The risk of wasps swarming around your home increases once spring comes into effect. They are usually inactive during the winter months but once the sun starts shining down on them and those temperatures go up, then you’ll start to notice an increase in activity. A lot of the time, wasps love to build their nests under soffits and on porch rafters. These are not ideal areas for these dangerous insects to make their home so you want to address it immediately.
Paper wasps are the most common and they tend to build their nests right at the beginning offspring. You will need to get rid of the nest in order to thwart a potential takeover. This post will walk you through the steps necessary to help thwart this infestation before it becomes too large of a problem.
Identify the Nest
Before you can figure out how to deal with a nest, you will need to identify the nest. Some wasps build nests that look similar to bees. Regardless, the type of nest will determine the type of wasp that you’re dealing with. Paper wasps are the most common. It looks like a round, umbrella-shaped cone with a single attachment to the location. There are several different places where a wasp might choose to hang its nest:
- An attic
- Tree branches
- Soffits
- Ceilings on outside structures, like a porch
- Window corner
- Inside of outdoor grills
Safe Removal of Wasp Nests
Once you have identified the type of wasp you are dealing with, then you can tackle the problem. While most wasps are not going to actively seek you out, they will attack if they feel threatened. So it’s always a possibility. When thinking about removing a nest, it’s important to remember that the queen is the key to eradicating the colony. Without the queen, the rest will slowly die off. Unfortunately, wasps are going to attack in order to protect their queen so when you start becoming a threat to their nest, you become a target.
Removing a nest on your own is not exactly safe, but you can take steps to make a sting less likely. However, since you cannot completely eliminate the risk altogether, then you should never attempt to do this if you are allergic. Call a professional!
Professional exterminators are better equipped to deal with these nests. They have access to better tools and they understand what it takes to remove them safely. Once they evaluate the problem, they will help you formulate a plan of action so that you don’t have to worry about nests in the future.
Of course, prevention is the best method of keeping your family safe from these dangerous insects. Here are a few prevention tips:
- Cover all sugary foods and beverages when grilling outdoors.
- Clean up food messes outside immediately.
- Ensure that screens on doors and windows have no holes.
- Seal off any potential entry points into your attic or vents.
The sooner you can identify and deal with the problem, the less likely you are to have disaster strike.
