Spring is most definitely springing! The weeds are starting to grow, thanks to our excellent winter rains. The bugs are beginning to stir with the temperature rising and we are getting ready for our first wasp sightings of the new year. Wait a minute, who gets ready for the first wasp sightings of the year? Your friendly neighborhood bug man, that’s who!
Part of our job when we are at your home or business, is not just to take care of the ants that might be by the coffee machine, or the roach you found in the bathroom, but to know what is going to be a problem, before it even starts. This time of year we include wasps in that category. Click here to learn more about Wasps In Arizona.
Female wasps overwinter as solitary individuals. They have already mated and are all set to begin producing a new brood, when the temperature is right. This week it is supposed to hit the mid to high eighties and it will be prime time for wasps. Any hour now, a wasp is going to wake up from her hibernation and begin the work of creating a new family.
She will build a small “parasol” with a few, maybe up to a dozen, cells filled with pupating wasp eggs. She will begin to feed these pupae bits of meat from caterpillars and other captured insects. As these wasps mature, they will take over the responsibility of feeding the young, leaving the queen to just lay eggs. Within a month, this nest can exceed 50 members and it will grow exponentially from there.
How to avoid wasp stings as we get ready for summer
- Do not blindly reach into spaces that could contain wasp nests. These include storage rooms, valve boxes, stored pots or coolers.
- Be careful when reaching for items outside. Wasps may have landed and you will get stung.
- Consider placing deterrent traps around the perimeter of the yard.
- Put a few drops of detergent in the pool, this will change the surface pressure and wasps will drown instead of drinking from your pool.
- Do not try to eliminate a wasp nest with yard spray or fly spray. This will agitate the wasps and make your life miserable.
- Call a professional if you find wasps on your property.
The wasps are here, and are going to become a bigger part of your life. Be careful as spring arrives and remember your friends here at University Termite & Pest Control are ready to come to your aid.