Pest Control Bristol

Wasps, although annoying, should be thought of as extremely beneficial insects : Wasps are known to eliminate large numbers of other pest insects through predation and parasitic behaviours, and as such should be protected and encouraged to nest in areas of little human or animal activity. Further more, adult wasps rely on liquid sugar sources such as nectar for sustenance, and in this way pollinate plants and flowers in much the same way as bees. Even if they don’t produce honey, they still have an important part to play in maintaining the biodiversity of our environment. Most of the year they avoid human activity and should only be considered a nuisance when nesting near homes or high traffic areas.

There are however those balmy summer days when try as you might, you cant escape the nuisance of wasps buzzing around your picnic. On these occasions, and especially if you have noticed an unusually high volume of wasp traffic around the home or garden, It may be valuable to know a little more about these pests, so as to recognise how you might alleviate the situation, or at least respond to the threat of stings, fear and annoyance.

If you have noticed an increase in wasp activity in or around your home, you may well have a nest nearby. The type of nest produced by wasps can depend on the species and location. Many social wasps produce nests that are constructed predominantly from paper pulp made from wood fibres, but its not unheard of for wasps to mix other types of materials into their nests. The kind of materials used varies from one species to another and this is what can give many species a nest of distinctive colour. Again each species of social wasp appears to favour their own specific range of nesting sites: these range from trees and shrubs, to cavities that include holes in the ground, spaces under homes, wall cavities or in lofts. In fact, wasps can build nests under soffits, behind sidings or window shutters and just about anyplace which provides some type of shelter from the elements. Wasps can become very defensive when their nest is disturbed, so identifying their location is important: wasps that are flying directly in and out of a single location are probably flying to and from their nest.

Wasps come in many types, sizes colours and behaviours. Yet for most of us identifying which we should be concerned about and which we should ignore is rather difficult- especially when busy swatting them away from a pint of beer. The ones that are of most concern to people because of their stinging habits are yellow-jackets and hornets. As already implied, the best way to prevent unpleasant encounters with wasps and hornets is to avoid them- yet why is it that this is so much harder to do at some points in the year than in others?

Wasps are likely to be first sighted around spring, when the queens come out of hibernation and start looking for suitable nesting sites. At this point, it is unlikely that you should experience much in the way of irritation, and the defensive behaviours of those wasps that are around should be fairly temperate. Defensive behaviour increases as the season progresses and colony populations become larger while food becomes scarcer. By the autumn, most wasps are primarily scavengers and will start to forage for food at picnics, barbecues, around garbage cans, where ripe or overripe fruit are accessible- in fact anywhere where resources high in sugars can be found.

Scavenging wasps will not usually become a problem if there is no food around to attract them. When nuisance wasps are present in the outdoor environment, keep foods (including pet food) and drinks covered or inside the house and keep garbage in tightly sealed garbage cans. Once food is discovered by wasps, they will continue to hunt around that location long after the source has been removed.

If the presence of a nest is proving especially frustrating and must be eliminated, it is easiest and safest to call for professional help. Allergies to wasps stings can be a serious problem, especially if faced with more than one. They can occur even if you have never reacted to previous stings, and can result in potentially life threatening effects such as the constriction of airways. A professional pest controller will know the most appropriate means though which to safely remove a nest, even when in an inaccessible location such as underground.

So what to do if you get stung? In the event of a full on allergic reaction, adrenaline is required to reverse the onset of anaphylactic shock- If you do not have adrenaline with you then its best to create your own through physical exertion. It is important to resist the urge to sit down and rest, as this is likely to exacerbate the symptoms.

Even for mild reactions, the first thing you should do is remove the sting- preferably with tweezers, so as not to spread the poison under the skin. Wash the skin, apply ice to cool the inflammation and elevate if at all possible. There are numerous old wives tales about different poultices and ingredients that can be applied to the skin to alleviate the sting- suggestions this author has found range from slices of onion, to copper coins, different types of plants, tobacco and even chilli paste! Unfortunately, there are so many active ingredients in a wasps venom that few are likely to work, not least because the venom is injected directly into the tissue, so most of the irritation will be unaffected by topical applications. If possible, the most effective relief is likely to be little more than an ice pack and an antihistamine- and a lot less unpleasant rubbing salt and chilli into your own wounds!

Giles Sharley is the author of this article on Get Rid of Wasps. Find more information on Pest Control Bristol here.