Summer is here, and all types of wasps are hatching in Sierra Vista. One common type of wasp is the paper wasp. After spending the winter months hidden away, the queen wasps reemerge and lay eggs. Now is the time to secure experts for pest control in Sierra Vista.
What Paper Wasps Look Like
Several features make paper wasps identifiable from all types of wasps in Sierra Vista. These features include:
- Kidney-shaped eyes
- Pointed body and waist
- Reddish-brown or black body with yellow bands on the abdomen
- Six legs that hang down when they fly
- Up to 3/4 of an inch long
Another way for wasp identification is through their nests. Although other stinging insects have nests, the nest of a paper wasp is open-faced. In other words, the cells are exposed and somewhat resemble an umbrella. Due to the shape of their nests, paper wasps are also called umbrella wasps.
Where do paper wasps get the paper to build their nests? They manufacture the "paper" by mixing saliva with wood and plant materials while they chew it. The result is a paper-like substance they use to make the combs of the nest.
Why Paper Wasps Are Attracted To Your Home
During the winter, fertilized queens shield themselves from the cooler weather in cracks or under tree bark. As the temperature starts to rise in Sierra Vista, the queen will begin to search for a place to build her nest. As worker wasps hatch, she will direct the growing colony to build a nest in protected areas such as under branches, eves, and porch ceilings.
Why Are Paper Wasps Aggressive?
If you look up at your porch ceiling and see an open-faced nest with reddish-brown, yellow-banded wasps, you have paper wasps. Like all types of wasps in Sierra Vista, the paper wasps on your porch are likely to become more aggressive if they feel threatened.
Since paper wasps are under eaves and porch ceilings, they may feel threatened by the actions of your porch door opening and closing underneath them. Aggressive behavior by paper wasps in tree branches may occur when you walk under their nests while mowing the lawn.
The most painful outcome of their aggression is being stung. Unlike some stinging insects, the stinger of paper wasps is smooth; it may sting you more than once. Due to the venom in the stinger, you will experience a burning sensation and a welt at the sting site. However, some people have severe allergic reactions to venom. For the protection and safety of friends and family, you need to eliminate the wasps in your home and yard.
How To Properly Deal With Paper Wasps
Use the following tips to avoid getting stung by a paper wasp:
- Check shrubs, hedges, or trees before trimming.
- Seal cracks with a silicone-based caulk.
- Fix tears in window screens.
- Keep porch doors closed.
- Cover any food when eating outdoors.
- Avoid wearing strong fragrances.
- Wear shoes and protective clothing.
The best way to avoid injury due to paper wasps is by contacting the best company to get rid of wasps in Sierra Vista. Because they are local, the highly-trained Mule Mountain Pest Control team are experts in wasp control in Sierra Vista.
It is not wise to try to destroy a wasp nest without the services of the best company to get rid of wasps in Sierra Vista. The last thing you want is to injure yourself while trying to destroy a paper wasp nest. Call the team at Mule Mountain Pest Control to eliminate not only paper wasps but all types of wasps around your home.