The Buzz About Stinging Insects In Dallas

Do you like to spend time on your porch or back deck? If so, it is likely you've noticed wasp activity. These insects hover clumsily in the air and look for tiny openings to enter. You might see one floating near the ceiling of your porch and watch as it disappears into a hole you didn't even know you had. You may notice them crawling on the railing of your back deck or see them hovering just above the soil in your landscaping. You may even catch them building a nest. That is the worst, particularly if they’re building one just out of reach. When you see wasp activity, questions can arise. Are they hiding inside a cavity in the structures of your home? Are they hiding in a hole within your landscaping? How do you deal with a nest you can't see, and how do you address nests that are just out of reach? There are so many questions that might get your mind buzzing. Don't worry. We have you covered. Today, we're going to tell you all about stinging insects in Dallas, the best way to get rid of a wasp nest, and how to prevent insect stings all year long. If you need wasp nest removal, remember that your All-Safe Pest & Termite team is available to assist you. We'll provide you with a fast, effective, and safe solution to your issue. For pest control services in Dallas, contact us by phone, text, or our contact page.

Common Stinging Insects Found Around Dallas

Stinging insects are plentiful in Dallas. Each is somewhat unique in its own way. Let's quickly look at the three we see most often on Dallas properties and discuss a few quick facts you should know about them.

Paper Wasps: These are the wasps you're most likely to see. Not only are they numerous, but they typically create aerial nests. Paper wasp nests are made of a paper-like substance. Paper wasps collect wood pulp to make their nests, and they get this mostly from dead wood, such as branches, logs, and campfire wood. If you have fallen trees, brush piles, and other wood debris on your property, you're likely to have more trouble with paper wasps. These wasps generally have a reddish-brown color and yellow legs, but some species are yellow and black.  

Yellow Jackets: These tiny wasps are somewhat secretive. They are the wasps you find hovering in your landscape, just above the ground. They do this because their nests are often in the soil. Be cautious when you see yellow jackets as vibrations in the ground can cause the nest to swarm. All yellow jackets are yellow and black. You can differentiate a yellow jacket from a paper wasp by its fat waist. The waist (the point between the thorax and the abdomen) is more pinched on a wasp and broader on a yellow jacket. 

Carpenter Bees: These bees differ in a few ways from the other two stinging insects in our list. First, they're bees. That means they have hairs on their body that you can easily see and are not smooth looking like wasps. They're large insects, compared to paper wasps and yellow jackets. But, most of all, they aren't as much of a stinging hazard. Carpenter bees are solitary insects, not social, like paper wasps, yellow jacket wasps, and several other bee species. Solitary insects aren't as prone to sting, and they do not have a nest protection instinct, which is what causes stinging pests to swarm. The primary issue with carpenter bees is that they tunnel in structural wood season after season. Over time, they can do a lot of damage to your home.

Now that you know a bit about the common stinging insects you'll likely find on your Dallas property, let's take a look at how they behave during the warm months of the year so that you can catch trouble early and do something about these pests.

How Long Are Stinging Insects Active Around Dallas?

In the spring, stinging insects start to appear in Dallas yards. Typically, between March and May, they begin the growth cycle. But you may not see them at first. There is a large die-off during the winter, and often, only the prepared females survive to make spring nests. After spring has sprung and summer has arrived, you'll begin to notice activity. The summer months are when populations peak, and wasps are actively creating new nests. In the fall, wasps prepare new queens to survive the winter by nourishing them, which means they are more aggressively searching for food. At the end of fall, typically in October, populations decrease as the die-off occurs. Through the winter, wasps and bees are mostly dormant.

There is only a short window of inactivity, so wasp prevention is mostly ongoing. A wasp can find an entry point into the structure of your home anytime during the warm months and begin to grow a nest just out of view. Keep watch for tiny gray blobs developing on surfaces and wasps entering and exiting holes.

Everything You Can Do To Minimize Wasps And Stinging Insects

Is there anything that can stop bees and wasps from choosing your yard and your home? Yes. You have some control over whether or not stinging insects will want to settle on your property. The secret is to consider what attracts them and address these attractants in meaningful ways.

• Wasps eat protein. One source of protein they target in nature is spiders. If you have webs on your home, it should not surprise you when wasps start building nests nearby. Clean up webs to help deter wasps.
  Wasps can find protein in a trash receptacle, and some are drawn to the scent. For this reason, they may build a nest above your trash receptacles if there is an odor. Wash your receptacles and keep them covered to reduce this attractant.
• Yellow jackets, which build nests in the ground of your landscaping, are deterred by filling ground holes. Why? Because they don't generally dig their own holes. They will, however, make small holes larger.
• Paper wasps and yellow jackets are deterred when you patch holes in your exterior walls. Use expanding foam or caulk for this job.
• All stinging insects are attracted to flowers. We're not suggesting that you should get rid of any of the flowers you've planted, but addressing flowering weeds can cut down on the availability of nectar for stinging pests.
• Stinging insects collect wood pulp, so make sure to address any wood debris in your yard.
• Stinging insects need water. If your property provides a drinking hole, they'll come to quench their thirst. Remove containers that capture rainwater, clean your gutter to prevent puddles, and consider removing any broadleaf plants.  
• Carpenter bees are uniquely deterred by painting wood and applying metal flashing to protect the ends of wood planks.

Combine these tips with routine inspections and removal of tiny starter nests, and you'll prevent wasp and bee problems around your Dallas home. Will these methods provide the best wasp control possible? Yes. If you're diligent and willing to put in the hard work.

The Solution To Stinging Insect Activity In Dallas

It isn't easy to control wasps and bees, and many residents wait to deal with them when they notice a nest. We don't recommend doing this for a few reasons. First, you'll allow these insects to surprise you, or someone you love, by swarming and attacking to protect their nest. Second, it is harder to deal with a nest that has fully formed. It is much better to catch a small gray blob with one or two wasps working on it. Third, if you wait until you have a fully formed nest, it may cost you more when you contact a professional for removal. So, what is the smart solution for stinging insects? A year-round pest control service plan, like Safe Select Pest Control or Protection Plus Pest & Termite Control. These service plans provide protection from general pests, and wasps are included. They also provide spider web removal and help to address rodent problems. When you have fewer spider webs, you'll have fewer wasps looking for spiders to eat. When you have fewer rodents, you'll have fewer holes for yellow jackets to move into.  

When you need bee and wasp control in Dallas, you can count on All-Safe Pest & Termite for nest removal. But you don't have to wait until you have a stinging insect nest. Contact us today to get started with the pest control service plan you've always needed. We'll reduce pests around your home and create a barrier to keep pests from entering. And, with each visit, we'll check to make sure you don't have any bees or wasps sneaking up on you. For more information regarding the services we offer or how our plans work, give us a call or speak with our online representative. The All-Safe Pest & Termite team is committed to helping you find the best, environmentally friendly pest management solutions for your Dallas home. Connect with us today for help with stinging insects and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Dallas.