Wasps


Polistes Humilis

The common paper wasp is found all across southern mainland Australia from Southern Queensland, throughout New South Wales, down into Victoria and across to South Australia. They are 10-15mm long and will sometimes appear yellow or red in colour, with a small head and medium length antennae. Their body is slim, and they have two pairs of brownish wings.

Wasp Reproduction

 

The wasp is a social insect and will usually have colonies of many individuals. They make their ‘paper’ nests by chewing nectar and using their saliva to form the nest. Each cell on the cone-shaped nest is a nursery, and the larvae are fed by the adults on a diet of chewed caterpillars.

The larvae of the wasp look like maggots and will spend the first stages of their life inside the cells. Once they begin pupating, they will then cover the opening of their cells and undergo a final moult into their adult form.

Wasp Stings

 

The wasp is a beneficial insect around the home, they help control caterpillars, but they become extremely aggressive when approached or if their nest is disturbed. They can deliver a painful sting and the nests should be avoided during the day.

In more extreme cases, wasp stings can be deadly. This is due to the fact that their stings produce a histamine in humans that can cause anaphylaxis, however, this is relatively uncommon. With only 7 deaths attributed to wasp stings in Australia over a 20-year period.

If you’re an allergy sufferer, it still pays to be prepared. A special kit that has everything necessary to treat a wasp sting, for example, should be carried at all times if you’re outdoors or in an area that might be considered high risk. In the event of a sting, apply a cold pack to the affected region. If the pain does not subside or allergic symptoms begin to appear, medical attention should be sought immediately.

Wasp Nests

 

Wasp nests are normally built under shelter in areas such as eaves and window sills, however, they can also be built on palm leaves and in trees or shrubs. A fully mature paper wasp nest may have up to 20 to 30 adults living in at once.

These nests are built from dead wood, which is chewed by the wasps and mixed in with their saliva to create what looks like a paper mache material. Well-established nests can be very large, sometimes growing to be up to 200mm in diameter with many cells and nurseries at any one time.

One important thing to know about the removal of wasp nests is that they cannot be taken away straight after a treatment. This is because foraging wasps may take several days before they return. This means we need to wait until every last wasp has come back to the nest to ensure they’re all eradicated.

Wasp control for your home

 

As is the case with many pests, prevention is preferable to treatment. By stopping wasps from building a nest in the first place, we can stop them from setting up shop and taking over your outdoor living space or garden. Removing wasps once they’re established is much more difficult, due to the risk that their stings pose to adults, minors and more importantly those with allergies.

If you’re concerned about wasps invading your property, the first thing you should do is get in touch with our expert technicians. Once on site, we’ll go over the areas of your home that could potentially harbour wasps with a fine-tooth comb. Ensuring that you, your family and your pets are kept at a safe distance before we begin.

Upon locating the nest, we’ll undertake the necessary precautions to ensure we don’t trigger a swarm reaction with our activity. As soon as we deem the situation to be under control, we can then apply a suitable pesticide to eradicate the entire colony.

Wasp Control for your Business

 

Ants may ruin a picnic, but nothing ruins a business like a wasp nest perched right outside your office or your storefront. Not only will it cause potential clients and customers to turn tail and bolt when the problem gets out of hand, there’s a fair chance someone might be stung which would in turn hurt your reputation further.

Practical, discreet and most of all, effective, our wasp identification, prevention and eradication strategies will have a minimal impact on the day-to-day operations of your business. This means you can call with confidence knowing that no matter how severe your wasp problem is, we can always treat it in a prompt and professional manner.