Stinging insect calls have been coming into our office in masses this week. In the Albany NY area, paper wasps are now scouting for shelter nest sites to begin building and provisioning nests.

Mated paper wasp queens often overwinter in home and other buildings in voids or attics. In the spring, they emerge from their hiding places and bumble area looking for a way outside. Once outside, the queen stays pretty close to the warmth of buildings while looking for an appropriate nest site. They don’t reuse old nests but they do tend to build their nests in the same sites year after year. The queen starts the best with just a few paper cells in which she lays eggs. As workers develop, they take over the tasks of rearing the young. New cells are added to the perimeter as the nest grows but paper wasp nests tend to remain pretty small, less than 100 workers.

Paper wasps are sometimes called “umbrella wasps” because their single comb nests resemble an umbrella. The nests don’t have a papery covering like other wasps’ nests. The comb is attached by a narrow stalk in a shaded, high, protective site. Nests are built under the eaves of a building, the overhang of a porch, in vents, behind shutters, under window ledges, or in attics, garage, sheds, and outbuildings. Paper wasps will also nest in unused outdoor equipment like gas grills, boats, swing sets, bird house, yard lights, lawn tractors and even abandoned vehicles.

For ongoing problems with stinging insects, a repellent applied to the exterior nesting sites and potential new sites can prevent the establishment of new nests. Throughout the spring, summer months in the Capital Region battling pests of all kinds will keep the professionals at Thomas Pest Services busy.

Prevent bees from stinging your, your family or pets, with Thomas Pest Services’ Exterior Pest Guard Service for a proactive and preventative way to solve your bee problems. Getting rid of bees and other stinging insects can be difficult, so avoid do it yourself control methods. Thomas Pest Services offers effective pest control services in Clifton Park NY and surrounding areas to get rid of bees, ants and other general crawling/fling insects. Thomas Pest Services’ provides services to resolve and prevent bees from being a nuisance with their trained and licensed pest professionals.

Source: Pinto & Associates Techletter, April 28, 2013