Wasps are not only an annoyance but can be a real health concern to many with their sting causing a lot of pain. Quickly finding and removing these nests can prevent the colony to establish itself. A single nest can produce thousands of wasps during the summer months.
The most common and troublesome wasps are Hornets, Paper-Wasps, and Yellowjackets in Nova Scotia..
Many people don't realize hornets are a type of wasp. Hornets are the ones that make the football-style nests hanging from soffits or trees. They are typically not aggressive insects and like to stay in undisturbed locations and do not attack unless their nests are disturbed.
Yellowjackets are very social insects that live in large colonies. they are carnivorous and feed on other insects like flies and bees. They also like to pester picnickers and feed off fruits and nectar. Their nests are built from paper-like materials and build nests in the ground or in and around houses.
Paper wasps resemble little flying missiles. Their nests are quite a bit smaller than their cousins and can build nests in trees, homes, garages, and under vegetation. Adult wasps feed off sweet food including soda drinks, jams, alcohol, fruits, and juices.
Wasp Nest Construction
Nests can be built from a variety of materials but the most common is paper pulp. Wasps can make nests in the ground or above ground attaching themselves to structures or trees. In most cases, you can find nests made in a honeycomb pattern or in an enclosed paper structure.
Wasp Queens start a new nest in the spring and raise a few new workers first to make the nest larger and collect food. Once the cold weather comes most of the nest dies except for newly mated queens that survive the winter, creating a new nest the next year. Wasp nests are abandoned each fall and they are not used again by a new colony the next year.
Nest Removal
Wasps are important pollinators and the nests should only be removed if they become a threat to people and pets. If you can wait out the colony until the cold weather comes the nest will automatically die off on its own. The biggest concern is the sting from a wasp causing anaphylactic shock. The best time to remove a nest is in the dark and be ready to have an escape plan to retreat from any attacking wasps. One misconception is that wasps lose their stinger after they bite but they can bite over and over again.
For nest removal, it would be best to contact a licensed exterminator to safely remove the nest.
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