In the spring, as wasps are beginning to establish nests in Hudson, you can catch them early and get rid of them. If you notice one little wasp starting a tiny grey nest in the corner of your garage door frame, you can take a broom and knock that little nest piece down and move quickly inside the garage. If you notice a slightly large umbrella-shaped nest being created under your roofline or in the upper corner of your porch, you can spray water at it, and move quickly inside. These early nests aren't too much trouble to get rid of. But once a nest has developed many chambers inside, it can be a painful mistake to attempt to remove it. This is when it really pays to have a pest professional take care of the problem. Professionals have the gear and products to appropriately deal with wasps. But, long before an established nest is found, you can be impacted by its presence. Let's take a closer look at the problem and discuss what you need to know most about effective wasp control.
Ouch
How do you first discover a wasp problem? It is likely that it will sting you to get your attention. You may grab a cup that is sitting on an outside table or railing and put your finger right on a wasp. You might feel a burning sting on your skin while working in your landscaping. You might feel painful stings on your legs while mowing your grass and think that the mower is throwing up tiny rocks. There are many ways you can get stung in your yard. Preventing stings requires proactive prevention. You need to find wasps before they find you.
Inspections
You should always be looking for nests and wasp activity in your yard but we encourage you to do even more than this if you want to prevent a sting. Take a moment to actually do an inspection of your property. Paper wasps will create aerial nests and yellow jackets are likely to make ground nests.
You need to look high and low. Look for:
- Tiny starter nests in protected locations. These will be a small gob of grey or a small grey, upside down umbrella shape.
- Fully formed nests in trees, bushes, and under rooflines. These will look like grey eggs with a hole near the bottom.
- Wasp activity around ground holes or gaps in your exterior. Most voids can be used by yellow jackets. You can find nests in ground tunnels created by animals. You can find nests in objects that are sitting in your yard. You can find nests inside the wall voids of your home. There are many places these wasps can establish nests, and these nests are likely to be hidden from view.
- Listen for buzzing. You may only hear wasps.
Tiny starter nests in protected locations. These will be a small gob of grey or a small grey, upside down umbrella shape.
Fully formed nests in trees, bushes, and under rooflines. These will look like grey eggs with a hole near the bottom.
Wasp activity around ground holes or gaps in your exterior. Most voids can be used by yellow jackets. You can find nests in ground tunnels created by animals. You can find nests in objects that are sitting in your yard. You can find nests inside the wall voids of your home. There are many places these wasps can establish nests, and these nests are likely to be hidden from view.
Listen for buzzing. You may only hear wasps.
Getting Help
Life can get busy, and it can be difficult to remember to do routine inspections of your yard. This is one of the reasons professional wasp control is the most effective way to go. When you invest in a residential pest control plan that includes coverage for wasps, you don't have to remember to check your property for wasps. You also benefit from the expertise of your pest control technician. A pest professional knows where to look and what to look (and listen) for. Technicians are trained to identify threats and quickly work to neutralize them before they can threaten you and those you love.
If you have a wasp problem on your Hudson property, (or preferably, long before you have a problem), reach out to Pestmaster® Services. We use Integrated Pest Management and industry-leading methods to locate and eliminate wasp nests early. Nothing is more effective at preventing wasp stings.