Category: Pest Control

How To Get Rid Of A Wasp Nest

Wasps are known to sing even when they are not provoked. Therefore, it’s essential to understand the correct methods on how to get rid of a wasp nest correctly. Removing a wasp nest can be challenging as a sting from a wasp can be extremely painful, especially if there is a chance that you may be allergic to a wasp sting. Wasp nest removal is therefore required when you notice any level of activity in and around your property. To reduce the risk of being stung.

Although we offer tips on how to get rid of a wasp nest, we always advise not to attempt it yourself. Instead, get a professional pest control company to remove the wasp nest. Removing a wasp nest can be extremely dangerous. Multiple stings can lead to a hospital visit and in rare cases where wasps have stung inside the mouth or other sensitive areas – death.

About Wasp Nests

Wasp nests have been known to home up to 20,000 wasps. Nests can grow to the size of a small car if they are left untouched. Mind-boggling figures! The usual places in which wasps nests are found are loft spaces, sheds or inside cavity walls. However, they really can nest anywhere, so don’t be surprised if you find a wasp nest in an unusual place

Wasps are different from bees in the fact that they can sting continuously. Therefore, a wasp nest is capable of literally thousands and thousands of stings. Meaning as soon as you notice a wasp nest, you should be looking for methods on how to remove a wasp nest.

Do I have bees or wasps?

Don’t worry!​ If you have either of the three, there are tips available on how to remove the nest. Wasps, bees, and hornets can all be removed if you contact a professional and trained operative.

WAYS TO GET RID OF WASPS

Discover The Best Ways To Eliminate Wasps

Wasps are very annoying insects. Not only do they buzz around and insist on trying to settle on you, they can also deliver a nasty sting. People can be forgiven wanting to get rid of them. That can be done by either killing them or getting them to move away..

Keep Wasps Away From The House and Garden

Because wasps pollinate flowers, they are very likely to be found in the garden. This means they can be very annoying if you want to relax outside your own home. Here there are several ways to get rid of the wasps without resorting to killing them.

Create A Homemade Wasp Trap

For those who have no qualms about killing wasps, there are several ways to do this. One is by creating your own homemade wasp trap. A wasp trap can easily be made with items found around the home. All that is needed is a jar with a lid, some orange juice and a spoonful of jam.

Swat The Wasp

Swatting the wasp is the simplest, but arguably the least effective way, to kill wasps. A flyswatter can be used, but many people roll up a newspaper to do the swatting. Wasps are very quick and you will need to wait until they rest on a surface before you can swat. If your reflexes are not quick enough you could end up with a wasp which will attack to defend itself, leaving you likely to be stung.

Use Insecticides

Insecticides, delivered via an aerosol can are a very effective way of getting rid of, and killing, wasps. The main problem is that they are really only effective in enclosed spaces with windows and doors closed.

How to Get Rid of a Wasp Nest in the Roof

It can be a very scary moment. There you are, enjoying an early summer’s afternoon on your deck and suddenly you notice worker wasps flying into and out of your roof’s eaves. The scary part? Unlike with ground nesting wasps, this means the pests are actually living in your house! You better find out how to get rid of the wasp nest in the roof before things get out of hand.

Before You Begin

First, the best way to remove wasp nests is to call a professional roofing company who will do a full roof inspection. If you decide to do your own pest control and tackle the nest removal yourself, you must make sure you are not allergic to wasp stings. If you’re not sure, you will need to visit your doctor to be tested for the allergy. Remember, your nest may be home to one of many different species of wasps, including yellow jackets, paper wasps and bald-faced hornets.

Steps to How to Get Rid of a Wasp Nest in The Roof

Safety is even more important for something like getting rid of wasps and bees than it is normally. If you are attacked and/or stung, it can trigger a panic reaction and make you act before thinking.

Wear protective Clothing – To further reduce the chance of being stung, you should wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, gloves, shoes, a hat and even face covering and safety goggles. And that’s regardless of the time of year. No excuses for it being hot outside.

