Whether it is cyclic or due to global warming, the winter
just gone has been pretty half pie. Fantastic for an early flush in the flower
garden, but not so good for us when it comes to those stinging, harassing,
pesky wasps!
Let me tell you
why...
The life cycle of the wasp
involves the need for the next generations’ queens to hibernate during the
winter months. With our short winter being borderline to a sham, our
hibernating queens have made it through easy enough and are now starting to
emerge with intent to start a family. The problem is that they are almost 2 months
too early! With the surviving nests already at early summer numbers, this only
means one thing; it’s going to be a big summer for wasps.
Food attractions
Wasps do a great job of
keeping the insect population down but everything is fair game to them,
including the monarch caterpillars on your swan plants. To protect your
monarch caterpillars, once you feel there are enough caterpillars on the plant
you can cover the plant with an old net curtain, tying it off at the bottom so
no wasps can get in. Take off the cover when they are in their chrysalis.
Wasps are on the hunt for the
bugs and grubs in your garden, meat in your sandwich or fish bait 1km offshore,
yes they harass us fishermen too. They are also after honeydew and will travel over 1km from their nest when
searching for food. This also makes it hard when we get called out to a
property where there is no nest located.
Prevention
So what can be done to reduce
the numbers of wasps in the situation there is no nest in sight?
Wasps are attracted to the
honeydew found on our giant aphids. These aphids live on those high sap
producing trees, such as the willow tree. As you look into a willow you will
see wasps bouncing around the leaves and then flying off in different
directions. The solution to this is to eliminate the wasp’s food source, the
aphids. Contact your local garden store for safe and effective ways to put an
end to the aphids.
When to treat a nest yourself
Now for the inevitable, wasp nests and what to do about them! If the nest is visible, by being under the eaves or on the fence etc, then it is more than likely to be an Asian paper wasp nest. These are usually handled quite easily and can be shoved off and squashed due to their small size. We don’t recommend do it yourself remedies, especially in the situation where you are unsure of the nest size.
Nests under the ground or in
the roof cavity can be hard to decipher the size. This is when it can get dangerous.
Our technicians are fully trained and equipped to deal with worst case
scenarios. Nothing is too big or too small for us!
 |
| Small paper wasp nest. |
 |
| Large nest found in ceiling cavity, about the size of a beach ball!! |
As a foot note, I would like
to remind you that wasps are a dangerous pest when they feel threatened and
they will defend the hive aggressively. Attempting to eliminate a wasp nest
without gauging its size correctly or not using the proper protection or
products could result in serious injury.
If you have any questions
about wasps, you can call our team at Bug King on 0800 54 64 54 to discuss it
further.
Have a happy and safe summer from your local pesties.
Jonathan – Bug King Pest
Control.
