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Spring Pests: Protection Against Stinging Insects

Spring Pests: Protection Against Stinging Insects

With the weather getting warmer and the sun coming out from its winter sleep, insect pests are also emerging to enjoy the spring season. Unfortunately, biting insects such as mosquitos and yellow flies aren’t all you need to worry about. Don’t forget about those happy yellow bees and wasps. While most will leave you alone as long as you don’t bother them, there are others that will attack you with much less provocation.

If you’re worried about those insects that choose to sting instead of bite you, there are a few measures you can take to keep them clear of your home. One of the worst offenders out there are the yellow jackets. Unlike most bees and other wasp species, these guys are seriously territorial and will attack any who dare step near their nest. These particularly nasty stingers like to settle their nest in small mammal holes and tunnel near exposed tree roots. If you have a yellow jacket nest in your lawn, the best way to handle them is to apply carbaryl dust or acephate. I recommend applying these insecticides in the early evening or at night when the wasps are resting. You may have to apply the insecticide a few times before the nest is completely conquered. You can’t simply stop at this point, however, because even though you may have killed this nest, other wasps are likely to try and set camp in the same spot. After you’ve removed the nest, you must plug the whole to keep from having another happy wasp family join you next year.

If you have a family of wasps living in a nest that looks like big balls of paper mache hanging from the eave of your home, you can also treat them with the previous insecticides. After you’ve successfully killed the current owners, remove the nest 48 hours after your last treatment. You want to make sure the entire nest and any signs of it are totally gone, or else your likely to become the unwilling hosts to more wasps. Yeah…wasps are brilliant at detecting former nesting grounds, so unless you like these aggressive houseguests, get rid of any evidence that one used to reside there. Now, there are some stinging insects you just need to let a professional take care of, namely wild honeybee swarms. Don’t even try getting rid of these guys by yourself. Trust me, it’s not worth it.

Are wasps claiming your yard for themselves? What do you do to deal with them?

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