Have you ever been on a walk outdoors and heard a familiar steady buzz? We all know the sound. For some, this sound is enough for them to duck for cover because they know what it means. It means there is a strong possibility that stinging insects are nearby. Our goal with this article is to give you the tools to keep this sound and the painful stingers behind it from showing up in your Raleigh yard where they are not welcome.
Why Stingers Are Out Around NC and The Southeast
If you are an observant individual you have noticed that stinging insects such as bees, wasps, and hornets go away during the winter months. What you may not know is that not all stinging insects die off. Every year, thousands upon thousands of queens survive with one sole purpose in life, to build a new colony once the weather heats back up. As we head into summer, the weather has already been heating up for a while. Queens everywhere have set up their colonies and reproduced to the point where it is hard to go outside without seeing a stinger buzzing about. The question is, is your property what expanding queens are looking for?
Steps To Deter Stinging Insects From Invading Your Yard
The trick to keeping stinging insects away from your yard is to make it as unattractive to them as possible. You wouldn’t buy a home that doesn’t have running water or a roof, and stinging insects will not settle into a yard that lacks their basic needs. For most stinging insects, these needs include sweets or meats. Here are ways you can control the availability of these items around your property.
Clean up after outdoor gatherings, making sure no food or beverages are left out.
If you feed your dog or cat outside, pick up their bowls after they are done with them.
For any fruit trees in your yard, do your best to pick up fruit if it falls on the ground.
If you don’t mind having a property without flowers, remove what you can as flowers are a big attractant to almost all stingers.
Make sure your trash cans have tight-fitting lids so stingers can’t get inside to scavenge.
To keep stingers away from yourself, be careful to avoid scents such as perfumes.
Why Call Pest & Termite Consultants If You See Stinging Insects In Your Yard
Sometimes prevention is just not enough, and stinging insects still decide your property is worth building on. If this is the case for your home, do not try to handle the problem on your own. The last thing we want is for you to get hurt doing the job of a professional. To find out how we deal with wasps, bees, and hornets here at Pest & Termite Consultants and to schedule a time for us to come out and treat your property for your unwanted guests, give us a call today!