Summer in the DMV is when you want to be outside enjoying the warm weather and it’s also peak season for dangerous stinging pests such as bald-faced hornets around homes in Montgomery County, Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Loudoun, Prince George’s counties, and the surrounding areas we service in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Bald-faced hornets as well as yellow jackets and other wasps and hornets are very aggressive and territorial.
While some homeowners may choose the DIY for eliminating pests, when it comes to bald faced hornets, wasps and other hornets, we recommend leaving this to a pest control professional.
Here is what you need to know about bald-faced hornets, yellow jackets, wasps and other stinging pests.
Bald-faced hornets
Bald-faced hornets build large, gray, paper-like nests about the size of a basketball that hangs from a tree branch or are often tucked away from the rain under a gutter or doorway. And boy can their stings hurt. They are extremely aggressive and once alarmed about invaders or threats the entire colony, which can number in the hundreds, will swarm and attack you. Bald-faced hornets attack the face and can sting repeatedly. If you see a bald-faced hornets nest, please call My Pest Pros immediately and keep people and pets away.
Paper wasps
Paper wasps are less aggressive than bald-faced hornets and other stinging insects, but can be aggressive and protective if you get too close to their nest. Their nests are often small honeycomb shaped and hang around doorways, soffits and other sheltered locations. Paper wasp nests can often be quickly removed either by DIYers if you feel comfortable. A professional pest control technician can also treat around your home to help deter wasps from building new nests.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets are a common pests, especially when you have a picnic or may be enjoying food and sweet drinks outside. Yellowjackets will usually leave you alone unless provoked or threatened, but they can be a major nuisance. Their nests can be hidden in the ground – a risk when cutting the lawn or children are playing in the yard – in tree stumps, attics, stone walls, and many other locations. We would recommend leaving yellowjackets to a pest control professional due to their painful stings and aggressiveness when threatened.
What to do if you are stung by a bald-faced hornet, wasp, yellowjacket or other stinging pest?
Some people are extremely allergic to stinging pests and should seek medical care immediately. For others, ice, an antihistamine, aspirin, and/or hydrocortisone cream can help provide relief. But we recommend seeking guidance of a medical professional because every situation is different.
How to treat bald-faced hornets at your Montgomery County home as well as wasps and other stinging pests?
A professional will usually use one or more dust or liquid products to eliminate the colony. Treatment is usually performed in a single treatment, however, a second visit is sometimes required to remove a bald-faced hornets’ nest if it is extremely aggressive or in a difficult to access location. Paper wasp nests are treated and removed. With yellowjackets, the nest is not normally accessible so it’s not removed. But once the colony has been eliminated other yellowjackets will not move into the nest, so there is no threat.
To remove Bald-faced hornets, yellowjackets, and other stinging pests from your home in Montgomery County, call My Pest Pros at 301-447-0642. Learn more about stinging pests: https://mypestpros.com/pests-we-treat/bees-and-wasps/