August is the Time for Wasps

It is the glorious month of August. The summer flowers are in full bloom and the deciduous trees are lush and in full leaf. Children and young people are free to engage in leisure as the summer holiday continues with endless days of high-jinx and wonder. The long break from school presents the opportunity for family days out, which in turn enables the forging of pleasant memories to be cherished. August is, of course, the eighth month of year between July and September in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. For those born in this month, the birthstones are the peridot and sardonyx. The Western Zodiac signs for the month of August are Leo and Virgo. The birth flower of August is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning, rather appropriately, beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family. Family days out with picnics on which to feast are an attractive prospect. The reality is, however, that the consumption of foodstuffs outdoors and in open spaces are activities that tend to draw the presence of wasps. Why, then, do they become such a nuisance in August?

Looking broadly at the lifecycle of wasps, we know that they are active from spring when the hibernating queens awaken and emerge to construct small nests and lay eggs in order to create the first workers. Here, the wasps differ from the bees – in their case the entire colony more or less hibernates. The dissimilarity does not end there: unlike bees, wasps are carnivorous. Consequently, they do not present themselves as a nuisance to us for the most part of the summer. Wasps do, however, over the course of their lifecycle become addicted to a sweet secretion that is exuded by growing grubs. It is roughly in the month of August when the grubs have grown to adulthood that this sweet secretion ceases to be available. In the absence of this sweet treat, they turn their attention to our picnics and dining tables. Thus they become an annoying nuisance to us, potentially spreading disease to us by transmitting it from dirty locations in which they have previously been feeding, to our food. They are also a threat to human life – consider that the poison in their stingers can cause anaphylactic shock in some people. If the circumstances are unfortunate, and swift action is not taken, an individual’s means of respiration faculties can become swollen such that they are unable to breathe.

A method for discouraging the bombardment of your summer dining and picnics by wasps presents itself when you are first disturbed by a loan wasp. If a loan wasp discovers that you have foodstuffs favourable to itself, the behavioural tendency is to return to the nest to communicate the location of you and your food to the other wasps. You might then experience an inundation of wasp activity. If, however, you are able to isolate the loan wasp and trap it in a container from which it cannot escape, you will reduce the likelihood of other wasps following in its flight path.

In as far as your domestic and commercial premises are concerned, the earlier a nest is given treatment, the better – as the summer progresses the number of wasps increases and they become more aggressive. If you suspect an infestation in your commercial or domestic premises you can locate the nest by being diligent and watching the flight path of wasps as they return to your buildings. Given that the number of wasps within a nest increases throughout the summer, such vigilance is more easily rewarded the further into the summer you are.

Prevention is always better than the cure in the case of a wasp nest and in pest control generally speaking. Certain measures can be taken to reduce the risk of a wasp problem. Altering habits in relation to the handling of food and drink can assist in the reduction of risk. Make sure that you check for nests. In the early spring, check in those place mentioned earlier – sheds, garages, under eaves, bird boxes, roof spaces, wall cavities – for the nest in its infancy: it will be around the size of a golf ball. The earlier, the better. Make sure that windows and doors are shut – it is a common misconception that during warm, or even hot, weather an open window will cool down your commercial or domestic premises. This just lets warm air into the building and increases the internal temperature. Make sure that your rubbish bins have tightly fitting lids, and keep the bins a good distance from doors and windows if you are able – wasps are often attracted to the contents of rubbish bins. If you have spotted and located a nest, keep children and domesticated animals away from the area.

While the detection of high numbers of wasps in your commercial or domestic premises may mean that a wasp nest is nearby, the removal of the nest might not be feasible. Nests found in confined, restricted and difficult-to-reach locations will be more difficult to treat. If the wasp nest is not located on your own property, your control over the situation is limited. If you do suspect the presence of a wasp nest in your commercial or domestic premises, and it is a real cause of concern, call Key West Pest Control – we will advise on the best course of action, and if professional intervention is required, we have the relevant, certified expertise to act appropriately.