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Autumn Stings

It’s officially fall, which means Michigan’s woods and fields are buzzing with stinging insects fueling up for winter; and some of them are grumpy.

Yellowjackets are especially not in the mood to be trifled with as they can be really intolerant this time of the year. As things begin to wind down in the fall, they can become aggressive.We receive numerous calls each fall season with homeowners claiming to have a nest somewhere on their property Homeowners will notice singleton bees and wasps hanging out around their doors, windows, and soffits; they searching for any crevice to squeeze into.  Yellowjackets often nest in the ground in colonies that can reach 4,000 to 5,000 workers. The entrance holes they are searching for might’ve been there since spring— but autumn is when the colony reaches its largest and when the insects become feisty. One reason is the last hatch consists of next year’s queens, which are the future of the colony.

Encounters

Swat a stinging insect and you might trigger and even more threatening response: Like a honeybee, a dying yellowjacket releases a pheromone that alerts the nest. Meddling or even stepping in the wrong place can trigger a full-on attack with the wasps swarming and pursuing.

Humans are most likely to encounter stinging insects as they look for food. Their diet somewhat changes. Throughout the summer wasps are predators, feeding on other insects. In the fall they develop somewhat of a sweet tooth. Fermenting fruit, colas, ciders, fruit juice, become more attractive to the wasps. Because of this, they tend to linger about orchards, cider mills, picnic areas, outdoor restaurant seating, and barbecues— all popular fall hangouts for Michigan residents.

Similar to mosquito bites, wasp stings contain a protein that can cause itching. They can and will sting multiple times, along with hornets. Both wasp and hornet stings can be painful and swell for up to 24 hours as they inject venom into their victims.

Honeybees, on the other hand, have a barbed stinger and can only sting once, as they die after stinging. The stinger remains in the victim’s skin until someone removes it. You can easily scrape it out with a fingernail or with a credit card.

Overall, avoiding these insects in any season is the best method to prevent stings. Knowing the correct precautions to take not only keeps your fall season safe but above all, fun!

For more information on how to distinguish stinging insects from one another, be sure to check this out!

Here are some examples of nests to avoid:

Stinging insectsstinging insectsstinging insectsstinging insects

Miller, Korin. “Is That Stinging Insect a Bee, Wasp, or Hornet? Here’s Exactly How to Tell.” Prevention. 18 May 2020, www.prevention.com/life/a32389815/bee-vs-wasp-vs-hornet-difference/.

Fall Invaders

As shadows lengthen and days become shorter, we begin to see some six-legged critters sneaking around our windows, eaves, and soffits. This change is a good time for a reminder about just who some of these fall invaders are and how you can tell them apart. The insects are all just following the instinct to seek a secluded overwintering spot. Unfortunately for everyone, what happens next is anything but natural. The exterior sidewalls of our structures provide a beautiful array of nooks and crannies for these critters to sneak. The problem is that these spaces are often within human dwellings.

Who are the fall invaders on the side of my home?

Three of Michigan’s fall invaders are closely related in the order Hemiptera, or ‘true bugs.’ They are the boxelder bug, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), and western conifer seed bug (Table 1). During late summer and fall, it is possible to find all three species on one building.

Of these three insects, the brown marmorated stink bug is the newest arrival to Michigan, and the only one is a garden or agricultural pest. Often mistaken as a BMSB, western conifer seed bug is less common and mostly remains unnoticed until fall. Boxelder bugs are native Michigan insects that can be relatively abundant in some parts of the state. Boxelder bugs are not considered garden pests, but they can become a nuisance in homes only due to the large quantities that can accumulate on around doors, windows, and in attics over the winter.

If you are unsure whether the insects in your home are BMSB or not, Table 1 will help tell them apart. We use the shape of their hind legs, overall body shape, and color to differentiate these three fall invaders.

