Organic Wasp Control

Wasp

Wasp Control

Organic methods for pest control have to include Wasp control. Who hasn’t opened the door and had a wasp fly inside. First, wasps should be thought of as beneficial insects in general.They prey mainly on other insects, many of which are pests. In general, they avoid human activity and should only be considered a nuisance when nesting near homes or high traffic areas.

There are two types of wasps:

Social Wasps such as Common Wasps, Paper Wasps, Yellow Jackets and Hornets.

Solitary Wasps such as Potter Wasps, Cicada Killer Wasps and Mud Dauber Wasps.
For natural household insect control, we have to think about prevention first.
Wasp Control starts with sealing entry points. Daily sightings may indicate inside nest building, and more attention to the problem is required. Check your house for unsealed vents, torn screens, cracks around windows and door frames and open dampers.
Remove food sources. In spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Any food left outdoors, such as pet food, picnic scraps, open garbage containers or uncovered compost piles should be removed or covered. Wasps imprint food sources, and will continue to search an area for some time after the food has been removed.
In late summer and early fall, wasp food preferences turn to sweets, also like people their behavior is also more aggressive when trying to get to the sweets. Open cans of pop, fruit juice, fallen apples beneath fruit trees and other sweet food sources will attract wasps. Be sure to cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid on the compost and avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees. Remove any fallen fruit rotting on the ground. under trees.

Avoid swatting. Swatting and squashing wasps is counterproductive. When a wasp is squashed, a chemical (pheromone) is released which attracts and incites other nearby wasps. It’s best to walk away from a hovering wasp.

Avoid wearing bright colours or floral patterns. If you look like a big flower, you may be attracting the curious wasp looking for nectar.

Wasp Traps
Wasps have been known to fly 300 to 1000 yards (meters) in search of food. Traps are more likely to be useful in small areas. This is because these early season wasps are usually queens, and it’s estimated that each trapped queen represents several thousand worker wasps in the late summer. You can buy wasp traps or make your own below.

Make a simple Water Trap For Wasps

Use a razor knife to cut the top from a 2-liter plastic pop bottle. Cut just above the shoulder of the bottle. Discard the screw top. Fill with water about halfway. Coat the neck with jam, invert it and set back on the bottle. Use two small pieces of tape to hold it in place. If possilbe put the trap about 4 feet high
Wasps go down the funnel to get the jam, but can’t get out., most will drop into the water and drown. Put few drops of dish soap in the water making it harder to get out You can also add a 1/4 cup of vinegar to the water to discourage honeybees from entering the trap in search of water. Empty the trap daily or wasps will use the other dead wasps as a platform Note: In the spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to protein-based baits; so use a protein bait like peanut butter in spring and a jam or otype bait in later summer and into fall

A nother non-toxic alternative to insect sprays and dusts is vacuuming. Some prefessional exterminators are equipped with specially adapted vacuum cleaners to draw out the wasps, which are then sold to pharmaceutical companies who extract the venom for immunotherapy.

Never try to burn an active wasp nest or flood a nest with water, as this will likely make the wasps angry and aggressive. If stung, the wound should be washed with water which helps remove some of the venom, and treated with an anti-sting product or antihistamine cream which can reduce the pain and spread of the venom.

Wasp Sting Homemade Recipes

Apply a poultice of meat tenderizer (for people not allergic to bee stings) or salt to the sting site as soon as possible after the incident. Use about 1/2 teaspoon mixed with enough water to produce a paste. Leave on the sting site for about 30 minutes. If the sting is in the throat or mouth, or if an allergic reaction occurs, seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms of allergic reaction may include difficulty in breathing, dizziness and nausea. If you are stung and have an allergic reaction, and you have no antihistamine, a teaspoonful of instant coffee under your tongue will work effectively as a temporary antihistamine, and allow you more time to get medical help.

Soak a tissue or cotton swab with distilled white vinegar, and apply to site of bite. This will relieve the stinging in a few seconds. Continue apply this to bite site until victim finds the bite no longer is stinging.