Wasps

[kme3388]

Has anyone else observed Wasps being overly aggressive this year? I feel like there’s a lot more of them as well. I’ve been stung 3 times this year (I’m outside a lot), so hasn’t everyone in my family.

Is there something going on with these wasps?

Also the stores in the upper part of the state I live in are sold out of wasp spray. The sales person told my father in law they’ve never ran into this issue either.

 

[Jcas]

The wasps are getting bad here ( Midwest USA) but they always do in the fall; it’s like they know they’re going to die soon and that makes them angry! I can’t say I’ve noticed them being worse than usual though. However, since I’m allergic to wasp stings, we’re very conscientious about spraying and knocking down nests year round. I hope your wasps die off soon, they are nasty little suckers!

 

[kme3388]

The wasps are getting bad here ( Midwest USA) but they always do in the fall; it’s like they know they’re going to die soon and that makes them angry! I can’t say I’ve noticed them being worse than usual though. However, since I’m allergic to wasp stings, we’re very conscientious about spraying and knocking down nests year round. I hope your wasps die off soon, they are nasty little suckers!

I’m sorry to hear you are allergic 😢 My father in laws hand swelled up to about double the size. None of the rest of us are allergic, and haven’t ever seen someone who has severe allergies to them. I just itch if I get stung.

Nico my Ekkie got ahold of one, and ate it. I just wasn’t fast enough to get the whole thing out of his beak. What can you do? It is what it is.

 

[Jcas]

Nico, just being a bird 🤣. My chickens eat wasps but I think my pet birds would freak out if they saw one!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The wasps are getting bad here ( Midwest USA) but they always do in the fall; it’s like they know they’re going to die soon and that makes them angry! I can’t say I’ve noticed them being worse than usual though. However, since I’m allergic to wasp stings, we’re very conscientious about spraying and knocking down nests year round. I hope your wasps die off soon, they are nasty little suckers!

I work at Lowes in the garden department and noticed a definite pattern to when insects become a problem this year based on what everyone is buying. Some of this is based on this year being extremely rainy

First it's ants. Spring and early summer were nothing but rain rain rain. All that rain drives ants out of the ground to seek drier.
At the same, time ticks are a huge problem.
Next is Slug Bait. Those nasties love rain and can devour most soft tender seedlings.
Also in spring are lawn grubs. People buy bags of Grub-ex, which is expensive stuff.
Mid-july is when the lawn grubs emerge from the ground as Japanese Beetles that eat foliage and flowers and we sell Japanese Beetles traps which always sell out of by mid-August. These beetles are only around for about one month and die naturally after they mate and lay their eggs in your lawn.
Right now it's wasp/hornet/yellow jacket time and everyone is buying cans of wasp spray.

What's difficult about insect pest control is getting rid of them without using anything that's toxic to pets. Most of the non-toxic sprays that rely on essential oils to control insect pests aren't very effective.

 

[kme3388]

I work at Lowes in the garden department and noticed a definite pattern to when insects become a problem this year based on what everyone is buying. Some of this is based on this year being extremely rainy

First it's ants. Spring and early summer were nothing but rain rain rain. All that rain drives ants out of the ground to seek drier.
At the same, time ticks are a huge problem.
Next is Slug Bait. Those nasties love rain and can devour most soft tender seedlings.
Also in spring are lawn grubs. People buy bags of Grub-ex, which is expensive stuff.
Mid-july is when the lawn grubs emerge from the ground as Japanese Beetles that eat foliage and flowers and we sell Japanese Beetles traps which always sell out of by mid-August. These beetles are only around for about one month and die naturally after they mate and lay their eggs in your lawn.
Right now it's wasp/hornet/yellow jacket time and everyone is buying cans of wasp spray.

What's difficult about insect pest control is getting rid of them without using anything that's toxic to pets. Most of the non-toxic sprays that rely on essential oils to control insect pests aren't very effective.

Where I’m at (Minnesota) has been extremely dry. I don’t think myself, or my husband in our time living here (our entire lives) have ever seen such a dry summer. I stopped watering my lawn, and let it die. I just couldn’t keep up. My neighbors lawns don’t look any better.

The wasps this year just have been awful. I’ve been stung 3 times this year, and I haven’t been stung sense I was a kid (20+ years ago). My husband has never been stung, and he has this year. He came home from work early because his foot was burning so badly where he got stung. His parents haven’t been stung sense the 90’s both got stung this year.

We found wasp spray at Fleet farm, and removed the only nest we could find at our house. There are still a lot of them around our house.

All of us got stung because these wasps are flying up our clothing too. I got stung 3 times by one wasp this week alone I was just outside walking Nico, and my dog. They are vicious little things!

 

[Jcas]

Where I’m at (Minnesota) has been extremely dry. I don’t think myself, or my husband in our time living here (our entire lives) have ever seen such a dry summer. I stopped watering my lawn, and let it die. I just couldn’t keep up. My neighbors lawns don’t look any better.

