Most people don't mind the occasional wasp if they notice it outside. However, the story quickly changes if the wasp is discovered inside, especially in a small apartment. Wasps can be aggressive, fast and unpredictable, scaring even the calmest of tenants. Though it seems unlikely, wasps have a tendency to populate apartment complexes, leaving tenants befuddled. Consider these tips to prevent wasps in your home.
One of the most common times wasps are spotted in apartments is in the winter. This can throw off people, as they may expect wasps to be more prevalent in the spring and summer months when there's more foliage and flora. However, this is not the case for wasps, who have a fairly odd life cycle. If people witness wasps in their home during the winter, they are often paper wasps, University of Kentucky professor Michael Potter told The New York Times.
Paper wasps create their nests in the spring months. They get their name from their nests, which are made out of a fiber that looks like paper, Penn State University noted. Once the fall rolls around, the males in the colony die. Before they go, they impregnate the female queens. Once pregnant, the females need to find proper shelter. That shelter is often inside the walls of a building. They remain there until they feel warmth, and begin to come out. The wasps believe its summer, but it may just be the heating pipes that sit in many apartment walls. They can emerge through floor boards, light fixtures and cracks in the walls, petrifying renters.
Follow these pest management suggestions to help avoid a wasp attack in your apartment.
Don't wait to handle a wasp infestation. You may discover that when the wasps come out of hiding, they aren't very threatening. They may be sluggish and lackadaisical from their winter hibernation. Yet that doesn't mean they aren't a threat. If you choose not to act, more wasps will begin to emerge with time. They also will become more active and aggressive if threatened. Contact your landlord and suggest hiring a pest control company.
While the wasps are slow, use a vacuum to suck them up or try to sweep them out of your door or windows with a broom. Most times, they'll slowly gravitate toward a window, so this could be an easy task.
Wasps will usually set up house in the fall, as the males die off. They can wiggle through the smallest of openings, including a slight crack in a window, a hole in a screen or even the cracks at the edge of floorboards. Sealing these openings properly in the early fall will prevent the wasps from creeping up.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
