Nothing can quite ruin a sunny day like the painful sting of a wasp or bee. One minute you’re enjoying the scenery, and then zap, you’re making a beeline for the backdoor (yes, pun intended). As pest management professionals, we get it. So what’s with these species, and why do they seem so annoying and downright mean?
Let’s try to think about some positive things first. While bees are well-known as essential pollinators, it’s worth noting that wasps also contribute to pollination. In addition to this ecosystem service, both species act as predators of other pest species, thereby benefiting the vegetation around us, and reducing other nuisance pests.
That’s all well and good, but how can we reduce activity around our houses to a manageable level? And most importantly, how can we avoid getting stung?
What to Do for a Bee Sting
For many of us, experiencing a bee sting can be highly unpleasant. When treating a bee sting, it’s essential to promptly clean the sting site with soap and water, apply ice to reduce swelling and use hydrocortisone to alleviate itching. However, for some individuals, a sting can trigger a severe and potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. If you or a family member suspects an allergy to stinging insects, it is crucial to consult with a doctor. Symptoms such as dizziness, wheezing, tongue or throat swelling, shortness of breath, or a drop in blood pressure following a sting require immediate medical attention; call 911. While over-the-counter medications like Benedryl may help alleviate swelling and discomfort, they are not sufficient to prevent anaphylactic shock.
Things that Attract Stinging Insects
Do stinging insects find us attractive? (And not in that way!) They might be if you smell like a flower. While it may seem natural to slather on deodorant in the heat of summer, the sweet scent of perfumes, colognes, and scented deodorants can attract stinging insects. So, you may be trying to entice that special someone, but inadvertently attracting many not-so-special ones. If you’re headed to an area where many stinging insects might be present, consider using an unscented deodorant. This way, you can still have friends while reducing the likelihood of getting stung. The same applies to scents and perfumes found in common detergents, so switching to unscented detergents during stinging insect season can also help.
Stinging insects may also be attracted to you if you look like a flower. Have you ever wondered why beekeeping suits are white? Why not black or light blue? Bright floral colors can mimic the appearance of flowers, enticing stinging insects to investigate for nectar. Conversely, wearing dark shades like black, brown, or red can trigger stinging insects’ defensive instincts, as they may perceive you as a threat to their colony.
What To Do If A Stinging Insect Comes Near You
Generally, we suggest avoiding hand-to-hand combat with stinging insects. They perceive the world at a much higher frame rate than we do, so from their perspective, we are moving in slow motion. If a stinging insect comes near you or lands on you, avoid sudden movements or swiping at it, as this can cause them to sting. Also, avoid leaving food or drinks uncovered outside.
Well, great! So all we have to do is wear no scents, no colors, not eat or drink outside, and develop nerves of steel by not flailing at wasps when they fly by. Problem solved. Let’s now turn to ways to reduce their activity.
How to Reduce Stinging Insect Activity Around Your Home
Purchase affordable yellowjacket traps from a hardware store. These traps come with powdered attractant and require water from your hose. Hang them around the perimeter of your yard to reduce the number of stinging insects while posing a minimal threat to the colony. Place traps away from areas where people gather to minimize interactions. And here’s a pro tip; remember to remove the traps once stinging insect activity ceases for the year to prevent the captured insects from decaying and causing an unpleasant odor. This method is effective for reducing activity when the nest is not on your property.
How to Handle the Types of Stinging Insect Nests on Your Property
Stinging insects will be most aggressive when defending their nests, so knowing what to look for is key to avoiding stings. In our Guide to the Types of Stinging Insects in the Pacific Northwest, we highlight the most common types, including their size, appearance, and a brief description of what their nests look like. Here, we go into more detail about the types of bee, hornet, and wasp nests – what they look like, where you might find them, and what to do if you find one.
Paper Wasp Nests
Nothing can quite ruin a sunny day like the painful sting of a wasp or bee. One minute you’re enjoying the scenery, and then zap, you’re making a beeline for the backdoor (yes, pun intended). As pest management professionals, we get it. So what’s with these species, and why do they seem so annoying and downright mean?
Let’s try to think about some positive things first. While bees are well-known as essential pollinators, it’s worth noting that wasps also contribute to pollination. In addition to this ecosystem service, both species act as predators of other pest species, thereby benefiting the vegetation around us, and reducing other nuisance pests.
That’s all well and good, but how can we reduce activity around our houses to a manageable level? And most importantly, how can we avoid getting stung?
What to Do for a Bee Sting
For many of us, experiencing a bee sting can be highly unpleasant. When treating a bee sting, it’s essential to promptly clean the sting site with soap and water, apply ice to reduce swelling and use hydrocortisone to alleviate itching. However, for some individuals, a sting can trigger a severe and potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. If you or a family member suspects an allergy to stinging insects, it is crucial to consult with a doctor. Symptoms such as dizziness, wheezing, tongue or throat swelling, shortness of breath, or a drop in blood pressure following a sting require immediate medical attention; call 911. While over-the-counter medications like Benedryl may help alleviate swelling and discomfort, they are not sufficient to prevent anaphylactic shock.
Things that Attract Stinging Insects
Do stinging insects find us attractive? (And not in that way!) They might be if you smell like a flower. While it may seem natural to slather on deodorant in the heat of summer, the sweet scent of perfumes, colognes, and scented deodorants can attract stinging insects. So, you may be trying to entice that special someone, but inadvertently attracting many not-so-special ones. If you’re headed to an area where many stinging insects might be present, consider using an unscented deodorant. This way, you can still have friends while reducing the likelihood of getting stung. The same applies to scents and perfumes found in common detergents, so switching to unscented detergents during stinging insect season can also help.
