10 must-know facts about wasps

Although wasps can be useful around the garden by consuming dead insects and eating flies, they can be a nuisance too. Apart from stinging, their persistence can be irritating and presents a threat to those allergic to their sting. Seek medical help immediately if you are stung in the mouth or neck, or if you experience giddiness, nausea, unusual swelling or extreme pain following a sting.

Western Exterminator Technicians know that the climate in the Western United States creates an environment where wasps are a year-round threat. If you have found signs of wasps around your property, don’t try dealing with the threat on your own. Contact your local Western Exterminator office for wasp removal and prevention today.

The facts about wasps

We all know that wasps can sting repeatedly, but here are some facts about wasps you may not know:

1. Wasp venom contains a pheromone that causes other wasps to become more aggressive. Try not to swat one near its nest or other wasps.
2. The sting of a wasp should wear off within 24 hours, but for a small minority of people, the venom in their sting causes anaphylactic shock which can be fatal. 
3. An ordinary sting can be treated with deodorant containing aluminum.
4. Wasps live in colonies that form self-contained communities, each following a caste order of queens, males, and workers.
5. A male wasp is called a Drone. The job of the Drone is to mate with the Queen. After they have fulfilled this mission, they die shortly afterward. The male wasps don't even have the ability to sting.
6. Wasps don’t swarm.
7. European Hornets strip the bark from trees, causing damage to trees and shrubs.
8. Wasps feed their young meat (e.g. insect larvae).
9. The only wasps that survive the winter are young fertilized queens. They emerge from overwintering in the spring to build new nests. Initially, the queen lays up to a dozen eggs and when they hatch into larvae she feeds them until they become workers. The workers then forage for food, feed the new larvae and defend the nest.
10. In late summer, the colony produces males and new queens. They fly away to mate and the queens then find a place to hibernate. The cold weather eventually kills the males, workers, and foundation queen.

Western Exterminator can get rid of wasps around your home

Removing a wasp’s nest can be risky for home and property owners. Doing so on your own exposes both you and your family to the risk of being stung by wasps that are trying to protect their nest. If you do try to remove a wasp’s nest but do not remove the entire nest, other wasps can return and use the remaining parts of the nest or even build a new one.

Western Exterminator has wasp control experts who can find out where the wasps are coming from and why they are attracted to your property. They can also provide ways to remove the nests and prevent their return. Contact your local Western Exterminator office today.