 

 Table 1. Features that distinguish Michigan’s most common true bugs (Hemiptera)
Common name Diet Body Hind legs Color
Brown marmorated stink bug Wide variety Pentagonal Long & thin Brown, tan, with white
Western conifer seed bug Seeds of conifers Elliptical Flat & broadened Brown, tan, with white
Boxelder bug Boxelder and related maples Elliptical Long & thin Black with red

 

Like many insects in the order Hemiptera, all three have a piercing-sucking mouthpart and can use it in self-defense. In other words, handle them with caution. It is important to note, however, that none of these insects sting or transmit disease; they do not reproduce in the winter. They are simply nuisance pests. In some of the most severe cases, excretions from high numbers of these bugs may stain furniture.

A fourth fall invader worth mentioning is the Asian lady beetle. These beetles spend their summers dining on aphids and other agricultural pests. They form large aggregations on the sides of structures in the fall as they search for a spot to overwinter.

Unlike the three mentioned previously, multi-colored Asian lady beetles are beetles (Coleoptera), not true bugs. Asian lady beetles can bite but do not spread disease. They also emit foul-smelling defensive secretions that can stain fabrics, and, in rare cases, can cause allergic reactions.

What causes these fall invaders to gather?

The summer months are when insects are active outdoors. However, as daylight lessens, insects undergo a physiological change known as ‘diapause.’ diapause is a time of inactivity during which they eat little to nothing and do not reproduce. In their natural habitats, the insects spend winter beneath tree bark.

BMSB begin to gather on the SW-W sides of buildings when there is less than 12.5 hours of daylight, usually the second or third week of September in Michigan. They mainly migrate toward garages, sheds, and siding with small spaces or gaps that protect them from the elements. For several weeks in the fall, BMSB and other aggregating insects may attempt to enter homes searching for an environment protected from snow and cold temperatures.

How can I keep them out?

In fall, be sure to check for gaps on the outside of the house that are wide enough for insects to enter. You can cover these areas with screens, wire mesh, or caulk. Window air conditioners should be checked for gaps. When hundreds of swarming insects are outside of a home, leave the windows closed or check for openings in the screen. The force of water from a hose knocks insects off exterior walls.

On homes with severe outbreaks, we apply a pest control treatment to the foundation or siding.

What do I do once they are inside?

The best way to control nuisance pests indoors is through removal or exclusion by a professional. Inside, BMSB are attracted to light and may fly towards light fixtures, resulting in an annoying buzz. We do not recommend applying insecticides to overwintering insects that are already inside your home. The chemicals will only kill insects that make direct contact and prevent additional insects from finding their way inside.

When hundreds of stink bugs are in the home or shed, vacuum with a shop-vac, on warmer winter days, a stray stink bug or two may emerge from diapause and walk or fly around the house. By this time, all overwintered insects are already inside a home, and hand-picking is the easiest way to eliminate them.

Fall invaders perpetually return each year. However, knowing the signs and how to prevent an invasion from occurring in your home is imperative.

Controlling Whiteflies

All whiteflies suffer from somewhat of an identity crisis, as they are not flies at all. Their tiny, white appearance resembles moths, but they are, in fact, most closely related to sap-sucking aphids. Aphid-cast skins are easily mistaken for that of the whitefly, but whiteflies will quickly fly away if disturbed.

The fact that they hide on the undersides of the leaves, coupled with a quick flight pattern, makes them challenging to manage. Whiteflies are also fruitful because their numbers rapidly increase from two to four, four becomes eight, eight becomes 16, and so on. During the hottest weeks of summer, whiteflies may mature from the egg stage to a reproductive adult in as little as 16 days.

Damage

Whiteflies cause two types of damage to a plant, the first being direct. Whiteflies seriously injure plants by extracting juices from them, causing leaves to yellow, wither, and fall early. If the number of whiteflies per leaf is significant enough, it could lead to plant death. The second, or indirect, happens by way of adult whiteflies. They are able to transmit several viruses from diseased plants to healthy through their mouthparts.

Whiteflies (again like aphids) excrete “honeydew,” which is a sweet substance that forms a sticky coating on leaves. A fungus called “sooty mold” also quickly colonizes, which makes leaves look dirty. Generally speaking, sooty mold is harmless except when it is incredibly expansive, thus preventing light from reaching the surfaces of leaves, which stresses the plant. Sooty mold washes off easily with a forceful stream of water on sturdy plants.