Locate the Wasp Nest – If you noticed wasps entering through your soffit, they may be in the eaves just above the soffit, or they may be in the rafters of your attic. Use that exterior entry point as a guide to finding the nest. If they are in the home, the sound of wasps chewing wood during the day can lead you to the nest.

Approach the Nest in the Early Evening or Early Morning – It is important to get rid of the nest when all the wasps are ‘at home’. While this might seem counter-intuitive, it is better to get rid of the nest when the wasps aren’t active.

Use Water or Wasp Killer – If the nest is in the eaves and visible from the outside after you remove the soffit, you may be able to spray the nest with water. Be sure to use the high-velocity setting on the hose’s nozzle. A pressure washer may damage your roof. Keep spraying the nest until the water completely soaks and destroys it. Plan an escape route if you are attacked. If you use a wasp killer, follow the instructions on the can.

Natural Wasp Killer – How To Get Rid Of Wasps Without Chemicals

While there are plenty of harsh chemicals that can kill wasps, you may be looking for a natural wasp killer to keep your summer gatherings pest- and sting-free. Natural wasp killers are cheaper, don’t contain any harmful chemicals, and you can often make them with ingredients you have on hand.

Natural Wasp Killer—Traps

The first natural wasp killer we recommend are traps. Whether you prefer to purchase them or create your own homemade version, traps are a highly effective way to kill wasps naturally.

DIY

To DIY a natural wasp killer, take a two-liter soda bottle, cut the neck off, and throw away the top. Fill the bottle about halfway with water. Spread the jam around the bottleneck, and then place it back on the bottle upside down, making sure to secure the bottleneck with tape. Then put it close to where the wasps congregate.

What makes this homemade option so effective is that the wasps enter the bottle because of the jam, but they have a hard time getting out. Eventually, they drown in the water, and you can make this wasp killer even more effective by adding some dish soap.

Store-bought

If you’d rather buy one, there are plenty of all-natural wasp traps, such as a glass option that uses bait to lure them into a beautiful trap that looks more like decoration. You can also find a “trap” that keeps wasps away instead of killing them. Wasps avoid the nests of other wasps, and this “trap” looks like a nest, which will maintain them up to twenty feet away.

Are Wasps Dangerous? A Complete Guide to Wasps

A wasp’s nest near your home can be a source of anxiety for your whole family and with good reason. Like their close relatives, bees and hornets, wasps have painful stings, are territorial, and tenacious in defense of their homes. But are wasps dangerous, and if so, what sort of threat to they present to your loved ones?

What do Wasps Look Like?

With so many different species of stinging insects, knowing what you’re up against is important. Some stinging insects can be dangerous but others are massively beneficial to the local environment, so learning a few identifying characteristics is key to helping you assess your pest control needs

All wasps have:

6 legs

2 wings

2 antennae

Large mouthparts (mandibles)

A signature “pinched” waist

Female wasps have a large stinger while males have none. Typically, wasps range from ¼ inch to 2 inches in length. While wasps come in many different colors, they are most commonly black and yellow, dull red, or shiny black.

How Long do Wasps Live?

A normal wasp lifespan lasts between 12 and 22 days. The queen, however, can live up to a year, during which time she can lay more than 75,000 eggs, the bulk of which she will lay during the Summer.

What Does a Wasp Nest Look Like?

Most wasps build their nests out of a paper-like, wood-based substance called cellulose. Nest types fall into three different categories, exemplified by the three most common wasp species found.

Yellow Jackets build large nests, often underground in abandoned rodent burrows or in protected structures like rotting logs or pipes. Less commonly, they sometimes build nests in exposed areas such as tree branches. Their nests have a single entrance and strong outer layers to protect the colony, which can number up to 15,000 individuals.

Paper Wasps build small exposed nests made up of a distinct honeycomb-like structure. Their nests are usually no more than 5 inches across, rarely supporting more than 200 adults. Anchored to a surface by a single stalk, they’re commonly found in sheltered areas such as under tree branches and the overhanging edges of roofs.

