A wasp has black and yellow stripes in its torso which measure approx. 1.6 mm long. Wasps are quick to multiply. Young queen wasps are the only members of colonies that survive the winter season. After hibernating, a queen wasp will build a nest, then lay as much as 20 eggs which it rears by itself. In just two weeks, several adult worker wasps will start emerging and start adding cells to a nest. As for the queen, it will dedicate itself solely to egg-laying, and the workers will be tasked with the larvae. During the entire summer season, the queen will lay as much as a hundred eggs a day. A single nest can house tens of thousands of wasps.
Where Wasps Live
Nests of wasps are made up of myriads of hexagonal cells. The insects strip wood using parts of their mouth, then add saliva to create soft materials that are like paper mache. Nests start out really small, usually the size of golf balls, but they will grow exponentially especially when they are near a lot of food for the wasps. As a matter of fact, there have been nests that measure two meters long. Wasps will build a nest in a place that’s dry and near food. The larvae are fed with meat which are either dead insects or bits from human tables.
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Signs of an Infestation
Unlike a bee, a wasp is solitary. Wasps don’t swarm, which is why it is a bad sign if you see them swarming in your property. In a home or garden, these insects will create nests out of strips of wood, producing thick white lines on a wooden item.
By the end of summer, the workers will need a sugar fix, so they will attack any sweet treat that they can find. If you start to notice an increase in the activity of wasps in your home, keep an extra eye out to where they go exactly. The day of a worker wasp is spent feeding the larvae and building the nest, so you should be able to see them wandering around.
Is there a need to control a wasp infestation?
Yes. A wasp infestation poses a great danger to you and your entire family. It is even a frightening prospect to some. The sting of a wasp is extremely painful. Apart from that, it may cause anaphylactic shock. A person that has been stung by a wasp needs immediate medical attention, especially if it is on the face, throat or neck. Furthermore, a wasp can sting you more than once. Don’t swat at wasps because they’ll produce a pheromone, which will give other wasps a signal that means it is in danger. As soon as you find a wasp in your home or you suspect that your home has a wasp infestation near it, call a professional exterminator immediately.