The wasps this year just have been awful. I’ve been stung 3 times this year, and I haven’t been stung sense I was a kid (20+ years ago). My husband has never been stung, and he has this year. He came home from work early because his foot was burning so badly where he got stung. His parents haven’t been stung sense the 90’s both got stung this year.

We found wasp spray at Fleet farm, and removed the only nest we could find at our house. There are still a lot of them around our house.

All of us got stung because these wasps are flying up our clothing too. I got stung 3 times by one wasp this week alone I was just outside walking Nico, and my dog. They are vicious little things! View attachment 54045

Ouch 😬. Same here; super dry. We’ve officially been in a drought for about two months but it’s been dry since late spring. DonnaBudgie, Two pet- safe wasp sprays which we have found to be effective are EcoSmart and Zevo. We’ve used them for years and they work practically as well as the chemical sprays in my experience. Yellow Jackets can be a little more stubborn, but my Dad killed off a nest of them for me ( in my chicken coop wall!!!) with the Zevo and a week later they haven’t come back. The one positive thing about it being so dry is that ticks are almost non-existent this summer.

 

[kme3388]

Ouch 😬. Same here; super dry. We’ve officially been in a drought for about two months but it’s been dry since late spring. DonnaBudgie, Two pet- safe wasp sprays which we have found to be effective are EcoSmart and Zevo. We’ve used them for years and they work practically as well as the chemical sprays in my experience. Yellow Jackets can be a little more stubborn, but my Dad killed off a nest of them for me ( in my chicken coop wall!!!) with the Zevo and a week later they haven’t come back. The one positive thing about it being so dry is that ticks are almost non-existent this summer.

I just bought Zevo fly spray for my indoor plants. Wow 😮 does that have a strong Mint smell, and it lingers. It’s the only thing I could find that was safe for my parrots/dogs.

It says not to spray on plants. All the flys I’m trying to kill are in my plants. I’ve accidentally sprayed my plants a lot. Hopefully my plants don’t die.

It says to use a spray stream to spray a fly… well I’m not this coordinated by any means. It’s more challenging then one would think 😂😂😂😂

 

[SailBoat]

The wasps are getting bad here ( Midwest USA) but they always do in the fall; it’s like they know they’re going to die soon and that makes them angry! I can’t say I’ve noticed them being worse than usual though. However, since I’m allergic to wasp stings, we’re very conscientious about spraying and knocking down nests year round. I hope your wasps die off soon, they are nasty little suckers!

It is very important to understand that Wasps are to begin with very aggressive and unlike honey bees can regrow their stingers. As a result, they have little reason to hold back when confronted, whereas, honey bees will die once they use their stinger.

It is important to keep an eye out for what is flying around you!

 

[Jcas]

I just bought Zevo fly spray for my indoor plants. Wow 😮 does that have a strong Mint smell, and it lingers. It’s the only thing I could find that was safe for my parrots/dogs.

It says not to spray on plants. All the flys I’m trying to kill are in my plants. I’ve accidentally sprayed my plants a lot. Hopefully my plants don’t die.

It says to use a spray stream to spray a fly… well I’m not this coordinated by any means. It’s more challenging then one would think 😂😂😂😂

The smell is quite strong; I’ve only ever used it outside! I think your plants will probably be okay but you could mist them with a little water to help dilute the spray, if you wanted. As for hitting the bugs directly with a stream of bug spray; well, I’m no Wild West gunslinger. I pretty much just soak the whole area 😂.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

The smell is quite strong; I’ve only ever used it outside! I think your plants will probably be okay but you could mist them with a little water to help dilute the spray, if you wanted. As for hitting the bugs directly with a stream of bug spray; well, I’m no Wild West gunslinger. I pretty much just soak the whole area 😂.

When using any wasp killing pesticide outdoors ALWAYS do it at night when all the wasps are home and "sleeping". If they are ground wasps, rake any leaves away from where they are coming out of the ground and aim the spray as close to their entrance holes as possible and then RUN LIKE HELL!
If you have any family members with allergies to stings, especially children, please consider calling a professional to do the job for you.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

I live in Manitoba, (Central) Canada and I've not seen a summer-fall wasp season this bad since 1996! They're everywhere and thank the GODS I've not been stung! Even the neighbor has a wasp trap up.

Scary stuff!

 

[Guest46745]

Looking online, it seems the heatwaves we all experienced this summer increased the amount of wasps (and other insects) by a very large margin. One site said wasps increased over 300%... yikes! Oddly, I live in the southeast and was outside all summer but did not notice more than usual. Sadly, I did notice less butterflies (I grow wildflowers).

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I just bought Zevo fly spray for my indoor plants. Wow 😮 does that have a strong Mint smell, and it lingers. It’s the only thing I could find that was safe for my parrots/dogs.

It says not to spray on plants. All the flys I’m trying to kill are in my plants. I’ve accidentally sprayed my plants a lot. Hopefully my plants don’t die.

