To understand and properly discover a wasp nest, it’s important to be aware of what they look like, where they can be found, and how the nests are built. Many people mistake wasps and their nests for bees, and commonly use the wrong methods for avoidance or removal. Since wasps can be more dangerous to humans than bees are, it’s crucial to learn how to properly identify the difference. If you notice a nest in or around the outside of your home, make sure to take the proper steps to identify and carefully handle the best situation before it becomes a serious threat to you and your family.
Identifying a Wasp Nest
Wasp nests can start out quite small, so it may be a bit difficult to notice one at first. If you want to properly identify a wasp nest, it would be ideal to first keep an eye on the path in which the wasps return during their flight. This makes it a lot easier to discover the nests in the summer as the number of wasps grow and they become more aggressive. The sooner in the season that you locate the nest, the easier it will be remove them from your property. Since beehives and wasp hives need different treatment, it’s important that you understand exactly what you’re looking for. Especially since bees are becoming an endangered species.
A hornet wasp will usually make their nest larger and in the shape of a football. A paper wasp will build a smaller nest in the shape of an umbrella. While yellow jackets tend to prefer their nests to be underground. However, all types of wasps will have a nest that resembles paper along the outside. If you are still unsure whether you have a wasp nest or a beehive in your property, it’s best to call in the professionals to have it checked out and handled the correct and safe way.
How They Create Nests
The queen wasp begins the design of a nest by first selecting a suitable site. Once she finds the perfect spot, she begins searching for the components of the nest, including trees, wood fibers, and cardboard. With her strong jaw, the queen then begins scraping wood fibers from the source to use for her nest. Using her saliva and the wood fibers, the queen wasp breaks down the components for the nest and forms the wood fibers into soft paper. She then will take the mixture in her mouth and fly it over to her chosen spot and begin the construction of the wasp nest. Meanwhile, the worker wasps help form the paper mixture into cells for the nest.
As the paper mixture dries, it will begin to form a sturdy nest for the current and future wasps of the pack. In some cases, wasps will also use a mud mixture to keep the nest nice and strong. As time goes on and the colony grows larger, the queen and her worker wasps continue to add on to the nest making sure it grows with the colony. The chewed up wood fibers and saliva from the wasps are what gives off the paper-look to the walls of the nest. This is one of the main identifiers for discovering a wasp nest. You can often find them in sheltered areas inside the cavities of walls, garages, roofs, and sheds.
Finding Help for Removal
Once you properly discover a wasp nest, it’s important to stay away from the area and avoid disturbing the nest. It can become quite a nuisance, however, it’s crucial that you handle the situation safely with caution. A wasp removal Toronto specialist can safely remove a wasp nest from your property without you having to personally deal with the danger on your own. This is by far the most effective and safest way to remove wasps from your property. Do not attempt to swing or swat at the wasps or their nest and use caution when being outside in the area surrounding a nest to avoid being stung by the aggressive wasps.