When summer officially comes to end, the stinging insect population tends to soar. This is because insects such as wasps spend the entire summer building their nests, which lends itself to quick reproduction by the end of summer. There are many things that can attract stinging insects to your facility, and when you have a problem it can really drive customers away.
Certain commercial facilities are bigger hotspots for stinging insects than others. Here are some of the most common types of places stinging insects are attracted to, and what you can do to get rid of them safely and humanely.
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Outdoor Restaurants
It’s easy to attract wasps when you have an outdoor eating space. They enjoy a variety of human food, especially those with large amounts of protein. When summer transitions to fall, their taste changes slightly and they begin to seek out sweet foods as well.
The best way to keep wasps at bay in this situation is to limit the number of available food sources. Keep garbage cans covered and as far from outdoor eating spaces as possible and limit areas with any kind of standing water. You can also try giving wasps an alternative food source with traps, however, these are not always effective in attracting hornets or paper wasps. If there is an identifiable nest, your best option is to call someone to remove it.
Property Management & Multi-Unit Housing
If your housing property has a garden or space to grill out, there is a good chance that you may attract stinging insects. To prevent stinging insects from building nests around your property, there are a few precautionary actions you can take.
Do your best to keep your gardens far from your building, and make sure that your lawn is well trimmed to avoid ground nesters. If there is limited food outside, their next option is to try and enter your building. Wasps and other stinging insects will also settle inside any building crevices and attics they can find, so be sure to keep possible holes and cracks sealed. They can also enter through rotted areas under building siding. It is also important to encourage your tenants to keep a clean outdoor space if there is room to cook or grill.
Campgrounds
Some common places for stinging insects to build their nests are high up in trees, shrubs, hedges, or in the ground. This doesn’t fair too well for campgrounds. Once you have a stinging insect problem, you will soon find them cohabitating with your guests near picnic tables and trash cans.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to prevent stinging insects from ‘setting up camp’ in their natural habitat. However, you can try different methods to keep them away from your guest by regularly cleaning out garbage cans and picnic areas. Areas that are more concentrated with people should also be kept well-trimmed and landscaped.
When to take the next steps
If it is clear that you have a stinging insect nest on your property, do not wait – call a professional to remove it immediately. Attempting to do this on your own could result in you harming yourself, your guests, and the wasps or hornets.
Wil-Kil Pest Control serves a variety of industries for pest problems. If you need to remove a stinging insect population, we know how to do it in the safest way possible. Contact us for more information.