Do you remember climbing the apple tree as a kid only to disturb a hornet or yellow jacket and then running back home crying from the walloping sting left behind? Then when you go to retell the story, you cannot remember if it was a yellow insect with black stripes, or maybe a black insect with yellow stripes.
When looking back on your unpleasant experience, you may not know which wasp species stung you. The “wasp” terminology encases more than 30,000 species around the world, but here in Massachusetts, we only deal with a few types of yellow jackets and hornets. Though you do not want wasp nests around your home, these stinging insects are valuable to the environment. They eat soft-bodied insects such as fleas and mites and they also help pollinate plant species. Despite their positive contributions to your ecosystem, they still have a painful sting that they deliver to victims that threaten their nest. For humans with an allergy to venom, their sting can be life-threatening. Let the professionals at Freedom Pest Control help keep these pests away from your home. We can show you some simple at-home methods to use with our professional services.
Landscaping to Control Wasps Around the Home
Stinging insect control begins with maintaining areas throughout your yard. Think about what kinds of flowers and trees you plant and where you plant them. Some helpful tips for yard maintenance include:
- Planting grass or ground cover to get rid of potential ground-nesting
- Soaking grass thoroughly all summer long, making the soil too dense to burrow
- Disposing of dropped fruit from trees and cull any damaged hanging fruit
- Planting wasp-repelling plants such as cucumber, basil, and mint
- Filling flower gardens with geraniums, marigolds, and pennyroyals
- Planting citronella around the perimeter of your home – this also acts as a mosquito repellent
- Avoiding plants such as sweet fennel, yarrow, and spearmint near the home
- Planting fruit trees away from your home and any other areas you frequent
Seven Basic Wasp Prevention Tips
Aside from thoughtful landscaping, there are other tactics you can implement to keep wasps away from your Merrimac home. Here are seven helpful tips:
- Keep all food and drinks covered when outside. That includes keeping your grill top closed and properly disposing of any grease.
- Properly store or cover pet food and dispose of household waste in sealed bags or containers.
- Try natural methods such as covering any ground gives with diatomaceous earth, spraying or covering hives with a mixture of dish soap and water, or using an oil blend of clove-geranium-lemongrass in a spray bottle around their high-traffic areas.
- Make homemade glass traps that serve as both wasp management and outdoor decoration.
- Patch up any cracks in the home that they may use to access the inside of your house or other buildings.
- Keep windows and doors shut.
- Check for nests because it is important to take care of these before they have a chance to develop into larger hives.
Professional Wasp Control in Massachusetts
Dealing with a wasp infestation on your property can be unnerving. Having wasps near your home can be scary and getting rid of an infestation on your own is downright dangerous. Unless you manage to get rid of the queen, the hive will stick around. This can prove to be a difficult task as a person would have to wait near and watch the nest for the queen to emerge.
Fortunately, the experts at Freedom Pest Control have the equipment and experience to get the job done right. We offer an affordable residential pest control plan suited to you and your home. As part of our plan, the professionals at Freedom Pest Control will inspect your home and your property for stinging insect nests. We will safely remove any nests and spray your property with a deterrent that will keep these pests from returning. We also offer emergency and seasonal services. Protect your family and your pets from stinging insects. Reach out to the experts at Freedom Pest Control today!