Detection

Like many insects, whiteflies have nymphal and adult stages. Females lay their eggs in arcs or circles on the underside of the leaves that they spend their entire life cycle on. Whitefly nymphs have wingless, oval bodies and no apparent legs or antennae. The adults that emerge from mature larvae are winged and look like a very tiny moth.

Prevention

  • Attract beneficial enemies to your garden.
    • Plant a wide variety of flowering plants or individual insectary plants can provide beneficial insects with the habitats they require. Natural enemies of whiteflies are spiders, small birds, lacewings, ladybugs, and big-eyed bugs.
  • Scrutinize new plants. Make sure you aren’t purchasing infected plants.
  • One way to detect an invasion early is to hang sticky traps above the plants at the beginning of the season.
  • Use slow-release, organic fertilizers.
    • Maintain healthy plant growth, but make sure you do not over-fertilize with high nitrogen fertilizers. Too much nitrogen can overstimulate lush plant growth, prompting aphids to reproduce more quickly. Organic fertilizers are superior because they slowly release the proper levels of nutrients.
  • Avoid excessive pruning
  • This stimulates whitefly-attracting growth.
  • Use a row cover to exclude whitefly and other pests while still allowing light, air, and water to reach all plants.
  • Control ants by painting or spraying a 4″ wide sticky barrier around woody shrubs or trees.
    • For many sensitive trees, such as citrus, apply a protective barrier of white latex paint to the trunk before the sticky wall.

Less-Toxic Control

  • Use a syringe of water on the undersides of leaves on sturdy plants to wash off whiteflies and honeydew.
  • Use a vacuum to suck up whiteflies in the early morning when they are cold and slow-moving.
    • After vacuuming, empty into a sealed plastic bag and remove it from the premise.
  • Prune away any severely infested portions of the plant.
    • Place and seal material in bags and remove them from the premise.
    • Dispose properly and do not compost.
  • Use insecticidal soaps to kill whiteflies while causing the least harm to beneficial insects.
    • Even coverage of the underside of leaves is essential for effective use. These products do not leave toxic residues, sparing injury to the natural enemies.
  • Use spray (horticultural) oils to control whiteflies minimizing adverse effects on natural enemies.
  • To protect bees, avoid applying imidacloprid during the period one month before or during bloom. Removing blossoms before they open on young trees will prevent honey bee exposure to imidacloprid in the nectar/pollen.

Garden Pests

Spring is an exciting time for everyone, but especially gardeners. The time to begin their yearly botanical endeavors is quickly approaching. However, it is not all smooth sailing no matter how skilled of a gardener one is— there are dangers in the form of garden pests lurking around the corner. Garden pests lay in wait for your new plants to begin growing, which when they’ll come out in full force, hungry from winter dormancy. By diligence and taking preventative action, you can stop these pests from wreaking havoc on your garden.

Aphids

Aphids can come in many colors and species, all of which can cause damage to your plants. These pests use their piercing mouthparts to feed on plant sap and juices. They can be found feeding in groups on new plant growth or the undersides of leaves, which kills them, as well as stems and buds. An aphid infestation can actually be exacerbated by over-fertilization with nitrogen. The plants most affected by aphid damage include geraniums, roses, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, carrot crowns, kale, and cabbage. You can plant certain herbs that will attract wasps, who prey on aphids, to help control an infestation; however, spraying them off with a garden hose is most effective.

Corn Earworms

Corn earworm is a pest that migrates to Michigan every year carried on weather fronts; it overwinters in the southern United States, where it is also a pest of cotton and soybeans. Aptly named, corn earworms feed on ears of fresh corn. These worms are the biggest threat to sweet corn in Michigan because once they enter the ear, they become impossible to remove.

The worms attack corn silk, which results in moldy and deformed ears. Controlling corn earworms can be a difficult task that requires year-round vigilance.

Colorado Potato Beetles

Potato beetles have a yellow shell with ten narrow black stripes. In the spring, the females lay their eggs on the undersides of leaves.

