Believe it or not, summer is quickly coming to a close with shorter days and sunsets happening earlier and earlier. It’s hard to believe that it was just a few weeks ago that we were discussing how to “Prevent Pests from Ruining your Outdoor Entertaining.” While you may have taken action against the ticks, mosquitoes, and other wildlife pests in your yard, keep your guard up because right now is the peak wasp stinging season. Why is it that wasps, which have been around all spring and summer suddenly become such a problem at this time of year? Let’s take a closer look at the behavior of wasps and why this is such an active stinging time.
The answer as to why wasps sting more often in the late summer and early fall can be found in the life cycle and reproductive schedule of the wasp queen. According to University of Delaware bee researcher Debbie Delaney, wasps are heading into what can be considered “retirement” during the late summer and fall. It is during this time that the queen wasp stops laying eggs. The worker wasps then change their food-gathering strategy from collecting insects – a protein source for the colony’s young — to now getting sweets and carbohydrates for their own consumption. These adult wasps have just a few weeks to binge on carbohydrates before they die off at the first hard frost. It is during these last few weeks before either overwintering or dying off in the frost that the wasps go out in search of food items such as the sugar produced by rotting fruit and tree sap. They can also find these sugars in the foods at your patio table or in your garden.
Once the queen has stopped her reproductive cycle for the season, these hard working wasps are anxious to find sugar items to eat. These items, such as the fruit at your BBQ or perhaps the beer or soda cans that adorn your patio table are just too much to pass up. Combine this with the generally aggressive behavior of wasps, and this is a recipe for stings during this season.
Do you have wasps nests in your yard and are concerned about the impact to your outdoor entertaining, safety of your children, or nuisance of wasps dive bombing during dinner? Call Pro-Tech Lawn Care at (603) 382-9644 or Toll Free: (800) 313-4733 and visit our website. We can help you solve your wasp problem.