wasps
Most people don’t have the time to asses everything around their home to see if they could be doing something to be breeding pests. Pests in Alabama are just like pests anywhere except that the humid and warm environment during the summer and spring make it ideal for them to thrive.
Something as simple as a wood pile too close to your home can can create a pest problem
It’s obvious to most homeowners to not leave food debris and spills for pests to feed off of. But what about things that aren’t so obvious that you might be doing to encourage pests. In Alabama, we have more warm humid months than we do cold winter months. This makes pest season virtually year around.
So what can we do to around our homes to discourage pests from moving in with us? Here’s a short list I’ve compiled that I think will be most helpful.
1 Keep an eye on the kids (or adults that act like kids) when it comes to eating inside the home.
I have a customer in Homewood who is in a constant struggle between her four kids and her husband to not eat on the couch, in the bedrooms, living room or anywhere else food can find it’s way onto the floor or in the crack of a piece of furniture. Pests will find their way inside and if you’re feeding them, they don’t have an incentive to leave.
2 Look out for wide open spaces.
They actually don’t have to be that wide open but that’s how most pests view little cracks around doors and windows that can be a huge entry point into your home. You don’t have to do anything drastic such as replace them but you can use things such as expanding foam (use it sparingly, it will make a mess) or weather stripping. Most homeowners are under the impression that their home is sealed from the outside. Not true. There’s plenty of cracks and crevices.
3 Keep the brush back
The more vegetation that you have up against your home, the greater the likely hood of pests finding their way inside. Try to at least trim it back to keep it from touching doors and windows.
4 Be careful of what you bring into your home
Pests don’t always come from the outside on their own. They can also be hitchhikers. Ants can be brought in with potted plants. Roaches can be brought in with boxes. Indian mill moths and beetles can be brought in with food items. You can’t always tell but inspect those items regularly.
My name is Greg with ETX Pest Management. Please call or text me @ 205-223-9460 or click here to find out about our four step initial service and how we help our customers to be pest free year around of pests in Alabama. I service select areas of Jefferson and Shelby County areas such as Hoover, Homewood, Vestavia, Pelham, Helena and Alabaster.
FollowOf all of the pests that show up in the warmer months, I think that wasps are among the ones that I hate the most. They’re airborne which means that you don’t have to be sitting still for them to attack you and if you unknowingly get too close to their nest, they let you know that they’re unhappy about it in the harshest way.
I have a customer in the Riverchase/Hoover area that I was servicing for wasps a few years ago. He told me that there were red wasps attacking him as he walked out his back door onto his deck. When I went to inspect, I wasn’t ready to confront them when I walked up on the back deck but they sure were ready for me.
As I approached the top step, I noticed a red wasp on point guarding the nest. All of a sudden, he had swooped down and stung me on top of the head before I know what hit me. If you’ve ever noticed, a red wasp is larger in size that your common brown paper wasps in Alabama.
Wasps often feed off of nectar and other insects
They’re also more aggressive and have a nastier sting. I learned not to be so complacent that day even though I’ve been in the pest control business for many years. I’m not skiddish of wasp nests, but I should have been more cautious.
If you’ve been stung yourself, you probably know how unpleasant it is. Most homeowners freak out when they see a wasp nest anywhere near their home. The question is: Should you be concerned about a wasp nest nearby?
Wasps prefer to build nests under the eaves of your home, under decks and in other areas where they’re protected from the rain. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes in close proximity to where you enter and exit your home.
Be cautious in the summer months and inspect areas around your home where you’ve known them to be in the past including around your doors, including garage doors, under your porch/deck, eaves of your home and don’t forget about out buildings and sheds.
If your home is one story or higher and you notice them swarming very high where you’re standing, it’s not likely they’ll be a threat because they tend to be aggressive if you come near their nest. It’s also common for them to build nests in the soffit vents where they’re inaccessible. Never try to treat or remove an active wasp nest in an area where it is difficult if you need to retreat in a hurry such as in an attic or on a ladder.
Most aerosol wasp sprays are sufficient to control wasp nests and can be picked up at most discount/grocery stores. So the next time you see a wasp nest adjacent to your home, assess if it’s too close for comfort. If it isn’t, it may be fine just to leave it alone.