Stinging insects may also be attracted to you if you look like a flower. Have you ever wondered why beekeeping suits are white? Why not black or light blue? Bright floral colors can mimic the appearance of flowers, enticing stinging insects to investigate for nectar. Conversely, wearing dark shades like black, brown, or red can trigger stinging insects’ defensive instincts, as they may perceive you as a threat to their colony.
What To Do If A Stinging Insect Comes Near You
Generally, we suggest avoiding hand-to-hand combat with stinging insects. They perceive the world at a much higher frame rate than we do, so from their perspective, we are moving in slow motion. If a stinging insect comes near you or lands on you, avoid sudden movements or swiping at it, as this can cause them to sting. Also, avoid leaving food or drinks uncovered outside.
Well, great! So all we have to do is wear no scents, no colors, not eat or drink outside, and develop nerves of steel by not flailing at wasps when they fly by. Problem solved. Let’s now turn to ways to reduce their activity.
How to Reduce Stinging Insect Activity Around Your Home
Purchase affordable yellowjacket traps from a hardware store. These traps come with powdered attractant and require water from your hose. Hang them around the perimeter of your yard to reduce the number of stinging insects while posing a minimal threat to the colony. Place traps away from areas where people gather to minimize interactions. And here’s a pro tip; remember to remove the traps once stinging insect activity ceases for the year to prevent the captured insects from decaying and causing an unpleasant odor. This method is effective for reducing activity when the nest is not on your property.
How to Handle the Types of Stinging Insect Nests on Your Property
Stinging insects will be most aggressive when defending their nests, so knowing what to look for is key to avoiding stings. In our Guide to the Types of Stinging Insects in the Pacific Northwest, we highlight the most common types, including their size, appearance, and a brief description of what their nests look like. Here, we go into more detail about the types of bee, hornet, and wasp nests – what they look like, where you might find them, and what to do if you find one.
Paper Wasp Nests
Paper wasp nests are the most common nest you are likely to observe:
- What they look like: Resembles a flat, downward-facing honeycomb made from papery material.
- Where you’ll find them: Likely hanging from eaves or other flat surfaces of your house, and also commonly found on playgrounds.
- What to do if you find one:While paper wasps are protective of their nests, they are not as aggressive compared to yellowjackets, and the nests can typically be removed easily. However, we do not recommend attempting this on your own, but instead reaching out to us at Interstate Pest Management to have a trained technician assess the situation.
Yellowjackets and paper wasps can be difficult to differentiate, especially in panic mode. However, there are quick ways to tell them apart based on their flight patterns and body positions. Paper wasps, compared to yellowjackets, tend to fly more leisurely, with two long back legs dangling down. On the other hand, yellowjackets fly erratically, darting around like children on a sugar rush, while keeping all their legs tucked in as they fly.
Yellowjacket Nests
As pest management professionals, our first priority when called to a stinging insect job is identifying whether it involves yellowjackets. Yellowjackets are known for their aggressiveness and extreme protectiveness of their nests. Here’s what you need to know about yellowjackets and their nests.
- What they look like: Nests are spherical and range in size from a tennis ball to a basketball. They appear to be made out of a papery material.
- Where you’ll find them: Yellowjackets do not exclusively nest in the ground. Nests can be located hanging under porches, between two structures like a house and a shed, or in wall voids.
- What to do if you find one: If you see wasps coming in and out of a hole in the ground, avoid the area, do not attempt to destroy the nest, and give us a call. If you suspect that stinging insects have made a nest in your wall, do NOT seal the hole from the outside. Yellowjackets can chew through drywall to enter the house if they are trapped.
The only way to safely remove or destroy a yellowjacket nest is to wear a full bee suit. As a safety precaution heading into summer, carefully examine your yard around the hottest part of the day and see if you observe wasps entering and exiting a hole in the ground. The last thing you want to do is stumble upon it or run a lawn mower over it.
Bees Nests
You may have heard about the decline in bee populations, despite their vital role in pollinating flowering plants. (This link takes you to some recommended reading.) To support bee colonies, a network of professional beekeepers has formed across the U.S. If you discover a bee nest near your home, local beekeepers can safely remove it without harming the colony, often at no cost. This link takes you to a website where you can find beekeepers near you.
Other Common Stinging Insect Nests
Bald-faced hornet nests look similar to yellowjacket nests, but they’re most likely found hanging from trees or shrubs with entrance holes in the bottom or side. You can tell bald-faced hornets apart from yellowjackets and paper wasps because they are larger and darker in appearance with less yellow visible. The bald-faced hornet is protective of its nest, and its sting can be quite painful.
Mud daubers’ nests are very distinctive structures made of mud and clay. They’re typically small, elongated, and tubular, resembling a series of cylindrical tubes or cells stacked together. Mud daubers construct their nests in sheltered locations such as eaves, or attics. Unlike other stinging insects in the PNW, mud daubers have a solitary lifestyle and do not live in colonies. They have distinctive physical characteristics, including a metallic blue and black coloration, and a long, extremely narrow waist. While mud daubers are capable of stinging, they are usually non-aggressive and can be beneficial for reducing spider activity in their area.
Professional Stinging Insect Control Near You
At Interstate Pest Management, we recognize the significance of maintaining a safe and bee-friendly environment. However, when yellowjackets and wasps begin to cause disturbances or present dangers, proactive measures are necessary. We provide stinging insect control to the following locations in southwest Washington and northwest Oregon and their surrounding areas:
- Kelso, WA Stinging Insect Control
- Olympia, WA Stinging Insect Control
- Vancouver, WA Stinging Insect Control
- Portland, OR Stinging Insect Control
Stinging insect control is also included in two of our All-Season Pest Service year-round, quarterly pest control packages. Contact us today to get started, or even if you just have a question!