Mud Daubers make single-family nests out of a blend of soil and saliva in a distinctive tubular or “pipe organ” shape. Their nests are typically found on the sides of buildings or in underground burrows.

Pest advice for controlling Mice

Although commonly identified as pests, some are bred and kept as pets. Globally there are hundreds of types of mouse, including varieties such as the deer mouse (Peromyscus), house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus), wood/field mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), Edible dormouse (Glis glis), spiny mouse (Acomys) and even the striped zebra mouse (Lemniscomys).

The dangers: why we control mice

Although mice are often considered to be cute by some people, they are a public health pest and can cause serious harm. Mice have been known to spread nasty diseases – such as Salmonella and Listeria – to humans through their urine, droppings and bedding.

Mice have a need to mark their territory with their urine and due to their sporadic eating habits, build nests near food sources. This puts anyone with an infestation at risk of food poisoning. As they scurry around, they carry dirt and bacteria with them, transferring it to your counter tops, cabinets, pantry and anywhere else they travel.

Mice around businesses

Property and land owners have a legal obligation under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 to keep premises rodent free, or, if rodents pose a threat to health or property, to report infestations to the local authority.

Owners of food businesses also have obligations to keep premises pest free under the Food Safety Act 1990. Environmental Health Officers or General Enforcement Officers can issue enforcement notices to business owners who don’t have adequate pest management procedures in place.

Learn How to Catch a Mouse and Keep Mice Out of Your Home with These Tips

No matter where you live or how long you’ve called the place home, there’s no good time to discover that a rodent roommate has set up shop in your humble abode. From finding mouse droppings in your closet to potential kitchen thievery, the whole shudder-inducing situation is a big fat disaster that homeowners or renters never want to deal with.

So, now that you have an unwanted pest guest, how do you kick him or her to the curb? While you might think you have an idea of how to do this (more so than say, how to get rid of a snake or how to get rid of drain flies), you might be surprised by some of the myths around how to catch a mouse.

ENTRY POINTS

Whether you live in a studio or standalone dwelling, Carrillo notes that every residence has small structural openings, which contractors typically make to accommodate your water, gas, electrical, and data lines. Mice, from either the dirt or sewer, can actually travel through these lines into wall and floor cavities and pop out into your house. Believe it or not, they’re capable of squeezing into spaces as small as a quarter of an inch (yikes).

LACK OF SANITATION

This point is pivotal—any old trash or unsealed food can quickly beckon rodents. “Even if you keep your kitchen spotless, if you have last night’s dinner in your garbage can, that’s still generally an accessible food source for a mouse,” warns Carrillo. To that note, he also adds that the furry critters favor dry goods, like breads, pastas, crackers, and junk food. Put all those Castile soap uses to work and scrub your kitchen down until it’s sparkling clean.

RELOCATION

If your neighbor managed to permanently chase the mice out of their house or apartment unit, that unfortunately means they might migrate to yours. “Sometimes, it’s just a matter of relocation more than attraction,”

Mouse Traps and Trapping Mice

Mice traps for rodent control come in many types of styles. The most common and effective mice traps are snap traps, muliple mice traps and glue traps. The snap type of mice trap has been around a long time. New types of snap traps are constantly coming on the market. Trapping mice requires skill and time.

Location : Good trap placement is an essential step for effective use of mouse traps. Inspect first to determine the activity of the mice. Place traps in areas of high activity. Typical active areas are along walls, behind appliances, behind objects, and darkened corners.Placing mouse traps out evenly at a set distance may provide thorough coverage, but it is not guaranteed to reach the mice. Place traps in areas where mice are running or nesting. To maximize the chances of mice passing over the traps, place along their runways or paths. Place mouse traps at a right angle from the wall, with the trigger end almost touching the wall. If they are set parallel to the wall, set them in pairs with the triggers situated to intercept mice coming from either direction.Use more traps for heavier populations

Use Enough Traps: A common trapping error when placing out mice traps, is to use too few traps. Even for just one or two mice, using six traps are not too many. Place mice traps at intervals of two-ten feet apart. In a typical residential example, use two traps behind the stove, two traps behind the refrigerator, and two traps under the kitchen sink. Most of the time, mice are caught the first night. In a storage room in a restaurant, two dozen traps may be required.

