When people think of stinging insects, they often imagine bees as lovable and important pests and wasps as dangerous and useless. However, the truth is a little more complicated than that. While it is true that wasps stings are more common, both bees and wasps can sting. And bee stings are often more potentially dangerous, too. But, just like bees, wasps also play an important role in the environment as they are pollinators.
However, while wasps might be important in the ecosystem, they aren’t a welcome guest around your Queen Creek, Arizona property because of the risks they pose. To assist you in identifying wasps and learning how to protect yourself from them, we’ve put together a guide on the characteristics and risks of wasps species in the area.
What Do Wasps Look Like?
It can be difficult at first to tell wasps and bees apart, but if you know a couple of key things to look for, it becomes easier. While bees are round in shape, wasps are narrow and long, and many have a tiny waist that connects their thorax to their abdomens.
Additionally, wasps have a sleek texture and aren’t covered in fur. Bees, on the other hand, have a fuzzy appearance. As far as color is concerned, wasps are usually a mix of black and brown with red, yellow, or white markings.
Just How Dangerous Are Wasps?
For the most part, if you're stung by a wasp, you won’t end up with serious side effects. However, there are always inherent risks to having wasps around. Wasps have stingers and inject venom, and while usually these stings are just painful, in certain circumstances they can be much more dangerous.
This is especially true for those, both people and pets, who are allergic to this venom. And, even people not allergic can sometimes end up in the hospital because of repeated stings. Some wasps will attack together to defend their nests, so people can be stung by many wasps at once.
Five Wasp Prevention Tips
Because wasps can be dangerous, knowing how to present them is vital. Keeping wasps away is often easier than removing them. The following five steps are some of the best ways to deter wasps from coming around your property:
Make sure not to overplant flowering plants and also avoid overwatering.
Keep hedges, bushes, and trees trimmed on a regular basis.
Place lids on all garbage cans and clean up any trash around your property.
If you’re eating outside, make sure to clean up any spills or drinks right away.
Wasps are attracted to water sources, so remove standing water from your property. Also, make sure to keep any water features like hot tubs and pools clean with cycled water.
Preventing wasps from nesting on your property is far easier than removing them once they've nested.
How Can You Remove Wasps?
While taking steps to keep wasps away is important, if you already have wasps, it’s not a good idea to try to remove them on your own. Wasps are at their most dangerous when their nests are disturbed, so this process is when you’re most likely to get stung.
Instead, let the experts at Quell Pest Control handle these dangerous insects. We provide ongoing residential wasp control plans that will also keep wasps and other stinging insects from coming back. All you have to do is contact us to get your free quote for pest control in Queen Creek.