Ground Wasps How To Get Rid Of Them – Keep your home’s perimeter clean, avoid planting fragrant flowers, and seal any cracks and crevices in your property.
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Ground Wasps How To Get Rid Of Them
While warmer weather opens up a variety of exciting opportunities—beach days, outdoor gardening, and barbecues—it also brings one unwanted thing: wasps. “Summer is the peak activity time for insect bites and as families head outdoors in droves to enjoy the warmer weather, they too should be aware and vigilant to avoid encounters with hornets, wasps and other summer stingers,” says Jim Fredericks, Ph.D. D., chief entomologist of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).
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As the flowers begin to bloom, wasps often swarm the garden and shelter in areas of your home where they can protect themselves from the hot sun. “When outdoors, be aware that stinging insects can make nests underground, in trees, bushes, overhangs, eaves, utility poles, tires, houses, sheds and other structures, depending on the species,” says Fredericks. Although summer infestations may seem inevitable, there are a few ways you can prevent bamboo from getting close to your yard’s perimeter.
According to Fredericks, there are about 4,000 different types of wasps in the United States, but some species are more common than others.
Less aggressive than other types of wasps, mud daubers rarely sting. The breed gets its name from its tendency to build mud nests in buildings and houses. “They are beneficial because they help reduce the numbers of some insects and spiders,” says Orkin entomologist Ian Williams. They are defined by their long, narrow waist and dark black or blue metallic color with sometimes yellow or green body markings.
There may be brown to yellow and even reddish spots. “They build open nests shaped like inverted umbrellas, they’re made from saliva and a papery material made from pieces of chewed wood,” says Fredericks. “Nests are often found hanging under glass, under shutters, or under decks or railings.”
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One of the most common and aggressive insects, you’ll be able to identify yellow jackets by their yellow bodies with black markings. “Unlike bees, yellow jackets don’t look fuzzy, so they’re easy to distinguish from honey bees and bumblebees,” says Fredericks. The insects are highly territorial and will sting if their nests – which are usually in the ground or in voids such as dead trees or house walls – are threatened. Wasps are known to sting repeatedly and can cause allergic reactions. “They feed on sweets and protein, so any scraps are a good idea.” Cover with shredded cheese
Faced with the most aggressive stinging insects in the country, bald-faced hornets are black with yellow or white spots. They build large gray, football-shaped nests in trees, bushes or buildings. Larger colonies can build nests the size of a watermelon in late summer, Fredericks said.
Wasps are most common in the second half of summer and early fall when colonies are largest and insects are actively foraging. Despite how common they are, it is possible to deter the insect from finding a safe haven on your property or nearby.
Keep watermelons from entering your home by filling any small gaps or cracks in your foundation with a suitable sealant. “If you have screens on your doors or windows, make sure they don’t have any tears because wasps can fit through small holes,” says Williams. “Make sure your attic vents and screens are in good condition and have screenings small enough to deny wasps entry, but large enough to allow airflow.”
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According to Williams, peppermint oil is known to be an effective fluid inhibitor. Mix a few drops with water in a spray bottle and use it on places where wasps can draw, such as overhangs, eaves, picnic tables, porches and under desks, as well as on shrubs, trees and sheds.
Keeping your yard clean is one of the most important aspects of wasp prevention. “Wasps like yellow jackets are drawn to areas with large amounts of food waste, garbage and recycling containers that are poorly washed,” says Williams. Stinging insects are also attracted by sweets and proteins. “Cover food before and after cooking, and cover sugary drinks or put them in a clear container so that if a liquid gets into the drink, it can be seen before taking a sip,” adds Williams. Additionally, be sure to clean up any crumbs or spills and keep the trash bin lids securely closed.
According to Adrienne Rothling, director of curation and mission delivery at the Paul J. Sina Botanical Garden, wasps are attracted to gardens because they’re looking for sweets, nutrients or water. “Something sweet can come from the scent of flowers, the sugar in soda or even the perfume you wear,” she says, adding that flower pollen adds nutrients. “Eventually, when it’s hot and dry, they’re looking for a water source—ponds, birdbaths, streams, water droplets—that can hydrate them.” Remove some of these things from your garden and you’ll have a better shot at keeping pests away.
Growing any type of flower in your garden means you run the risk of attracting wasps, as the plants act as a food source. However, avoiding fragrant and brightly colored flowers will keep wasp numbers low. Additionally, limit the amount of foliage in your garden to plants that can be attractive, such as caladiums, ferns, hostas, heucheras and succulents.
How To Get Rid Of Wasps
Clean up kitchen garden waste or scraps. “Don’t let tomatoes, figs, peppers, strawberries or vegetables rot further in the soil in the garden,” Roethling says. “I encourage people to keep a compost pile far away from the garden.” Wasps also crawl into your garden and prey on a variety of bugs, such as aphids – aphids clean plants to make your garden a less habitable environment for insects. “Sometimes using a high-volume hose can spray away aphids,” says Roethling.
Keep wasps from approaching high traffic areas of your yard like pools, gardens and patios by planting decoy plants elsewhere on your property. “Attracted to herbs like fennel or ornamental plants like goldenrod and thistle,” Roethling says. Planting them in places you don’t frequent can keep them further out of your garden.
If wasp prevention fails and a colony makes a nest on your property, there are a few steps you can take to get rid of them. However, if the problem persists, you may need to call a professional to safely remove the stinging insects from your home.
While it’s best to have a professional handle dangerous pests, there are other measures you can take to get rid of pests. Williams says the most common and effective way is to hang traps. “When they get trapped, they get stuck and drown,” he says. “Traps should be hung from the area you’re trying to protect.”
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Additionally, Williams says you can spray wasp nests with a store-bought wasp nest spray. If you go this route, he says to wear protective clothing and spray the area on a cool morning when the wasps are less active.
Make a mixture of 2 tablespoons of dish soap and water and pour it into a spray bottle, then spray it on the nests. “The part will clog the wasps’ pores, killing them almost instantly,” Williams says.
Fredericks warns that stinging insects can become aggressive if provoked, so it’s best to contact a licensed pest control professional to safely remove the nest from your property. “If you find a nest, address it as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the larger and more aggressive the colony will become,” he says.
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