European wasps are an invader! These guys have no natural predator and are very capable of getting through an Australian winter. They thrive at this time of year (Late Summer) and nest sizes are typically approaching their largest size towards the end of summer.
Failing to get onto a wasp nest this season usually means that you’ll be one of the first to find wasps milling around the barbeque or pet food bowls later in the year. We’ve seen active nests as early as late August with the residents telling us the wasps were in the same spot last year but seemed to vanish over winter!
This isn’t the case. Wasps have a complex social structure and the Queen will typically live through the colder months with very little need to exit the nest where she’d likely perish in the cold. Tasmania is usually our biggest indicator here in Ballarat. If Tassie has a big and early wasps season we’ll get a similar impact here in Ballarat.
2015 was a significant year for wasps… they were about with incredibly huge numbers and something we don’t see very often at all, in fact not for a least the previous decade had we seen European Wasps in such numbers. What can cause this is warmer than usual winter conditions but also a lack of action by landowners and homeowners in the 2014/15 summer to eradicate or have professionally treated European Wasp nests.
So what makes your home a wasp haven?
There are so many attractive features around many homes in the Ballarat area it’s hard to list them all. What we can suggest is no home is immune from wasp invasion. They will typically make a nest anywhere they want. This could be in the ground or in a roof or wall cavity.
For the foraging wasps that seem to hang around every time you’re outside these tips will help reduce their numbers appearing around your home:
- Avoid leaving food scraps laying around. BBQ’s should be cleaned well and sugary drink bottles or cans disposed of after use.
- Avoid giving the dog bones during the day. Wasps will be attracted to them. If your dog must enjoy a bone it’s best done at sunset and collected before sunrise.
- Don’t over fill the rubbish bin. Wasps will feed in bins with insecure lids.
- Cover compost well. Wasps are attracted to the odour and will feed if they can get access.
- Water sources are a big attraction because wasps take a lot of water. Tip up empty pots and other water sources, cover pools and keep dogs water bowls in sheltered or covered areas.
- Cover exposed food when dining outdoors. Wasps like sweet items but will also eat meat and other food stuff. They’re not fussy!
- When drinking from cans or non see through containers be cautious that a wasp hasn’t entered and consequently when you drink it you’ll be stung on the tongue! This can be a serious health emergency due to swelling.
We also commonly observe that soft flowering plants are attractive to wasps and your vegetable garden is an easy target. Wasps will chew the flower buds from capsicum, mill around corn and get amongst tomato crops so take extra care around your vege garden.
How to eradicate European Wasps?
There are many products on the market that are designed to help you DIY pest control wasp problems. Of the hundreds of products we’ve come across I don’t think there is one that provides adequate instructions on doing the job right. Whilst the poison contained within is going to do the job, more often than not it does not because of inadequate or failed application. The key to dealing with European wasp nests is to have the right tools and experience to do the job safely, effectively and without fuss.
RID Pest Control are expert wasp eradicators. We guarantee wasps are GONE the same day, our treatment won’t take several days and you’ll know right away that your home is safe again.
We’ve had calls from clients who’ve gone up to the big green shed and grabbed whatever the ‘expert’ they stumbled across told them works… they went home, tried it…. waited several days and then called us because they had no luck. Almost always it’s because they followed instructions on the label which were inadequate.
We understand that DIY products are emerging to the consumer market at a growing rate but there is no substitute for professional experience, service and knowledge. After all you’re putting yourself at risk by attempting to kill wasps around your home or yard whether you do it at night or in the middle of the day… it’s goes without saying that once disturbed wasps will attack and defend their nest.
European Wasps sting more than once. Unlike bees, they can keep stinging and it’s not uncommon for a single wasps to inflict 3, 4 or even 8 stings within a few centimetres of each other. The real concern is where a heap of worker wasps attack at once and sting you so many times you go into anaphylactic shock and possibly die from the dangerous nature of wasp stings.
RID Pest Control offer urgent and emergency call out appointments for prompt, safe and 100% effective wasp eradication services. Call us on 0414 567 977 for EUROPEAN WASP CONTROL.
European wasp control and eradication in Ballarat, all Ballarat suburbs, Ballan, Daylesford, Avoca, Creswick, Ararat, Beaufort, Lexton, Skipton, Bannockburn, Linton, Meredith, Lal Lal and all surrounding areas.