Having wasps around your home can be stressful. Understanding how these insects behave is essential to prevent and treat infestations properly is essential. That’s why Stat Pest Control offers wasp removal and pest control in Fort Myers. We want to keep you safe and your home pest-free.
The Life Cycle Of Common Wasps
A few types of wasps are common in Fort Myers: paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, yellow jackets, easter cicada killer wasps, and mud dauber wasps. All wasps have narrow “waists” and smooth bodies, unlike bees, which have round, fuzzy bodies.
Paper wasps are brown with yellow or reddish markings and three-quarters of an inch long. They built nests made of paper with a colony.
Bald-faced hornets are not hornets, just wasps. They are black with white markings on their face and body. They also build paper nests, often high up in trees. These wasps are about half an inch long.
Yellow jackets are yellow and black. Like paper wasps and bald-faced hornets, yellow jackets build nests out of chewed cellulose that may be attached to a structure or underground. Yellow jackets are usually between a quarter and a half an inch long.
Mud daubers are black but may have lighter markings. They build nests out of mud but are solitary.
Eastern cicada-killer wasps are black and yellow and can be over an inch and a half long. They dig tunnels for their nests.
Like many insects, wasps grow through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. But wasps have a lot of variance between species, meaning there are many different lifestyles. Some wasps, like bald-faced hornets, paper wasps, and yellow jackets, are social. This means that they form colonies with other wasps and build nests together. Eggs are laid by a queen and cared for by the colony. Eastern cicada-killers and mud daubers are solitary wasps, meaning they do not form colonies. Instead, these wasps only care for their own young.
Some Wasps Are More Aggressive Than Others
All wasps have stingers—but when do they use them? Mud daubers and eastern cicada-killers rarely sting, typically only if they’re grabbed. Other wasps, like paper wasps, sting if they feel threatened. Bald-faced hornets and yellow jackets are territorial and defensive and will become aggressive if their nests are approached.
In general, it’s good to leave wasps alone. You don’t bother them, and they won’t bother you. The problem is when wasps build nests in your house or yard. Wasp stings can be very painful, even for those who aren’t allergic. And people with bee and wasp allergies should be wary. Most wasps only sting when they’re threatened, but there’s little more threatening than someone trying to get rid of their nest.
Five Naturally Effective Wasp Prevention Tips
Because wasp stings can be so painful and because they’re most likely to sting in self-defense, it’s best to try and prevent them from living around your home.
- Seal cracks in your walls
Having a wasp nest outside your house is bad enough. You don’t want them coming inside. Sealing up any cracks or holes in the walls keeps wasps (and other pests) from entering your home or—even worse—building nests inside your walls.
- Keep food covered outside
Adult wasps survive off of nectar from plants, but they scavenge for other food for their babies. Wasps look for all types of food, including meat, to feed their young. This is why wasps are often seen buzzing around picnics and barbecues. If you’re eating outside, keep the food covered as much as possible to avoid attracting wasps.
- Make trash inaccessible
Outdoor trash cans are just as attractive to wasps as picnics are. Installing a secure lid on outdoor receptacles will keep wasps from being able to smell or get to the food waste inside, and they’ll move on from your yard.
- Clean up under fruit trees and bushes
In addition to food and food scraps, wasps can eat fallen fruit from plants in your yard. Cleaning all that up regularly is an excellent way to keep wasps from seeing your yard as a food source, which keeps them from building nests near your home.
- Install plants that repel wasps
Some plants, such as lemongrass and peppermint, are known to repel wasps. These in your yard can help keep wasps away since they won’t want to be near those plants.
Because wasps can be territorial, you must make an effort to remove them with caution. That’s why the best option for wasp nest removal in Fort Myers is a professional pest control company.
A Practical Solution To Effective Wasp Control
Stat Pest Control is the best way to get rid of wasps in Fort Myers. We offer comprehensive wasp control options to suit your needs, whatever they may be. We’ll identify any nests and take steps to remove them carefully, prioritizing your safety. Then, we’ll help you with wasp prevention, so they don’t come back. Contact Stat Pest Control today to learn more about how we help Fort Myers homes become wasp-free.
