Did you know stinging insects send over 500,000 U.S. residents to hospital emergency rooms each year? Nearly 60 people allergic to the stings develop fatal complications. Swatting or attempting to hit them can lead to the insects attacking in droves. The insect bites and stings can cause severe pain, nausea, swelling, or anaphylactic shock. Protect your loved ones with pest control in Los Angeles to get rid of stinging insects from your yard.
The Types Of Stinging Insects You Can Encounter In Los Angeles
The stinging insects in Los Angeles have stinger structures on their abdomen for defense or to hunt prey. Most play vital ecological roles such as pollinating crops or regulating nuisance insect populations. However, they can become unwanted pests when they invade your home, posing a danger to your family. Common stinging insects in Los Angeles include:
- Paper wasps
- Honey bees
- Bumblebees
- Bald-faced hornets
- Yellowjackets
- Fire ants
- Scorpions
The strength of the venom in the stings depends on the particular insect species. Bees, wasps, and hornets are among the worst stinging insects on the Schmidt pain scale. Additionally, social insects such as bees can attack in droves, leading to more severe allergic reactions.
Helpful Wasp Prevention Tips
Wasps will react aggressively when provoked, attacking the unfortunate victim with multiple stings. Your best bet at keeping your pets and family safe is by deterring this stinging insect from your property. Here are five tips for wasp prevention:
- Inspect your home and garden for nests: Identifying the small nests early allows easier pest control when the wasps are fewer in number.
- Keep your windows shut and the insect screens repaired: Prevent the wasps from accessing your home.
- Hang a dummy wasp nest: You can buy or build a decoy nest that deters wasps from setting a new colony on your property.
- Use essential oil blends: You can use essential oils such as peppermint, cloves, and rosemary to repel the wasps from your home.
- Plant wasp deterrent herbs: You can also grow herbs with a strong scent that makes it uncomfortable for wasps to begin a colony in your yard.
Only professional exterminators should handle any wasp nest removal within your home. Call a Los Angeles pest control company today.
Ways To Deter Hornets And Yellow Jackets
While wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets are common stinging insects in California, most residents cannot differentiate the species correctly. Hornets are generally 1 1/2 times larger than wasps. Yellow Jackets are a specific species of wasps that are smaller and more aggressive. Here are five ways to repel hornets and yellow jackets from your property.
- Use essential oils such as geranium and lemongrass as wasp repellants.
- Cover any gaps within your property structure and any tree holes.
- Eliminate any food sources, including small insects and sugary garbage foods.
- Seal your windows or doors and install bug screens.
- Grow wasp-repellent herbs such as mint and basil.
Call professional pest experts to remove the small hornet or yellow Jacket nests before the colony grows bigger.
Professional Stinging Insect Control And Removal
Trying to swat or remove the small stinging insects will only aggravate them, leading to painful stings. Protect yourself by hiring professional pest exterminators. At A Step Above Pest Control & Termite, our trained experts have the requisite experience and skills in nest removal.
We can establish how large the colony is before recommending the appropriate treatments for the stinging insects. Additionally, we will implement preventative measures that ensure the bees, ants, hornets, or wasps don’t return to your property. Call us today to discuss your stinging insect problem and how we can solve it.