It says to use a spray stream to spray a fly… well I’m not this coordinated by any means. It’s more challenging then one would think 😂😂😂😂

I just read that if you mix peppermint oil with water in a large spray bottle along with a bit of Dawn dish soap and spray it on your outdoor plants (roses, flowering plants, anything you really care about) Japanese Beetles will be repelled by the strong scent and won't eat the treated plants! You need to reapply it frequently because it does wash off in the rain. I'm excited to try it next year because I really hate using poisons in my yard unless I have to. When I have a wasp or hornet nest close to my house I bite the bullet and use poison because I'm allergic and can't take chances. If I spray them with something that makes them angry and uncomfortable rather than outright killing them they could attack. But I'm thinking that maybe I will try staying the peppermint oil solution (Zevo and similar products use it and other essential oils) under the eaves of my house early next spring to discourage them from building their nests there.

 

[kme3388]

I maybe see 1 or 2 bumble bees each year. Monarch butterflies I never see. Wasps are like the new mosquito here 🦟

 

[Guest46745]

I just read that if you mix peppermint oil with water in a large spray bottle along with a bit of Dawn dish soap and spray it on your outdoor plants (roses, flowering plants, anything you really care about) Japanese Beetles will be repelled by the strong scent and won't eat the treated plants! You need to reapply it frequently because it does wash off in the rain. I'm excited to try it next year because I really hate using poisons in my yard unless I have to. When I have a wasp or hornet nest close to my house I bite the bullet and use poison because I'm allergic and can't take chances. If I spray them with something that makes them angry and uncomfortable rather than outright killing them they could attack. But I'm thinking that maybe I will try staying the peppermint oil solution (Zevo and similar products use it and other essential oils) under the eaves of my house early next spring to discourage them from building their nests there.

Not using chemicals is my thing, so I can confirm that peppermint is the ultimate natural scent that repels most insects, including roaches. Even just growing it around your house will repel bugs. I fantasied about replacing my grass with mint, lol. DON'T use it indoors around your birds though, it can cause them bad respiratory problems (as will most oil scents)! For indoors, they do make bird safe bug sprays made out of Pyrethrum. For wasps, if you have an area wasps like to build nests, like under the eaves of your house, leave the old nests up or buy fake plastic ones to put up (google them). Wasps won't build new nests near old wasp nests. Also there's no need to kill the reddish brown colored wasps. Those are paper wasps and are more afraid of you then you are of them. Yellow colors though, they are mean.

 

[kme3388]

Our neighbor told us to use all this stuff to get rid of all these wasps he said it makes his grass green too

 

[kme3388]

Nico just had his bath. Look around… there’s a wasp right outside his window 🐝

Nico watches the wasps a lot, and he seems entertained by them.

 

[Jcas]

Not using chemicals is my thing, so I can confirm that peppermint is the ultimate natural scent that repels most insects, including roaches. Even just growing it around your house will repel bugs. I fantasied about replacing my grass with mint, lol. DON'T use it indoors around your birds though, it can cause them bad respiratory problems (as will most oil scents)! For indoors, they do make bird safe bug sprays made out of Pyrethrum. For wasps, if you have an area wasps like to build nests, like under the eaves of your house, leave the old nests up or buy fake plastic ones to put up (google them). Wasps won't build new nests near old wasp nests. Also there's no need to kill the reddish brown colored wasps. Those are paper wasps and are more afraid of you than you are of them. Yellow colors though, they are mean.

Even though some sprays are marketed as “ bird safe,” I would advise people to be very careful using pyrethrum around birds. I killed one of my chickens using a watered down pyrethrin flea shampoo to treat mites. Pyrethrin is a more concentrated form of pyrethrum, but personally I would not use either around my birds. I agree with the peppermint; we use it to repel ants 🐜.

 

[kme3388]

I have used the zevo fly indoor/outdoor spray in my house. I had a bunch of gnats. It’s the only thing I could find in my local area that would be pet safe. Birds are aves (reptiles) from my understanding. I am guessing that there isn’t a lot of studies on if these chemicals are safe for them? I did notice that there was a very strong mint scent using the zevo, and spraying a minimal amount fills the entire room. It takes hours of the windows being open to dissipate the smell. I should try a safer way for my birds.



Paper wasps I’ve never seen in person. I’ve heard of them of course, and that they benefit crops. I won’t bore a bunch of people about that.



Bumble bees I don’t mind gardening with. They don’t sting me. They just fly around, and pollinate. The wasps think the entire planet is their territory, and sting just because they feel like it. Yellow jackets are brutal. That’s what I’m currently dealing with. Nothing seems to be repelling them to a more tolerable population. This spring my local area asked people not to mow, and fertilize I believe to bring up bee populations I’d have to go back, and read (it may have been for butterflies). They didn’t fail increasing wasp populations. I don’t think that was the exact goal by any means.