| Although in some respects wasps may be regarded as beneficial, in general wasps are seen as nuisance pests or a threat to health. |
 |
| They feed on fruits e.g. apples, pears and plums although they are regarded as scavengers extending the damage caused by other pests and diseases. The need to collect wood to construct nests means that wasps may damage the wooden fabric of buildings, fences and even perhaps garden furniture. |
| Wasps are a particular nuisance at the end of the summer when the workers are freed of the need to collect proteinaceous foods for their young and can indulge their passion for sweet materials e.g. jam and syrup. They cause a nuisance when they enter kitchens, bakeries and other premises handling sweet aromatic materials. Foodstuffs can be contaminated and staff will be disturbed or even stung. Where wasp densities are high and a real threat is perceived, production in workplaces can be halted. |
| It is the ability of wasps to cause painful stings that concerns most people. Unexplained road accidents have sometimes been attributed to the distraction of drivers by wasps. They are not regarded as particularly aggressive and the ability to sting is employed by the social wasps to defend their nests. The sting is caused by the injection of venom into the victim by means of the modified ovipositor of the females. Unlike the sting of bees the wasp sting can be withdrawn from the victim. The venom is haemolytic, haemorrhagic and neurotoxic. Histamine is also present which causes the redness, flare and weal in skin. |
| Wasp stings around the throat may lead to respiratory obstruction. Alternatively they may be directly toxic causing faintness, respiratory difficulty, vomiting, diarrhoea and perhaps urticaria. These are only likely to appear following a mass attack. The main hazard is the risk of anaphylactic shock arising from repeated stings or even a single one which may lead to death. |
| Symptoms may appear rapidly and include respiratory distress, faintness, an itching rash, swelling of the face and vomiting with abdominal pain, cramp or diarrhoea. Medical assistance should be sought immediately where anaphylactic shock is suspected. Stings can be treated with a cold compress and antihistamine creams applied within twenty minutes of stinging. A suitable antiseptic cream should also be rubbed into the skin to prevent infection. |
| Nests are located underground, in buildings, trees or bushes and constructed of wasp paper made by chewing wood and other plant debris with saliva. First a canopy is fixed to the top of the nest location and then a central pedicel from which the nest is suspended. The queen then builds a layer of hexagonal downward-facing cells radially from the pedicel. Layers of wasp paper envelop the nest providing protection from the elements and conserving heat. |
| |
| TREATMENT & CONTROL |
 |
Measures to control wasps can be directed at the foraging wasps or their nests. |
| Powder treatment: |
| An insecticidal powder can be applied around and into the entrance of the nest. Workers are contaminated when they return to the nest and carry the powder inside. |
| Powders are applied using mechanical dusters. Protec Pest Control are experienced in the safe removal of wasp nests and prevention of re-colonisation. |
| Many people think they can treat the pest problem themselves, only to find that they make the infestation worse by purchasing products from DIY outlets with a poor percentage of insecticide. This may prove to be an expensive waste of time and money. |
| Protec Pest Control provides an effective solution to your pest control problem with advice to prevent any infestation recurring. |
|
|
