Tag Archives: Wasp hives

How To Identify The Pest, Nest, And Threat

Leafcutter BeeA perfect day can be ruined by one sting from an insect! While stinging insects are not generally life threatening or even extraordinarily dangerous (unless you have an allergy), dealing with a sting is certainly not much fun. In order to keep yourself and your family sting free, follow this guide to identify the pest, the nest, and the threat.

The Pest And Threat

Some stinging insects are more dangerous than others. A professional will be able to determine what stinging insect is what, but this guide will attempt to help as well.

  1. Bumble bees: fuzzy, about ¼ to 1 inch in size and have black and yellow markings. Their nests are built out of pollen clumps on the ground or sometimes in abandoned mouse nests. These insects are generally considered helpful since they pollinate plants and flowers.
  2. Carpenter bees: look similar to bumble bees, but have largely bare and shiny abdomens. These bees do not build nests, but bore into wood, especially decaying or weathered wood. Though they do not have a stinger, male carpenter bees can be territorial and aggressive. Females rarely sting, but these insects can do considerable structural damage.
  3. Honey bees: orangish brown and about ½ to 5/8 inch in size. They live in mass colonies since they are social. These bees are defensive, not aggressive, and only attack if they feel there is a threat.
  4. Yellowjacket: between 3/8 and 5/8 inches with a yellow and black pattern. Their nests can grow to be the size of basketballs and are constructed from paper carton and have a honeycomb shape. Nests could be in garages or corners of porches or on the ground or bushes as well. While they are generally slow to sting, they will if they feel threatened.
  5. Paper wasp: brownish with yellow or red markings. Their nests look similar to paper and generally hang from something like tree branches, door frames and porch ceilings. Paper wasps are very likely to sting if their nest is touched.

The Nest

The Hive One way to keep your family safe is to do regular walk-throughs around your property looking for nests. Look carefully under overhangs, leaves, and the undersides of porches and decks. You also want to check shrubs, bushes, trees, and any other structures like sheds. If you come across a nest, you should not try to remove it on your own. The colony might become agitated and aggressive and attack en masse, which is when a sting goes from being a nuisance to becoming extremely dangerous. A professional will be able to safely remove and/or relocate the nest.

Attic Solutions is fully licensed and insured and prepared to remove the bees from your property, regardless of scope of infestation.

Don’t wait to get stung; call Attic Solutions today. We will help!

How To Prevent Bee And Wasps Nests

Bees are one of the most important and beneficial insects on our planet. Besides producing honey, honey bees pollinate more than half of all our fruit and vegetable crops. Wasps also play a crucial role in our ecosystem: They prey on many of the insects that damage our crops. While bees and wasps are vital to human survival, they can also be harmful. About 100 people per year die from wasp or bee stings and nearly 1 percent of the population is allergic to bee and wasp venom.

When Do Bees And Wasps Become An Issue?

prevent bee and wasp nestsThere are many types of bees and wasps, some of which include Bumble Bees, Honey Bees, Carpenter Bees, hornets, paper wasps, and yellowjackets. In the Midwest, wasps, hornets and yellowjacket colonies usually abandon their nests shortly before winter and then seek shelter until spring. Yellowjackets, often mistaken for bees, are wasps that peak near the end of summer. Yellowjackets often convene in public areas where there is leftover human food and they are attracted to meats and sweet liquids. You can often find them circling around garbage cans and they are notorious for being aggressive and stinging repeatedly. Honeybee colonies can grow as large as 50,000 strong since these bees can survive winters even in northern states.

Where Do Bees And Wasps Build Nests?

Honey Bee nests built from beeswax can usually be found in the tree and rock cavities, while Bumble Bees can be found in wall voids, porches, and old rodent burrows. Paper wasps build the nests you are probably most familiar with. They look like umbrellas and usually hang upside-down from structures. Yellowjackets build papery nests that look like combs. Hornets build the paper nests that hang from trees and other structures and are basketball-shaped.

prevent bee and wasp nests

How To Prevent Wasp And Bee Nests

Preventing bees and wasps from building nests is nearly impossible. There are some paint finishes you can use on outdoor structures to discourage some species like Carpenter Bees, but generally there isn’t much you can do until the insects build their nests. Always use extreme caution when spraying a pesticide and when trying to remove nests while on a ladder.
Sometimes yellowjackets, wasps and hornets build nests in attics, vents, and crawl spaces. It can be dangerous to try to remove colonies from areas like these in your home and it may be best to call trained professionals for removal.