If you've been considering adding some outdoor activities and landscape modifications to your summer plans, you might be concerned about any summer pests that could threaten to thwart them. Stinging insects like wasps are much more active in the warmer months, and even though their presence on your Auburn property could offer some sweet benefits to your garden, they're not keen on sharing their living space. So, how much should you worry about them?
Wasps Commonly Found In Auburn
With over thirty thousand species of wasps in the world, it can be difficult to figure out which species has decided to make a home on your Auburn property. Thankfully, there are far fewer species of wasps in the United States, and even less commonly known to infest yards in Auburn:
- Paper wasps – ¾ to one inch long, hairless, usually dark brown to black bodies with lighter colored legs, but coloring can vary, build aerial paper nests
- Bald-faced hornets – ½ to 5/8 of an inch long, a fine layer of hair covering their stocky bodies, black and light yellow to white coloring, build aerial paper nests.
- Yellow jackets – ½ of an inch long, hairless, black and yellow stripes, more often build underground and sheltered nests in hollowed-out trees and inside the walls of buildings.
- Mud daubers – ¾ to one inch long, hairless, coloring varies between black, black, and yellow, and metallic blue, distinctive elongated thin waist, build mud tubes as nests.
The Positives And Negatives Of Wasps On Your Auburn Property
Wasps provide a lot of great benefits to the environment. They can help pollinate flowers, though their hairless bodies make that a bit of a challenge. Where they really shine is in helping to curb other pest populations. Wasps are omnivores. They enjoy many different sweets and fruits, but they also enjoy meats and other bugs like mosquitoes, flies, aphids, and mealybugs.
Wasps also provide a dangerous environment when they find themselves in neighborhoods and society, though. Unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times, and they're incredibly aggressive when it comes to defending their nests. Wasp stings can be pretty painful and especially dangerous for people with allergies, but an entire nest attacking someone will still require immediate medical attention, regardless of allergies.
Preventing A Potential Wasp Infestation On Your Auburn Property
Trying to control outdoor pests is a tricky feat in itself, but with how dangerous these insects are, it's crucial to keep yourself and your family safe. While it isn't always 100% effective, there are things you can do to make your Auburn property less inviting:
- Prune low hanging tree branches and excessive shrub growth
- Plant your garden several feet away from your home. Consider adding wasp-repellent plants to your landscape; geraniums, pennyroyal, marigolds, citronella, wormwood, eucalyptus, basil, and cucumbers for vegetable gardens.
- Keep any outdoor food prep and dining areas clean from any spills, and immediately clean up the area after eating.
- Make sure your outdoor trash cans have tight-fitting lids
- Repair any holes and cracks in the exterior of your home, including foundation, siding, exposed wood, roof, and trim
- Fill in any holes and old rodent nests in your lawn
- Make sure your lawn is draining properly
- Try not to over-water your garden and lawn
What To Do If The Wasps Are Taking Over
These insects are hazardous, even if you don't have an allergy. Children and elderly people are especially susceptible to adverse reactions from wasp stings, and trying to get rid of them on your own could lead to a costly hospital visit. Save that money for important things, and call in the pros instead – Prewett Pest Control.
Our pest control experts are specially trained to handle these kinds of infestations, and we take every precaution necessary to rid you of your angry insect problem. We've been working hard to bring the pest control business to the modern age, which means getting reliable and affordable pest control has never been easier! We offer a full range of online contact and scheduling, and we even use cutting-edge technology in our pest treatments. So please get in contact with us today to start discussing your pest control options.