Need wasps or yellow jackets control on your property?
Training Guide for Wasps & Yellow Jackets
IDENTIFICATION AND LIFE CYCLE
In western states there are two distinct types of social wasps: yellow jackets and paper wasps. Yellow jackets are by far the most troublesome group. Paper wasps are much less defensive and rarely sting humans. They tend to shy away from human activity except when their nests are located near doors, windows, or other high traffic areas.
Nests of both yellow jacket and paper wasps typically are begun in spring by a single queen who over winters and becomes active when the weather warms. She emerges in late winter/early spring to feed and start a new nest. From spring to midsummer nests are in the growth phase, and the larvae require large amounts of protein. Workers forage mainly for protein at this time (usually in the form of other insects) and for some sugars. By late summer, however, the colonies grow more slowly or cease growth and require large amounts of sugar to maintain the queen and workers. So foraging wasps are particularly interested in sweet things at this time.
Normally, yellow jacket and paper wasp colonies only live one season. In very mild winters or in coastal California south of San Francisco, however, some yellow jacket colonies survive for several years and become quite large.
Yellow jackets
Nests are commonly built in rodent burrows, but other protected cavities, like voids in walls and ceilings of houses, sometimes are selected as nesting sites. Colonies, which are begun each spring by a single reproductive female, can reach populations of between 1,500 and 15,000 individuals, depending on the species. The wasps build a nest of paper made from fibers scraped from wood mixed with saliva. It is built as multiple tiers of vertical cells, similar to nests of paper wasps, but enclosed by a paper envelope around the outside that usually contains a single entrance hole. If the rodent hole is not spacious enough, yellow jackets will increase the size by moistening the soil and digging. Similar behavior inside a house sometimes leads to a wet patch that develops into a hole in a wall or ceiling.
Immature yellow jackets are white, grub like larvae that become white pupae. The pupae develop adult coloring just before they emerge as adult wasps. Immatures are not normally seen unless the nest is torn open or a sudden loss of adult caretakers leads to an exodus of starving larvae.
Aerial-nesting yellow jackets, Dolichovespula arenaria and D. maculata, build paper nests that are attached to the eaves of a building or are hanging from the limb of a tree. The entrance is normally a hole at the bottom of the nest. These aerial nesters do not become scavengers at the end of the season, but they are extremely defensive when their nests are disturbed. Defending D. arenaria sometimes bite and/or sting, simultaneously. Wasp stingers have no barbs and can be used repeatedly, especially when the wasp gets inside clothing. As with any stinging incident, it is best to leave the area of the nest site as quickly as possible if wasps start stinging.
Paper Wasp
Bald Faced Hornets
Bald faced hornets are large, black insects about 7/8 of an inch long with white to cream-colored markings on the front of the head and at the end of the abdomen. Like all wasps, bees and ants, hornets have a complete life cycle of four stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The larva is a legless grub reared within cells in the nest. Hornets are beneficial predators that feed on other insects, particularly filth flies and blow flies.
A colony of social wasps (hornets, yellow jackets and paper wasps) lasts only 1 year. Each nest is built from scratch each year and the previous year’s nest can not be reused. Queens are the only members of the colony able to survive the winter. In April or May, each queen selects a suitable location, constructs a small nest and begins raising sterile daughter offspring. These workers take over the duties of enlarging and maintaining the nest, foraging for food and caring for the offspring while the queen functions only to produce more eggs.
At first colony growth is slow, but growth increases rapidly by mid-summer as successive broods of workers emerge. Peak worker population is 100 to 400 hornets by the end of the summer. In the fall, males and new queens are produced. These leave the nest; mate and the fertilized queens hibernate. The remainder of the workers, the old queen and the males die of old age or freezing temperatures.
The size of a hornet’s nest and the hornets’ reputation is often sufficient to alarm people. Fortunately, the aggressiveness of hornets does not match their appearance, although disturbing a nest or threatening an individual wasp will result in stings. Hornets are very protective of their colony and will usually attack if someone approaches within 3 feet of the nest. A nest located in a “high traffic” area such as along walks or near doorways justifies control to reduce the threat of being stung. Nests away from human activity should be left undisturbed.
Bald Faced Hornet Control
Colonies should be exterminated at night, if possible, when workers are least active and the maximum number is at the nest. Safety precautions include protective clothing such as a thick jacket, long pants tucked into socks, gloves and a hat.
Spray into the entrance hole at first and then thoroughly wet the nest. Do not remove the nest until all wasps are dead. This may take a day or two as some foraging workers may not have been in the nest at the time of treatment. Follow all labeled directions on the insecticide.
Bumble Bees
Mud Daubers
Mud daubers are black and yellow, thread-waisted, solitary wasps that build a hard mud nest, usually on ceilings and walls or in attics, attended by a single female wasp. They belong to the family Sphecidae and are not social wasps but may be confused with them. They do not defend their nests and rarely sting. During winter, you can safely remove the nests without spraying.
Honey Bees
abdomen, and have little barbs or hooks on them. When the bee tries to fly away after stinging something, part of the abdomen is ripped away and it dies. Bees make honey to feed their young and so they have something to eat during the winter. Beekeepers use smoke to calm bees when they are collecting honey or relocating a hive.
General Information
Honeybees live in large “families” and are found all over the world. The honeybee is the only social insect whose colony can survive many years. That is because they huddle together and eat honey to keep themselves alive during the winter months.
Honeybees pollinate more than 100 crops in the U.S. Their wings flap 11,000 times per minute, which is why it sounds like they are “buzzing”. Honeybees can only sting once, because their stingers are barbed and tear off when they try to get away.
Diet
Honeybees produce honey from pollen and nectar of the plants they pollinate. They store the honey in honeycombs in their nests, which they use to feed their young in colder months.
Habitat
Honeybee nests vary in size. They typically build their nests in tree crevices, but will occasionally build nests in attics or chimneys.
Impact
Honeybees do sting, but they only sting once. The sting can be extremely painful if the stinger is not immediately removed from the skin. Persons allergic to insect stings will have a more severe reaction.
Prevention Tips
During the summer time months a good way to help prevent yellow jackets, wasps and bees from infesting your home is to seal up any small gaps around your exterior home such as: eaves, utility penetrations to exterior siding etc… You can also have a licensed pest control company provide a general prevention spray around the exterior homes eaves areas, siding/foundation areas and utility penetration areas at exterior siding areas to help prevent wasp & bee infestations to your home. You can also purchase yellow jacket traps at your local hardware store to hang outside your home and prevent potential yellow jacket infestations to your home.
130+ Reviews, avg 4.7 stars
Get A Quote Today
When you contact us for an estimate, our certified technicians will inspect your home and provide you with a detailed plan to eliminate those unwanted invaders. They will also discuss treatment options to ensure you are informed before they take any action.
Call our staff today at 425-398-7365. We will provide you with peace of mind, valuable information, and affordable service. We’ll get back to you within 1 business day.
@2023 Eagle Pest Eliminators. All Rights Reserved