Bees & Wasps Prepare For Fall

September 12, 2016

In: Residential Pest Control  |  Stinging Insects

Summer vacation is over. The kids are all back in school and you are taking advantage of the warm weather that in just a few short weeks will give way to full-blown Fall. It’s nice to have a bit of a reprieve from the summer heat to be able to get your yard in order for the coming colder months of winter. The end of summer will inevitably give us a false sense of security that all of the bugs we have protected ourselves against in the great outdoors are gone until next year. In reality, many insects are just as active now as they are all summer as they prepare to find a place to live for the winter. Bees and wasps, for instance, are particularly notorious for their preparations for the coming cold weather. If you spend any time outside you might have noticed that these flying insects are particularly busy in the autumn. If there are people out and about especially bearing sweet drinks these guys will find you.

For bees, they instinctively know that as the days get shorter it is time to gather food to get them and their entire colony ready for winter. The end of summer brings a lot less of what these insects need the most, nectar. It is critical that bees are able to gather enough to support their entire hive through a long winter when there will be no other food to be found. Typically, bees are not prone to aggression unless their hive is threatened, but as the season winds down, bees are under a lot of pressure to get the job done.

For wasps, their lives have changed dramatically in just a few short months. Having spent the better part of the summer gathering protein-filled treats in the form of other insects such as mosquitoes and flies for their nest, the wasp suddenly finds himself without a job in a nest overflowing with new, young wasps. New queens have been fertilized and have left the overcrowded nests to winter somewhere safe such as under the bark of a tree. There they will wait out the weather to start a brand new nest of their own in the spring. For just a few weeks the original worker wasps will binge on anything sweet they can find before cold weather comes and their short life is over making way for the next generation to take their place. This new found “sweet tooth” and an overcrowded home makes these wasps much more aggressive than they were before.

Typically, bees and wasps are beneficial to man. Wasps help keep the population of other insects down and they both pollinate crops and flowers for us. However, sometimes their nests and hives are a bit too close for comfort where humans frequent making a nice day outside perilous for the humans that they might be in contact with. A nasty sting can have dire consequences if you have an allergy or if you get stung multiple times by wasps trying to get a bite of your apple.

If you do find that there is a nest near your home, it is important that you call in a professional for removal. Home remedies might do much more harm than good if you anger the very insects you are trying to get rid of. American Pest Solutions will be able to get rid of the danger safely and quickly so that you can enjoy a safer and happier Fall.