When the larvae hatch, they feed on plant vegetation for 10-30 days before reaching adulthood. Potato beetles continue to feed on the foliage, which leads to the death of the plant. Use a floating row cover on potato plants to prevent these beetles from reaching the plants. Hand pick adults and larvae from the leaves and drop them into a cup of soapy water.

Cucumber Beetle

Cucumber beetles cause severe damage to crops like cucumbers, watermelons, and cantaloupe. These yellow-green beetles don’t limit the extent of their damage to feeding; they also cause bacterial wilt.

The bacterium that causes bacterial wilt lives in the stomachs of the cucumber beetles— in the spring when they emerge to feed, they spread the bacterium from their mouthparts and through their excrement. Once inside, the bacterium quickly multiplies which produces blockages that cause the leaves to wilt and die. The beetles unwittingly pick up the bacteria from the exterior of the plant and transfer it. There is, unfortunately, nothing that can be done to save a plant infected with wilt. Early preventative measures are essential to halt the spread of bacterial wilt. Cover crops with a row cover and remove as plants flower to help control these beetles.

No gardener wants their hard work to be compromised by garden pests. Knowing what to look for is the first step toward protecting the fruits of your labor!

 

 

Shoo, flies!

Contrary to popular belief, there is a variety of species of common flies. In fact, there are over 20,000 in North America alone! While we’d thoroughly enjoy discussing the differences between all of the fly species, we wanted to focus on the two we deal with most regularly— the house fly and the cluster fly.

House Flies

The house fly is by far one of the most common pests we find in and around homes. It has a worldwide distribution and is extremely prominent throughout the US. We consider these insects to be not only nuisance pests while buzzing in and around homes— but they also have the potential to carry diseases. They have relatively brief lifespans; however, they have the ability to quickly reproduce in numbers, leading to large house fly populations if not properly identified and effectively controlled.

House flies are usually grey in color and have four black stripes on their thorax. Adults are about 1/8-1/4 inches long. They have slightly hairy bodies, a single pair of wings and compound red eyes, which contain thousands of individual lenses that give them broader vision. Female house flies are usually larger in size than males and they do not have teeth or a stinger.

Housefly eggs closely resemble grains of rice; these eggs will hatch into larvae, or maggots, that range in size from about ¼-3/8” long. Maggots are cream in color and appear to be greasy. When entering the pupal stage, maggots become dark and develop hard outer shells, as well as legs and wings, ultimately emerging as full-grown adult flies.

Signs of an infestation

The most common sign of a housefly infestation is the physical presence of the flies themselves. You may also see larvae crawling out of their breeding material as they pupate. Along with seeing the insects, people may hear them around the home. House flies produce buzzing sounds which are a result of their two wings beating together.

If you suspect to have a house fly infestation in your home, it is important to contact a licensed pest control professional in order to conduct a proper inspection, specifically looking for any places where house fly eggs deposit. Since house flies enter from the outdoors, internal breeding sites are uncommon. However, garbage rooms and trash compactors provide an ideal environment for house fly breeding and should be routinely checked. If the breeding site(s) are not thoroughly cleaned or removed, the problems with these pests will persist.

Once the breeding site has been remediated, eliminating the existing adult flies is the next step. A pest control professional will develop a treatment plan based on the circumstances of the infestation; this may include the use of fly bait, applications, or traps.

To prevent a house fly infestation from occurring in the first place, vigilant and constant sanitation is a necessity. Regularly removing trash and using adequately sealed garbage receptacles can help to deter any house flies from residing around waste bins. Additionally, pet waste must be taken care of immediately to prevent the development of any further breeding sites. Finally, all doors and windows should have fine mesh screens in order to avoid house flies from entering the home. If screens are already present, make sure there are no visible rips or tears.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies, on the other hand, are slightly larger and thinner than house flies at 3/8 of an inch in size. They are a dull grey in color (not metallic like some other fly species) with golden hairs on the thorax and a grey checkerboard pattern on the abdomen. When resting, their wings usually overlap over their backs. If you crush cluster flies they may smell sweet, like honey!

