A Complete Guide To Wasp Pests

Although important in some instances – such as farming where they control the population of other harmful pest insects – wasps are very dangerous when they show up at your home.

waspsWasps are dangerous because they sting. And unlike bees that only sting once, wasps can sting repeatedly. To some people, this sting could be lethal causing serious symptoms that could be fatal.

While painful, most people will generally recover from a wasp sting within 24hrs with only minor complication. For a small percentage of the population however wasp stings can cause an anaphylactic shock which could be fatal.

Different wasp species come in different colours and sizes. There are a few features however that are common to all species: A pinched waist, the petiole, which joins the first and second segments of the wasp’s body; and a pointed lower abdomen.

All wasps fall into one of two groups depending on their social behaviour: solitary wasps and social wasps. Solitary wasps don’t form colonies and generally live alone. Social wasps, on the other hand, form large colonies that could number to thousands. It is this large number of stinging insects that cause alarm when social wasps construct their nest in or around your home.

(Source: http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wasp-life-cycle.html)

Wasps come in various sizes and colours depending on the species. But there is one feature that is common to all the species: a pointed lower abdomen and a very narrow waist known as a petiole that separates the thorax from the abdomen

(Source: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/wasp/)

Wasps fall into one of two categories: 1) social wasps and 2) solitary wasps. Adult solitary wasps will mostly live alone with the majority not constructing nests. Social wasps, in contrast, exist in large colonies comprising of thousands of individuals in a single nest. It is the latter type of wasps that can be most problematic when they invade your home. They will build a nest inside or around your home with thousands of wasps greatly jeopardising your family’s safety

(Source:  http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wasp-life-cycle.html)

Social wasps build their nests in low traffic areas where they will not be disturbed. The attic is one of their favourite spots as it is dry and warm in addition to being rarely used. Other potential habitats include wall cavities, under a building’s eaves and roof spaces. It is here that a queen will construct a basic nest from chewed wood pulp and saliva.

The life Cycle Of The Wasp

Once a fertile queen mates with a male wasp, she stores the sperm cells in an inactive state inside a tightly packed ball inside her body. These cells will be kept dormant until the queen is ready to reproduce.

The queen, when ready, will identify a suitable area to set up a nest. Using chewed wood and saliva, she will construct a basic nest roughly the size of a walnut and lay her first eggs inside. Once the eggs hatch into larvae, she will forage and feed them with dead insects. The larvae in return excrete a sweet substance on which the female wasp feeds on.

Once mature enough the larvae will pupate and then emerge as adults. All fertilized eggs hatch into females while all unfertilized eggs will hatch into males, otherwise known as drones. The newly produced female wasps will then take over nest building duties and provide for the queen’s larvae. The drone’s only purpose in life is to mate. Ordinary wasps will live for approximately 30 days while a queen will live for about twelve months.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp)

After mating, the female wasp stores the sperm inside her body and controls the sperms’ release for each individual egg as she lays it. This means that the female wasp has complete control of its offspring’s sex. The fertilized eggs hatch into females while the unfertilized eggs hatch into males also known as drones.
A colony is usually started by one female wasp; the queen.

Once she identifies a suitable spot, she will construct a rudimentary nest roughly the size of a walnut using saliva and chewed wood. It is here that she will lay her first eggs. These eggs will hatch into larvae which the queen will feed with dead insects.

The feeding relationship between the queen and her larvae is quite interesting. The queen feeds the larvae, and then the larvae feed her in return.

How, you ask? Well, once the larvae feed on the dead insects that the queen provides, they excrete a sweet substance as waste that the queen feeds on.

When mature enough, the larvae will transition into the pupal stage also known as the ‘resting stage’. After they have fully developed, they will emerge as adults. Females produced from the first batch of eggs will take over nest construction duties and caring for the queen’s larvae.

Queens live for about twelve months while ordinary females live for about 30 days.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp)

Is your home infested with wasps? View Pestrol’s entire range of wasp control products.

Signs Of A Wasp Infestation:

If you see several of the following signs then you may be facing a wasp infestation:

  • live wasps or larvae
  • chewed wood
  • nests: visible brown-coloured sacs
  • swarming insects
  • buzzing sounds
  • aggressive wasps (there may be a nest nearby that they are trying to protect)

Wasps are among the most feared pests that we can have around the home. only female wasps sting but when they do, they do so multiple times and this is probably what makes them so feared. They can be quite dangerous as their stings are very painful and some people have severe reactions to wasp stings. No-one wants a wasp problem and if you have one check out Pestrol’s entire range of wasp control products!

Is your home infested with wasps? View Pestrol’s entire range of wasp control products.

Wasp Control

If wasps are persistently getting into your house, then it most likely means that there is a wasp nest near your home.

Follow the flight path of returning insects to identify the location of their nests. Once you identify the location of the wasp nest, then you can take action.

Is your home infested with wasps? View Pestrol’s entire range of wasp control products.

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