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Four Helpful Tips To Keep Wasps Out Of Your Folsom Yard
July 24, 2020
As spring turns into summer, there are more and more reasons to be spending time in Folsom yards. Unfortunately, we aren’t the only ones who enjoy these outdoor spaces on summer days. Wasps are common stinging insects found in the Folsom area. Armed with stingers to paralyze their prey and defend themselves, they are an unwelcome guest at any outdoor event.
Wasps In Folsom
The term wasp describes a variety of insects - all packing a painful punch. While their specific appearance depends on their species, some traits are common to all. Wasps have a pinched waist, two pairs of wings, and six long and skinny legs that dangle while they are in flight. Hornets are a subset of the wasp family. The most common wasps in Folsom are as follows:
- Paper Wasps. These wasps are ⅝-¾ of an inch long and are typically brownish with yellow markings. (Some species have bolder almost reddish markings.) This wasp is known for its almost triangular side view.
- Mud Daubers. These tend to be ½ to one inch long. They are usually black but sometimes have pale markings or a blue metallic luster. Known for their “thread-waisted” body, mud daubers have a long slender segment between their thorax and abdomen. They can have either clear or dark wings.
- Yellow Jackets. Generally around ½ inch long, yellow jackets are known and named for their coloration. They have a yellow and black head and face and banded yellow and black patterned abdomen.
The Good With The Bad
Wasps are universally feared - with good reason. These insect pests deliver painful, and at times, dangerous stings. However, outside of our yards, these insects provide several benefits to the environment. They control nuisance insects and spiders by feeding on them and are responsible for their fair share of pollination. Away from people and our homes, wasps play an important role in the ecosystem. It’s when they get too close that wasps create a dangerous and unpleasant reality.
The stinger of a wasp is smooth and can sting multiple times, injecting more venom with each sting. Those that are sensitive to this venom risk an extreme allergic reaction or anaphylaxis. Allergies or not, these stings are exceptionally painful. You are most at risk of wasp stings when there is an established nest in, on, or near your home or outbuilding. It is easy to unwittingly come too close to a nest and provoke an attack.
Four Tips For Making Your Yard Less Appealing To Stinging Insects
Like any animal, wasps need food, water, and shelter to meet their basic needs. To deter them from moving into your property, your best bet is to limit their access to all three.
Tip One: Limit Access To Food
- Wasps prey on insects and spiders. Limit this food source by eliminating other pest infestations.
- Make sure food is not left out, grills are kept clean, and garbage cans and compost bins have tightly fitting lids.
- Limit the amount of flowering vegetation in your yard and, if you have fruit trees, pick up fallen fruit regularly.
Tip Two: Limit Access To Water
- Eliminate any sources of standing water.
- Maintain gutters and fix leaky outdoor fixtures.
Tip Three: Limit Access To Shelter
- Wasps are outdoor pests, but, given the opportunity, they can migrate indoors. Seal cracks and holes in your home’s exterior to prevent their entrance.
- Keep screens on windows and doors in good condition.
- Inspect your roofline for openings and seal them if found.
- Keep trees and shrubs trimmed back away from your buildings.
- Store woodpiles away from buildings.
Tip Four: Partner With A Professional
When in doubt, contact Neighborly Pest Management for prevention help or the safe removal of an existing nest.
Neighborly Pest Management offers 100% guaranteed pest control services and will work with customers to control wasp populations. Solve your pest control problems today by requesting your free, no-obligation, inspection.