These flies have a unique life cycle. The larvae live in soil where they are internal parasites of earthworms. Consequently, structures with large lawns or those near fields are more likely to have problems with overwintering cluster flies. There are four generations a year, but we only consider the late-season adults as pests as they move inside structures in late summer or fall. Adults feed on flowers and are not attracted to garbage, feces or dead animals.

Cluster flies are slow-moving, especially when they become active indoors on warm winter days (when the heat fluctuates) or in early spring as they look for a way outside. They head for light and often end up clustered around windows or in ceiling light fixtures.

We can control cluster flies by creating barriers in mid-to-late-summer to prevent their entry: treatment of the exterior with a repellent residual, as well as pest-proofing of openings, especially around the roofline. It’s critical to time the residual application before fly entry in your area.

Once the flies are inside, control is difficult, and results are often disappointing. Avoid killing them in inaccessible voids because the dead flies can attract beetles. Vacuuming, sticky traps, and light traps can remove wandering flies.

Signs of an infestation

During the cold winter months, cluster flies often congregate around windows or doors on warm days or when the heat is increased, prompting frantic calls for service. Controlling cluster flies indoors can be difficult as populations are frequently hiding in hard-to-reach voids or attics. Indoor insecticide applications are often impractical and result in large numbers of dead flies that are attractive to secondary pests such as carpet beetles. Usually, exclusion is the best solution but should be complete by the early autumn, before the insects make their way indoors.

Completely sealing every entry point is difficult, especially because cluster flies enter near the roofline through soffit or ridge vents. Exterior surface applications of appropriate repellent insecticides can be helpful in deterring them, but applications should be made before aggregations of flies begin to appear on the building. In many cases, we instruct clients to vacuum any carcasses popping up in homes.

No matter the fly, Hogarth’s Pest Control and Wildlife Removal has the skillset to not only curb an infestation but the necessary exclusion and clean-up work required to keep any home fly-free. If you have noticed an issue with house or cluster flies in your home or business, please give us a call. We have been keeping Northern Michigan homes free of these pests for 25 years!

Fruit Flies

If you have seen small flies or gnat-like insects in your kitchen, odds are they are most likely fruit flies. Fruit flies are a year-round issue; however, they are especially common during late summer and fall months. This is primarily because they are most attracted to ripe, fermenting (rotting) fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies have oval bodies with six legs. Adults are about 1/8 inch in size and usually have red eyes. The front section of the body is tan, and the rear part is black. They feed on decaying food items, especially fruits and vegetables.

Melons, tomatoes, grapes, squash, and other perishable items from the garden are often the cause of an indoor infestation. Fruit flies thrive on rotting, unrefrigerated produce from the supermarket as well.

Biology

We find fruit flies most commonly in homes, restaurants, grocery stores, and wherever food can rot. Female fruit flies lay their eggs near the surface of rotting foods or on other moist, organic materials. Upon hatching, the small larvae continue to feed near the surface of the rotting item. This surface-feeding characteristic is significant; the affected over-ripe parts of the vegetables and fruits may be cut away without having to discard the entire piece out of fear of containing any developing larvae. Fruit flies reproduce like wildfire, notorious for laying up to 500 eggs at any given time! The entire lifecycle from egg to adult completes within seven days.  All that is necessary for development is a moist film of fermenting material.

Behavior

Though fruit flies are especially attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables in the kitchen or pantry, they will also breed in trash cans, drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, mops, and cleaning rags. Infestations can enter the home via previously rotting or fermenting fruits and vegetables, or empty bottles and cans.

That being said, adults can also fly in from outside through windows and doors with inadequate screens. For those who live or work near orchards, even the cleanest home may still experience a fruit fly issue due to all of the rotting fruit. One of the best and most straightforward solutions is to keep a fan blowing at the most frequently used door. This works toward keeping the flies outside because, due to their tiny stature, they are unable to fly against the force of the wind.

This trick actually works with most fly species because they aren’t strong enough to fly against the blowing air. The primary issue associated with fruit flies is that they are nuisance pests. However, their excrement also has the potential to contaminate food with their bacteria and other disease-producing organisms.

