The Ultimate Wasp Prevention Guide For Your Lancaster Yard

While all insects have a part to play in the ecosystem that supports and provides for us, few seem to derive as much joy from causing us pain as wasps. Members of the order Hymenoptera and close cousins to bees and ants, wasps are often territorial and will attack if threatened, stinging multiple times and injecting venom with each sting. Each sting marks you with pheromones identifying you as a threat to other colony members, motivating them to join the attack.

Sharing your property, and especially your home, with insects as aggressive as wasps is rarely a good idea, so let's take a look at the types of wasps you're likely to encounter in our area, what you can do to discourage them from your property and where to find reliable pest control in Lancaster if prevention fails to work.

Characteristics Of Common Wasps

Wasps are one of the most numerous species of insects in the world, numbering more than 30,000 types and varying wildly in size, shape, and color. They range from 1/8 to 1 1/2 inches in length. They are easily differentiated from their close cousins, the bees, by a pointed abdomen and a narrow area separating the waist and the thorax. All wasps build nests, usually by chewing on wood fibers and spitting them out to form a type of paper.

Wasps consist of two sub-groups; solitary wasp species and social wasps that live in colonies. Most of the wasps we encounter in our area are communal wasps. All wasps are predators, using the venom in their stinger to hunt down and kill insects, like spiders, ticks, and just about every other disease-carrying creepy crawler in our area. Wasps are so efficient at keeping the population of insects down that farmers are starting to use them as a natural bug control.

Some Types Of Wasps Can Be Dangerously Aggressive

While only a minority of wasp species are likely to sting, and only females have the stingers to do it (a wasp stinger is a modified egg-laying organ), most wasps in our area will attack viciously to protect their nests. 

The following four species are the most likely to sting.

• Bald-faced hornets
• Paper wasps
• Mud daubers
• Yellow jackets

While painful, most people do not have any lasting consequences after a wasp sting. A number of people are, however, allergic to wasp venom, and for them, a sting can result in a serious allergic reaction.

Five Naturally Effective Wasp Prevention Tips For Around Your Yard

As with every other pest, for a homeowner, prevention is the most effective method of wasp control. Making sure that your property is unappealing to them will go a long way in preventing a wasp infestation and keeping them away from your home. Here are five prevention tips:

1. Keep door and window screens in good shape.
2. Seal cracks and crevices in your walls, siding, and foundation.
3. Don't leave food uncovered outside the house.
4. Don't plant sweet-smelling flowering plants by the house.
5. Stop wearing flower-scented perfumes when spending time outside.

Like with any other pest, the trick to coexisting with wasps is to ensure their numbers don't get out of control and their nests stay outside your house's walls.

Contact Us For The Best Wasp Control For Your Yard

At 1st Response Pest Control, our home pest management professionals can quickly identify the type of wasp you're dealing with, determine the location of the wasp nest, and clear them off your property. We specialize in eco-friendly methods that solve the pest problem while keeping you and your family safe. If you're dealing with a wasp infestation, contact us today.