A particular yellow and black-winged insect will be making its debut soon. Warmer weather is on the horizon and picnics, baseball, fairs, and trash cans are magnets for these uninvited guests. Many mistakenly call them “bees” but these narrow-waisted and stinging insects are actually wasps.
Yellowjackets, aka yellow and black stinging wasps, are rampant in the late summer and early fall and love garbage cans and picnics. Yellow jackets are irritating and can be dangerous, however, they have an important role in the environment.
Wasps are helpful to farms and gardens because they help control the pest populations. They don’t only just eat garbage, they consume insects, like crickets, caterpillars, and beetles.
There are many different species of wasps and bees. You see a lot of honeybees and bumblebees in Northwest Indiana. You will also see paper wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets. While bees and hornets are different, there isn’t a difference between wasps and hornets. Rather, hornets are a subset of wasps that aren’t actually native to North America. Bees, hornets, wasps, yellowjackets…all of these flying insects with stingers are helpful to the planet.
Unfortunately, wasps can harm the wood in your home with their nests. They can also be a danger to those who are allergic and their sting is quite painful. Plus, if a wasp feels their nest is threatened, they release a chemical that signals the other wasps to swarm. This can harm your family or pets, so coexisting with a wasp nest isn’t safe. If you have a wasp nest in your home or in your yard, you likely want to remove it. To safely remove a nest, call a trusted local exterminator. Don’t delay calling Northwest Indiana’s trusted pest experts at Affordable Bio Control Pest Management. Give us a call at: 219-608-4286. We look forward to serving you!