of an exterminator. If unclear, one needs to seek the service of a specialist in pest control.
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Wear Protective Clothing
Wearing protective clothing is essential to safeguard against stings, allergic reactions, and other potential risks, allowing for safer and more effective wasp removal. Use gloves made of thick material like leather or heavy-duty fabric. Make sure they fit well so you can still handle tools effectively.
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Remove Nests at Night
Wasps are less active at night, making it the safest time to remove a nest. Use a red light instead of a white flashlight to avoid alarming the wasps. Approach the nest slowly and avoid making sudden movements.
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Use a Wasp Spray
They can be found at just about every hardware store to kill wasps in the nest. Over the nest, spray well, and then it is advisable to remove the nest after a period of at least a day that has twenty-four hours. It will be important that all the instructions on the product label are observed and that pets and children are kept away from the area.
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Dispose of the Nest Carefully
Once you are sure that there are no living wasps anymore, very carefully remove the nest. Use a long stick or pole. Take the nest and place it in a sealed plastic bag to dispose of it. Use an outdoor trash can. Check on a regular basis that there is no sign of wasp activity.
Identifying Aggressive Wasp Behavior
Also, it is noteworthy that the wasps are not violent insects, and they will only sting when one tries to dodge them. Avoid things like disturbing their nests. Being aware of a wasp’s behaviour that signifies its aggressiveness can save you from stings.
Aggressive behaviours among wasps include:
- More buzzing: A sudden increase in buzzing or activity around the nest could indicate that the wasps feel threatened.
- Hovering: Wasps may hover around your head or face as a warning. This behaviour often precedes an attack.
- Repeatedly flying at you: If a wasp keeps on flying at you, then it’s preparing to sting.
Each of these behaviours should be met by a slow retreat from the area. Swatting at wasps will induce attacks; if you are stung, get indoors or into some place of safety and apply a cold compress to the site of the sting, which can reduce swelling and pain.
When to Call a Professional
There are many ways to control wasps, which the homeowner can do. However, there are instances when it is very beneficial to seek the help of a professional pest control specialist.
Make sure to contact a professional if the nest is inaccessible or it’s in a dangerous place-enclosed within a wall, maybe, or situated far up in a tree. This is a sign that the infestation is large, or there are several nests on your property, and a professional exterminator is needed. Contacting a pest control company is also necessary if the wasps are especially prone or you have been stung so many times, which is dangerous for your health.
A professional pest control service will have the equipment and know how to exterminate wasps without harming yourself and remove the nest, preventing them from returning.
Conclusion
Wasps can be prevented from nesting around your house by sealing entry points, removing food that could attract them, decoy nests, and natural repellents that keep them away from your area. If you find a nest, then carefully remove it without consulting professional help where necessary.
