When you’re trying to enjoy activities on your Houston property, wasps are very annoying and disruptive. However, many people don’t know how truly dangerous these wasps can be. Their nests may seem easy to get rid of, but too many Houston homeowners have learned the hard way that DIY wasp control can lead to multiple stings and detrimental health effects. In this blog, the professionals at White Knight Pest Control will take a closer look at the different stinging insects that call Houston home, the threat they pose to residents in the area, and steps you need to take to prevent getting stung.
Houston Wasps And Hornets
Wasps are typically categorized into three groups. The first group, paper wasps, get their name from the way they make their nests. They’ll typically use the wood from outdoor ceiling areas, mixing it with their saliva to create a paper-like material that forms the nest. You’re likely to find them on your outdoor deck or patio. Yellow jackets, the second group, are far more social, making their nests in the ground with their fellow yellow jackets. Hornets, on the other hand, are a little bit more sporadic in their nesting locations, but their colonies are far larger and easier to notice.
No matter what kind of wasps you have on your property, they can be incredibly dangerous because of their social nature. When you make a wasp feel threatened or, even worse, threaten a nest, they’ll send out distress signals to get any wasps nearby to come to their defense. Plus, they’re not like bees. They can sting multiple times without dying, which puts you at risk for adverse health effects like anaphylactic shock, permanent skin damage, difficulty breathing, nausea, and more if you get stung by several all at once.
Preventing Stinging Insect Dangers
If you leave wasps alone, you can most likely avoid an attack. Sure, sometimes they might take an interest in your sugary drinks during a picnic (by the way, never leave an open soda can unattended with wasps around). For the most part, though, they’ll keep to themselves when they don’t feel threatened.
However, when a wasp or wasp nest is disturbed, it puts you and your family at risk. And of course, most people don’t go out actively seeking to disturb a wasp nest; the problem is that you can easily do so by complete accident.
This is why it’s essential to get professional help before taking down any nests. Even if a nest seems empty or inactive, there could be wasps inside who will be incredibly angry once you start flailing away at the nest. Also, the wasps may want to return to the nest and become angry once they find it has been disturbed.
Either way, attempting to take nests down on your own will almost always lead to a dangerous situation. Fortunately, though, there are some things you can do to avoid wasps nesting on your property in the first place. The following activities can dramatically reduce your chances of a wasp infestation in your house and outdoor spaces:
- Avoid leaving food sources on the porch. Any pet food or hummingbird feeders can attract wasps quickly.
- Keep doors and windows shut. Screens can prevent wasps from flying into open windows when you need some fresh air.
- Ensure that all garbage is properly stored. Any convenient source of food will attract wasps onto your property initially.
- Monitor your outdoor spaces for wasps. Once you see a nest, more will follow quickly.
Due to the threat wasps pose, you should be sure to call professionals promptly in order to deal with the nests before they get dangerously large.
Remember, dealing with nests yourself can be incredibly dangerous. While all of these methods can effectively reduce wasp attraction to your property, there is no guarantee when it comes to DIY pest control. If you want to get rid of the dangerous threat of wasps on your property, it’s going to take more than some prevention procedures.
Don’t leave yourself at risk for painful and dangerous stings from hornets, wasps, yellow jackets, and other stinging insects in Houston. For effective wasp prevention and nest removal, contact the pest control professionals at White Knight Pest Control.