Prevention

The most effective method to avoid a fruit fly infestation is to eliminate sources of attraction. Produce should be eaten, discarded, or refrigerated upon ripening. Cracked, bruised, or otherwise damaged portions of fruits and vegetables should be cut away and dumped– especially if eggs or larvae are present in the affected area. A single rotting potato or onion at the back of a pantry or sticky fruit juice under a refrigerator is breeding ground for thousands of fruit flies. In addition, full and unclean trash or recycling bins are also ideal locations.

People who can fruits and vegetables, or make their own beer, cider, or wine should ensure that the containers are well sealed. Otherwise, fruit flies will lay their eggs under the lid, and the tiny larvae will enter the container upon hatching. Equip windows and doors with tight-fitting (16 mesh) screens to help prevent adult fruit flies from entering from outdoors.

Eradication

Once a structure is infested with fruit flies, all potential breeding areas must be located and eliminated. Unless the breeding sites are removed or cleaned, the problem will continue no matter how often one applies insecticides. Finding the source(s) of attraction and breeding can be very challenging and usually will require much thought and persistence. We often suggest personal eradication attempts right off the bat because a small infestation can be easy to nip in the bud. Potential breeding sites that are not easily accessible to humans (i.e., garbage disposals and drains) can be inspected by taping a clear plastic food storage bag over the opening overnight. If flies are breeding in these areas, the adults will emerge and enter the container.

A better approach, however, is to construct a trap by placing a paper funnel (or roll a sheet of notebook paper) into a jar that contains a few ounces of cider vinegar. Place the jar trap(s) wherever fruit flies are buzzing about. This simple but effective trap will soon catch any remaining adult flies which can then be killed or released outdoors.

If you exhaust your personal attempts and still can’t seem to shake a fruit fly problem, Hogarth’s can inspect your property and assist in eradicating the issue completely.

Yield to Yellowjackets

The yellowjacket, or yellow jacket, refers to several species of North American predatory wasps. These wasps are aptly named based on their appearance black with yellow legs, and a yellow “jacket” on their thorax. Commonly mistaken as bees, yellowjackets are extremely aggressive and should be left alone and dealt with by a professional at all times.

Threats of Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets pose as a threat for an array of individuals. They cause trouble for lawn maintenance professionals because they can disturb a nest by weed whipping or mowing. Roofers also have a tough time with them when they have decided to nest in the attic, and homeowners may notice them nesting under siding or windows. Yellowjackets also pose a threat for both pets and unsuspecting humans, whether indoors or out; sometimes, they make their way inside the home and become aggressive trying to find their way out. All these situations can be extremely dangerous and even deadly.

These wasps cause fatalities every summer in Northern Michigan; even if you are not specifically allergic to these wasps, the venom from their sting can still be fatal—, especially if swarmed by multiple. Their stingers, unlike other stinging insects, are not barbed; thus allowing them the ability to sting repeatedly. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include swelling of the face, mouth, and/or throat with the eventual inability to breathe (anaphylaxis). Other equally serious symptoms may also manifest, such as vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and loss of motor function.

The most common way to encounter these wasps is by stumbling upon a nest. These nests are easy to identify by their papery appearance, a substance made from chewed cellulose. The nests are near or on trees, bushes, and the eaves of houses. Some species of yellow jackets build their nests in the ground, making them easy targets for unsuspecting walkers. This event not only affects humans but animals as well.

Dogs and Yellowjackets

Dogs, curious by nature, tend to encounter these wasps most. Unsuspecting dogs are often stung on the face or in the mouth. This usually results in a yelp, followed by pawing at the muzzle or other affected areas. Other signs can range from mild to severe, depending on the location of the sting, the amount of stings, and whether the dog has an allergy to the venom. Typically, the dog will experience slight swelling and/or redness of the affected area. These side effects will subside within hours to a day.

In more serious instances, a potentially deadly reaction can occur from 10-30 minutes. These symptoms include the swelling of the eyes and face, which can lead to difficulty breathing.  Other symptoms may also manifest, such as drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness and collapsing.