Two Mouse Traps (Snap Traps or Glue Traps) Placed Together : In locations of high mice activity, use two snap or glue mouse traps together, with about 1″ space between them. This would catch mice that try to jump over the traps, a particularly common occurrence.

Aggressive Trapping: Take advantage of the first trap night when trapping mice. More mice are caught the first night, than the following nights. Make sure to set out plenty of traps to take advantage of the timing.

Poisons Used to Kill Rodents Have Safer Alternatives

Each image was, in her word and my perception, “sadder” than the last. There was the great horned owl with a hematoma running the length of its left wing; the red-tailed hawk’s body cavity glistening with unclotted blood; sundry raptors with pools of blood under dissected skin; the redtail with a hematoma that had ballooned its left eye to 10 times normal size; and, “saddest of all,” the redtail with an egg. The well-developed blood vessels in her oviducts had ruptured, and she had slowly bled to death from the inside.

All these birds were victims of “second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides” used by exterminators, farmers, and homeowners. They’re found in such brand names as d-Con, Hot Shot, Generation, Talon, and Havoc, and they sell briskly because of our consuming hatred of rats and mice. The most pestiferous species are alien to the New World and therefore displace native wildlife; they contaminate our food and spread disease. We also hate them for their beady eyes, their naked tails, and their vile depictions in literature, from Aesop to E.B. White. So the general attitude among the public is “if a little poison’s good, a lot’s better.” But even a little second-generation rodenticide kills nontarget wildlife.

Both first- and second-generation rodenticides prevent blood from clotting by inhibiting vitamin K, though the second-generation products build to higher concentrations in rodents and are therefore more lethal to anything that eats them

Fish and Wildlife Service contaminants specialist Michael Fry makes this point about the widespread use of second-generation rodenticides by people oblivious to the dangers: “One good reason for using first-generation poisons is that if you do have a problem, like developing tolerance, you want a backup. If you go in with your strongest thing first, there’s no backup.”

For a rodent to get a lethal dose from a first-generation rodenticide it has to eat it more than once, but that’s not a problem. Leave first-generation baits out for a week and they’re just as efficient as the second generation. What makes second-generation rodenticides so non-selective is that they kill slowly, so rodents keep eating them long after they’ve ingested a lethal dose. By the time they expire, or are about to, they contain many times the lethal dose and are therefore deadly to predators, scavengers, and pets.

Rodents, Food, and Humans – a Deadly Combination

It’s no secret that rodents and food simply do not mix. The sight of a rodent not only deters your customers from returning, but is also attached with major health issues and public safety concerns.

The How

Rodents are dangerous pests that are associated with many diseases. Rats and mice don’t bother to wipe their feet before entering, and they certainly don’t care where they take care of their bathroom needs. For these reasons, many rodents are dangerous transporters of food-borne pathogens, which can be transmitted through saliva, urine, and droppings. In just one day’s time, a single rat can produce 50 half-inch droppings – that’s over two feet of coverage per rat.

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome – A disease carried by some rodents that is spread through direct contact or breathing in dust that is contaminated with rodent urine or droppings. Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, muscle aches, stomach problems, dizziness, and chills; and late symptoms, occurring within 4 to 10 days, present as coughing, shortness of breath and lungs filled with fluid. It is not only your customers who are at risk, but your employees’ health as well.

Rat-Bite Fever – Those exposed to rats carrying the bacteria are at serious risk, even if they aren’t bitten. Rat-bite fever causes fever, vomiting, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and rash. It can be cured with treatment, but if left untreated, rat-bite fever can be fatal.

Salmonellosis – A bacterial infection that can be contracted from eating food contaminated by rat feces. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps and can last four to seven days. Severe cases require hospitalization.