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Having pests? Learn more about the type of pest you have and how to protect from them.

Wasps & Hornets

Wasps & Hornets

Pest Library

Wasps & Hornets - Characteristic and Facts

Common wasps have black and yellow striped bodies with “waist” between the thorax and abdomen. They also have black anchor marks on their face. Common wasps are social insects living in large groups in houses and roofs and live in nest build of paper, which is formed by their queen chewing up the wood. They feed on different high energy food like nectar, sugar rotten fruits and other small insects. The very large relative of common wasp is the Hornet. They mostly live in the woods. Hornets have a brown thorax and yellow stripes on their body. Both adults and larvae eat other insects. They also stock up on nectars before hibernating.
Size
Wasps range in size - typically ¼ inch to 1 inch long.
Hornet can reach up to 2.2 inches in length.
Potentially Dangerous
 Wasps and Hornets can be dangerous. Both species are aggressive and could harm humans.
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Why Do I Have This Problem?

Stinging insects are most likely on your property looking for food or new nesting area. They often choose corner spots where the nest will be protected. The queen will also look for the nearest water source such as pound, pools and birdbath. Sting insects build their nests using wood fibres. The queen scrapes wood fibre from wood materials, chews it with her saliva, creating a paper pulp. After that, she split the paper pulp at the desired build site to create and shape the nest. It may be gross, but it is very efficient for building.

What Kind Of Threat Do They Pose?

Several of the stinging insects are aggressive and have very powerful stings. These stings might cause strong allergy reactions. Normally they don't cause any damages to your property.  Wasps often abandon their nest in fall and let nature decompose it. The downside is that the queen often seeks shelter indoors to survive the winter. If she survives the winter season she can start the nest building process again.
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How Can I Make My Home Less Attractive For Wasps And Hornets?

The best thing you can do to protect your home from wasps and hornets is to have regular pest control treatments around the exterior of your house. This will reduce other insects that wasps and hornets feed on. You can also limit your outdoor water resources. Try to keep your food and general waste out of reach or away from the home. If you have fruit trees, clean up around them regularly.
How To Remove The Nest?
Removing the nest can be very difficult. There is always a chance of being stung and if you don't destroy the entire colony the remaining insects would come back to rebuild their nest.
Contacting the professionals from Archers Pest Control is the safest and way to handle stinging insects. Contact us today to find more about wasps and hornets and how we can help rid them from your property.

Types Of Stinging Insects

  • Bald-Faced Hornet - This insect is a relative of the yellowjacket. They have black bodies and white- patterned faces. Two slanted lines are running from their midsection toward their head. Queen Bald Faced Hornets are large in size. Their nests are grey, but they are enclosed, unlike other hornet nests. Avoiding any contact with the nest is the best way to protect yourself from getting stung. Try to seal up any tiny cracks that bald-faced hornets can hide or seek shelter. Do not leave food outside or keep it covered.
  • Yellowjacket -Members of these species are known also as wasps. Some of them are black and white like the Bald Faced hornet. Others may have abdomen background colour red instead of black. All females are capable of stinging. A typical yellowjacket worker is about 0.5 in and the queen is larger, about 0,75 in. Yellowjackets have yellow or white markings and they are not covered with hair on their bodies and they don't carry pollen. Yellowjacket could be dangerous for some people and allergic reactions from their sting could be fatal.
    Usually, these insects hide their nests in the ground
  • Paper Wasps-  Some types of paper wasps are also called umbrella wasps, due to their nesting design. Paper wasps gather fibres from wood and plants, which they mix with their saliva and use it to construct their nest made of a papery material. Their nests have open combs with cells. Paper wasps nest can be found in sheltered areas of the house, on the end an open pipe or between the branches of the trees. An interesting fact is that paper wasps secrete an ant repellent, which they spread around the nest to prevent the loss of eggs. These insects are not aggressive and attack only if their nest is threatened. Their stings can be very painful and may cause serious allergic reactions.
  • European Hornets - They are largely carnivorous and prefer to hunt large insects like dragonflies, large moths, other wasps and beetles. They also can feed on faller fruits and other sugar sources. Their wings are reddish-orange and their abdomen is striped with yellow and brown. European hornets size is 1.0 in and the queen could reach up to 1.4 in.
    They live in paper nests made from chewed plant materials. European hornets prefer to build their nests in dark places. These hornets are not aggressive and will avoid a conflict but their sting could be very painful.
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