Tips for keeping Yellowjackets away:

  1. Keep trash cans covered
  2. Make sure all doors and windows have screens
  3. Avoid wearing sweet-smelling perfume
  4. Caulk and seal small holes around the home
  5. Work with licensed pest control professionals to eradicate an existing issue

Make sure all of the outdoor areas near your home are free of garbage, including empty cans. Like many other flying insects, adult yellow jackets will feed on picnic fare, fruits, the nectar of flowers, and the occasional soda or beer when they find an open can. However, something that makes yellow jackets unique is their carnivorous diet. In the larval stage, yellow jackets will feast on meat from other insects, such as flies and bees, foraged by worker wasps. These wasps will search for food up to 1 mile from their nest!

While most homeowners consider yellow jackets a pest, their unique diet actually makes them an important part of garden pest control. Gardens are chock full of all the insects for yellow jacket larvae to feed on. However, this makes them a seasonal pest as food supplies dwindle throughout the year. Yellowjacket queens are the only survivors during the winter months, as they will live to create a new colony in the spring.

“I found a nest”

Common places for a nest are attached to bushes, trees, or the eaves of homes. Yellowjacket nests are built with a recognizable paper-like material made from chewed cellulose.  If you believe to have come across a yellow jacket nest, stop! Contact a licensed pest control professional to properly move the nest as soon as possible. It is important to steer clear from these wasps at all costs because they are quick to attack, one may develop a hypersensitivity to their venom after being stung. This makes the threat of a future encounter even greater.

Yellowjackets and other beings are able to live harmoniously so long as the wasps get the respect they deserve. They do not seek out humans or animals to sting, and only do it as a means to protect themselves. Yellowjackets can be controlled and we work with them every day. If you are experiencing issues with yellow jackets near your home, do not hesitate to give us a call today! 

 

Sources

“Animal Facts: Yellow Jacket.” NatureMapping Foundation, Washington NatureMapping Program, 01 June 2019, naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/yellow_jacket_712.html.

“Dog Stung by a Bee? Here’s What You Should Know.” Taste of the Wild, Taste of the Wild Pet Food, 23 May 2017, www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/health/dog-bee-sting/.

“Everything You Need to Know About Yellowjackets.” www.PestWorld.org , PestWorld, 02 June 2019, www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-yellowjackets/.

 

Stinging Insects

Many of us are aware that this is the time of year that we begin to see stinging insects (mainly bees, wasps, and hornets) swarming around our homes and gardens. Though these flying insects are out and about, they are not yet building nests. Instead, they are buzzing around looking for places to build their nests or to reinvest old nests. We deal with 3 main species of stinging insect including bees, wasps, and hornets.

Wasps

Commonly mistaken for a bee, Yellowjacket or Yellow Jacket is the common name in North America for predatory wasps. Yellow Jackets can pose a variety of issues to individuals across Northern Michigan. These wasps are extremely aggressive and should be left alone to be dealt with by a professional at all times.

Hornets

Bald Faced Hornets are black and white striped wasps. They’re larger in size than the Yellow Jacket or your average Honey Bee, however, they are more closely related to Yellow Jackets than they are to hornets. Bald-faced Hornets are an extremely aggressive stinging insect that should only be dealt with by a pest control professional.

Bees

Carpenter Bees are large, black and yellow stinging insects that  typically only live up to a year. Females rarely sting and males cannot sting. These bees typically bore into raw wood and and deck timbers, especially if it’s weathered or has starter holes

By enlisting the professional help of Hogarth’s Pest Control, you can ensure to keep your stinging insect problem under control. Hogarth’s Pest Control offers a preventative service to keep these insects from building nests on your homes. Though they will continue to fly around, we guarantee your home for the entire season against bees, wasps, and hornets building nests on your home. What’s even better about this service is that not only does it keep the stinging insects from building nests, it also keeps all crawling insects such as spiders and ants from getting inside your house. Hogarth’s wants to ensure that your summer is pest free, so give us a call if you are experiencing any flying or crawling insect issue!