What's a Wasp to Do...Particularly this Time of Year?

Well, about this time of year, many workers are now unemployed because the colony (more in a moment) is busy breeding new workers and the old-guard workers need something to do and start looking for food elsewhere.

This is why you may experience or see more wasps this time of year.

There are hundreds of thousands of wasp species and colonies aren't all that common - most nests I see are single family homes.

Wasps will begin construction of a nest on just about any material. Over several days I saw a family build a nest on a nail in a shed door. Not always so obvious, wasps are pretty darn good at hanging nests under things, which is why we occasionally tend to disrupt them without knowing it until we are right on top of them.

But, don't panic, wait a minute or two and investigate where the most activity is or where they seem to be directing their attention. You should be able to do so with the only cautions being don't get too close to the nest or touch it until you are ready to leave it alone or destroy it.

My experience is most wasps are not aggressive unless they feel threatened and this usually requires more than just being near them, but as with most flying insects we only needed to have them flying around us to be unnerved. Don't panic.

Wasps love loropetalum shrubs and many of our customers have them. It seems the denser they are the more likely I am to find a nest and this time of year I expect to. I don't know which species these wasps are, but they don't seem too offended until I am right over them trimming away.

I've learned to go to exactly where I saw them exit the shrub, slowly peel back branches with a leaf rake, locate the nest and then soak it with wasp spray. It may be to their advantage if they were aggressive, but they don't come near me. I then beat the shrub with the rake to ensure the nest comes out and then I spray it again if need be and then dispose of it by not touching the nest.

You may want to ensure the wasp spray is spraying properly first and ensure you have an easy escape route to shelter just in case you do not eradicate all the wasps in the nest. The nests I have experienced have never been of any substantial size. You don’t want to be aggressive toward the wasps, such as trying to remove or destroy the nest with a rake, until you are ready to kill them. They will get agitated and perhaps attack, but hey don’t seem to associate me with the deadly spray.

Please remember wasps build nests just about anywhere and in the ground – these are usually yellow jackets. If you suddenly realize you just mowed over a nest, turn off the mower and slowly push or pull the mower away from the area and prepare to find cover if they approach you.

And, as always, if the problem seems too large, scary or overwhelming, call an expert and let them take the risk – it’s what they do.

I see plenty of nests I never even deal with unless the customer has a preference or it is close to the ground or outdoor living area to avoid the chance of interaction with children or pets.