Why Do Wasps Get More Aggressive In August?

Everyone knows the trouble of dealing with wasps, especially when you are trying to enjoy the outside weather and it seems they are only being attracted towards you. There actually is an explanation of why they are steered more towards people, as we approach the fall season!

About Wasps

Wasps are an aggressive species that are bright yellow and black slim bodied, smooth bodies, and slender legs that can grow up to 1.5 inches long. They are predators and will feed on natural sources like small insects, flowers, or nectar. They are an aggressive species, especially if their hive is disturbed, and can sting someone multiple times. Wasps are social and will work together to build their nests, that are paperlike and look like hanging umbrellas that are upside down or basketball-shaped, and are primarily seen in eaves, gutters, branches, fences, trees, and burrowed underground. These nests can harbor up to 75 wasps including their larvae. They have a queen that will overwinter, usually in the wall of a home, to survive and proceed to reproduce once spring gets closer.

Why Wasps Get Aggressive in August

• What causes this behavior - During August when wasps peak in numbers and activity. As their natural food sources like flowers and small insects are running low, they get frantic to find food sources to sustain during the winter for their queen. Their behavior completely changes and they begin seeking sweets and carbohydrates, which causes them to now be aggressive and territorial. They get attracted to gardens, picnic spots, and outdoor events as this is an easy source to find the food sources they need.
• Tips to help with activity - No one likes to be bothered by wasps while enjoying the outside weather, especially with the possibility of getting stung. Some ways to help keep them away are throwing away food once you are done with it in a tight-lid garbage, cleaning up spills right away, and storing food in sealed containers while not being eaten. Eliminating these sources will keep the wasps from being attracted to you and have them looking elsewhere for other food sources.

Treatment

With our service, we offer year-round protection, especially for wasps. It also includes prevention in the winter, to make sure your home stays protected when the warm weather season approaches. Here is information on how we treat your home!

• Inside treatment - The technicians will inspect the home for any activity happening, and when and if a nest is found, it is then treated with either an aerosol or dust product. Some nests may not be removable, however, once a nest is deactivated, wasps will not return to it.
• Outside treatment - During the spring and summer seasons, our technicians will always do a thorough inspection throughout the outside, inspecting for any nests around your home. Once they inspect and identify any, they proceed to treat with either an aerosol, dust, or spray product. The technician will always remove any nests that they find, if it is reachable, on occasion going back to your home with a longer pole if needed. However, if they are unable to reach it, they still do a treatment and wasps do not return to any nests that have been treated and deactivated.

During the high season for wasps, as they do have faster reproduction cycles than any other bug, we recommend letting treatment take effect for 5-7 days. We want to ensure they are going through the product, and if activity continues we go back to your home for additional treatment. More than likely, more than one will be needed, as we are targeting to break up their egg cycles. Our product does not affect any eggs that are present, which is why always offer unlimited service for pests like these, that will need more than one spray!

• Overwintering treatment - As queen wasps will overwinter in the walls of the home, it is very important to continue the treatment barrier all throughout your home, including the outside. Even if there is no activity happening in the winter, we still continue to do an outside treatment with a dust product and wall injection, and it helps with keeping the activity low once spring arrives. Queens begin reproducing in spring, which is why they are seen flying inside. Keeping up with this maintenance helps with long-term prevention!

If you are interested in hearing more about our different treatment options for wasps or any of our services, please contact our office at (844) 922-7732

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