Summer is about to end, and it’s the right time to make the most of it. Imagine being in the summer sunshine in your gardens, taking a trip to a nearby lake or beach, or having picnics at the park with your friends and family. You see your kids running around, playing with their pals, climbing a tree, or hopping down a slide. It’s the perfect scenario, right? The cold days are about to begin, and fall is approaching.
This is when stinging insects like Wasps are most prevalent and in their most aggressive stage. Well, you don’t want your perfect picture of the end of summer to be kind of trouble, right? Wasps may be small creatures, but they still pose a hazard. This guide will demonstrate why Wasps are highly active in the late summer, some facts about them, and how to handle a Wasp nest on your property.
Understanding Increased Wasp Activity in Late Summer
Late summer and early fall are known to be peak stinging insect time. What happens is when the combination of warm weather and the approaching seasons change creates the perfect conditions for bees and waps to increase their activity. During this time of the season, wasps have had the entire summer to populate and grow their colony. Some nests can house an alarming number of wasps. Yellowjackets, for example, nest at about 4,000 worker drones. With that kind of population, nest activity can be pervasive and aggressive. The stinging insects are actively foraging and preparing for cold seasons. It’s bad timing to say that barbeques are a prime harvesting ground for wasps, especially yellowjackets who feed on proteins and sweets.
“Wasps are known for their unprovoked aggression,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “In the late summer months, these pests are busy scavenging for food to prepare for the colder months ahead and are often attracted to backyard barbeques and picnics, which increases your chances of being stung. Proper pest control is crucial to protect against their painful stings.”
In a wasp’s lifecycle, springtime is when the queen wasps emerge due to rising temperatures. This is when they begin to lay their eggs and start preparing for their colony. Throughout the summer, the queen’s job is to produce and fertilize the eggs. On the other hand, worker wasps spend their time hunting for food in the form of flies, aphids, and caterpillars. What they do next is to feed this to the developing larvae and help to expand their colony’s nest. When the late summer comes, colony numbers are at their highest, some housing hundreds to thousands of wasps. When the queen has produced males and new queens, these and the worker wasps leave the nest, and the queen stops laying eggs. Now that their food source is cut off, the wasps start to look for meals. As wasps are actively looking for food, this is when you may see an influx of them.
The Types of Food Wasps Seek
Wasps’ favorite meal is rotting fruit, which is high in sugar. During the late summer and early autumn, fruit bushes are more abundant. One reason wasps are particularly bothersome during this time is that they might be intoxicated. The fermentation process in the rotting fruit creates a kind of booze for them.
In their quest for sugar, starving worker wasps won’t stop just at the fruit. They’re also drawn to sweet food and drink you might enjoy outdoors.
Steps to Take When a Wasp Comes Near You
We’ve all likely put our arms in the air and screamed in response to wasps at some point, but this approach is counterproductive and can increase the likelihood of getting stung.
Avoid swatting at them. While it might be easier said than done, staying calm and leaving wasps alone is the best way to avoid a painful sting.
Additionally, steer clear of wasp nests, as wasps are highly territorial and protective of their space.
How to Avoid a Sting Operation
Getting stung can range from a nuisance to deadly. Avoid turning a fun picnic time to a nightmare by preventing a wasp encounter with these tips:
- Cover Your Feet: Many stinging insects make nests in the ground, so wearing shoes can minimize the risk of a wasp attack.
- Seal and Stow: Keep your food and drinks covered when hosting a backyard bash. Airtight containers are best for preventing wasps from chowing down and attracting them.
- Patch the Holes: Stinging insects can slip through tiny cracks in siding and foundations, as well as torn screens. Patch or caulk these openings to prevent access.
- Bag Your Trash: Wasps are often seen congregating at trash cans with loosely contained leftovers. Tossing your trash in a tightly sealed bag will give them less reason to hang around.
- Live and Let Live: Avoid swatting at stinging insects, even if they get a little too close for comfort. While they’re more aggressive in this season, provoking them dramatically increases the chance of getting stung.
- Don’t Be Stubborn: If wasps are regularly ruining your day, seek professional help. Aside from nest removal, professionals can apply Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques to reduce access.
Duration of Wasp Activity Throughout the Year
Although wasps are bothersome during this season, the annoyance is fairly short-lived. Once the cold weather arrives, typically around November, the entire colony will die off, except for the queen. She will go into hibernation until the following spring.
How to Handle a Wasp Nest on Your Property
As social insects, wasps can create colonies of thousands. Once the queen builds her nest, she begins laying eggs that eventually become worker wasps. This activity results in the rapid growth of colonies and the nests in which they live. Once established, wasps are very protective of their nest and will become violent once disturbed.
Although wasps bring advantages to our environment, homeowners and business owners generally prefer to keep them away from their common areas, such as patios, decks, and other gathering places. Often, they are found on the sunny side of a home (commonly the south or west side) underneath eaves, windows, or ledges. Wasp and bee stings are a genuine concern for people with severe allergies. While many homeowners wish to keep wasps away from their homes, they may need to realize they are creating the perfect place for wasps to nest.
There are a number of things you can do to avoid wasps from nesting on your home.
First thing’s first, keep your yard free of food and garbage. If any juice content or soda spills, make sure to clean it up before wasps discover this special treat.
In addition to keeping your yard free of garbage and food remnants, also be sure that you seal all entry points to your home and line possible nesting areas to make it harder for nests to latch onto the structure of your home. The harder you make it for these pests to nest, the least likely you are to have a wasp problem.
On the occasion that you do notice a wasp nest in your home, you need to get the nest removed right away. There is no sense in using other remedies when colonies already have a place to nest and reproduce. While this is the first thing you should do, we do not recommend doing this on your own. As noted before, these pests can become aggressive, and if you don’t have the proper tools or knowledge, removing a wasp nest could easily go wrong.
How Abra Kadabra Can Assist You
At Abra Kadabra, we have all the necessary tools and equipment to rid your property of wasps and keep them away for good! We offer professional wasp nest removal and prevention/exclusion services to make it harder for wasps to nest on your property. It is currently peak season for wasps, and any identified wasp problem should be addressed immediately. We’re here to help!
Abra Kadabra offers bee and wasp control services in Eden Prairie, Edina, Chaska, Chanhassen, Deephaven, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Waconia, Wayzata, and other surrounding areas. Call us today!
Wrapping It Up
At the end of the day, Wasps are just like any other stinging insects. They do their thing and build colonies. However, wasps building colonies within your property can be an invasion. Your loved ones can be put at stake when this problem isn’t fixed sustainably. Always remember the tips we gave whenever you encounter a wasp. The best thing to do is to be more vigilant and not take action that may cause more significant problems. Enjoy a pest-free summer. Grill your favorite proteins, eat your favorite fruits, and drink the most refreshing juices freely when you put the waps in their place. When you call us, you will surely not experience any wasp problem by the next wap season. With our environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions, your problems can go away so you can get outside and enjoy the sun.
