No matter where in the great state of New York you reside — in the heart of the big city, the quiet suburbs, or the outskirts of the countryside — you’ll never be able to escape the possible impact of obnoxious pests like members of the cantankerous wasp family. Like the rest of the greater bee family, these small, winged insects are iconic for the pattern of yellow and black stripes over their bodies. The primary distinction between members of these two colonizing groups of bugs, however, is their hair, or, in the case of the wasp family, their lack thereof. Did you spot a yellow-jacketed insect buzz past your face, looking almost fuzzy due to the hair all over its body? It’s a bee. Did you see a sleek, smooth, and hairless body? It’s a wasp.
There is more to the wasp family than its parallels to the bumbling bee family. There are a great number of buzzers in the wasp family, and more often than not, they include the more aggressive, disagreeable members of either family. Yellowjackets are wasps, as are hornets and all their subspecies. Wasps are overall a very contentious family, but they do serve a purpose in the animal kingdom. They are essential insectoid predators who maintain the populations of many other bugs. Nevertheless, if they find their way into a human’s domain, such as yours, they have the potential to be incredibly harmful.
How To Use Landscaping To Your Advantage
It may seem daunting to battle wasps outdoors in their natural habitat, but the process can be so much simpler. After all, your New York property is your own natural environment, so why not use it against them? Try following these groundskeeping steps to take back your territory:
- Wasps often try to build their hives above ground, hanging from horizontal posts and, more commonly, tree branches. If you have any such plant life on your property, attempt to cut down any branches that are particularly long or strong.
- Keep your lawn consistently mowed! In addition to their more noticeable tree-hung homes, wasps can convert well-hidden holes into the perfect underground nests. If the grass around these holes is nice and short, however, the area becomes much less viable.
- You can further protect your property from subterranean wasp nests by locating the burrows they like to hijack and covering them up.
- Be wary of the flowers growing near your home. While wasps do not drink the nectar of flowers like their cousins the honeybees, the captivating aromas of sweet flowers do attract them all the same.
- In addition, consider replacing the flowers you find with plants whose fragrances drive wasps away. Among the most popular of these are marigold, pennyroyal, basil, and wormwood.
Even More Tips For Preventing Wasps Around Your New York Property
No one wants wasps anywhere near the place they eat, sleep, and live their lives. There is a lot landscaping can do to dissuade wasps from taking interest in certain areas, but to truly protect your land, there are a number of simple precautions you should keep in mind.
- Part of proper wasp control comes from not only making your lawn inhospitable to the yellow-jacketed pests, but also the bugs whose larvae wasps enjoy stealing for a snack. Keep your yards clear of the debris these insects can use as hiding places!
- Wasps love the smell of human food, especially the stuff you throw away. To keep these pests from finding your outdoor trash canisters, always seal the cans shut, and if you have a compost pile, cover that as well.
- If you have any indoor food containers, keep them a good distance away from doors and windows you may leave open from time to time, so their smells won’t drift outside.
- Removing the odors that wasps like is one thing, but taking advantage of the fragrances they don’t is entirely another! When you go outside, use scents that smell of things like mint, garlic, or vinegar instead of the classic sweeter or fruitier fragrances.
- Fittingly enough, wasps love the color yellow. If you want them to stay away, avoid wearing the color when outdoors in environments where they may reside.
- Need a new color to replace the yellow pieces in your wardrobe? Use the color red! Interestingly enough, this fiery hue is practically invisible to the eyes of these yellowjackets.
Regardless of which member of the wasp family you’re dealing with, wasps are very dangerous! For more professional prevention assistance or for the safe removal of an active nest, contact the experts at BHB Pest Elimination.
