As your summer season comes to an end, it’s time to take stock of stinging insects in and near your yard. Nothing ruins your day like being stung by crowds of angry wasps! Wasp stings are extremely painful and can be quite dangerous for people who are allergic. Before your family gets stung, follow this guide to find out why stinging insects appear in your yard and how to prevent them.
Common Fairfax, VA Wasp Species
Several species of wasp live in Fairfax. Three of the most common are bald-faced hornets, paper wasps, and yellow jackets.
- Bald-faced hornets are the bulkiest and largest of the three. They are blue or black in color. Bald-faced hornets are very protective of their nests. They may build nests in trees, bushes, or along the eaves of a house. If anyone gets too close, they will attack and sting repeatedly.
- Paper wasps are known for their paper-like nests which are often found along the exterior of houses, sheds, and even playgrounds. They are long and slender wasps and can be reddish-brown in color or black with yellow markings. They are the least aggressive of these three wasps.
- Yellow jackets are also known to be quite aggressive. They build nests in protected areas. These are usually outside in bushes or underground but can also be found inside homes or in sheds or protected areas around the exterior of your home. They are black with yellow stripes.
What Attracts Wasps To Your Fairfax Property
We’re guessing you aren’t trying to attract wasps to your yard. However, in order to talk about prevention, we need to first talk about what draws wasps to a location. Once you know the factors that attract wasps, you’ll be better able to remove them
Wasps are primarily attracted to food. Some of their favorites include flowers, fennel, spearmint, yarrow, soda, alcoholic drinks, juice, fruit, meat, and sugary foods.
How To Keep Wasps Out
Of Your Fairfax Yard
Now you know what attracts wasps, the solution for preventing them is simple. Remove these attracting factors from your yard.
- If you have a flower garden, plant it far from the exterior of your home and away from your children’s play area.
- If you’re having an outdoor gathering or picnic, make sure to cover food and drinks and clean up spills promptly.
- Avoid keeping sugary substances including hummingbird food near your home.
- In addition to removing wasps’ food options, you also want to reduce the number of harborage places where they could build nests.
- Cover holes in the ground to prevent yellow jackets.
- Keep your plants and grass trimmed and clean.
- Inspect the exterior of your home frequently for signs of a new nest being built.
- Make sure any other buildings such as a shed or play area are sealed to prevent wasps from getting inside.
Removal Of Wasp Nests
These are great prevention tips, but they won’t help you if wasps have already built their nest on your property. If this is the case, it’s best to leave it up to the professionals.
Because wasps are so aggressive, can sting so many times, and live in large colonies, it’s dangerous to try to remove a nest without the proper equipment and protection. Instead of putting yourself and your family at risk, call Bluebird Pest Solutions.
Our team at Bluebird Pest Solutions has the tools, equipment, and experience necessary for safe and effective wasp removal. We can also help you practice efficient prevention and make environmental changes to keep wasps away from your yard and your family. Reach out to us today to learn more about our year-round pest control options.
