Each year, more than half a million people are rushed to the emergency room after encounters with stinging insects. Of those stinging insects, yellow jackets are some of the most aggressive. Because of this, it’s worth putting some thought into keeping them off of your Davenport property.
Yellow Jacket Basics
Like a lot of stinging pests, yellow jackets are black with yellow stripes. However, their pattern is very bold and tends to be easily recognized. Unlike bees, their bodies are smooth and lack a fuzzy texture. One of the tricky things about yellow jackets is their unpredictable nature; they build their nests almost anywhere from small hollows in the ground to high up in trees or under eaves. While yellow jackets are beneficial in controlling other pest species, a nest on your property needs quick attention.
Dangers Of Yellow Jackets In Davenport
The actual venom that yellow jackets inject when they sting is no more potent or dangerous than that of other stinging insects. The problem with yellow jackets is that they are far more aggressive than other species and have the ability to sting repeatedly. If you unknowingly wander into a yellow jacket’s territory, you run the risk of being swarmed with countless stings. At best these stings cause severe pain and at worse, they can cause serious allergic reactions.
How To Handle Yellow Jackets On Your Davenport Property
Given how dangerous yellow jackets are, it’s important to make sure their nests do not stay on your property. The safest way to do this is with help from the professionals at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators. We have the equipment, experience, and know-how to eliminate yellow jacket nests from your property without putting you or your family at risk. Don’t take chances around these pests, instead call us today for quick solutions.
Preventing Yellow Jackets
While professional solutions are recommended for active yellow jacket infestations, there are things you can do ahead of time to reduce the chances that yellow jackets will nest on your property, such as:
Limit access to food: Yellow jackets are attracted to sweet-smelling foods. Especially when eating outdoors, keep foods covered until you are ready to serve and clean up thoroughly as soon as possible afterward.
Keep trash covered: It doesn’t matter to a yellow jacket if that sweet-smelling treat is on the table, the ground, or in a trash can, it will be attracted all the same. Make sure to keep trash cans covered and eliminate garbage as soon as possible. Accessible trash is extremely enticing for yellow jackets looking for a new home.
Reduce standing water: Like all living things, yellow jackets need water to survive. Areas where there is easy access to standing water make an attractive place for them to settle down. Limit this attraction by ensuring drainage is working properly and cleaning up items that may collect water from the yard.
While these tips will help minimize the odds that yellow jackets will nest on your property, it is still important to respond right away if you notice a population begins to grow.
Protecting Yourself From Yellow Jackets
It’s one thing to notice a nest that needs to be safely removed but it’s another to have a yellow jacket staring you in the face. Protect yourself from yellow jacket stings by doing the following:
Wear shoes in grassy areas.
Avoid dark colors and floral prints.
Don’t wear sweet-smelling perfumes outside.
If you are approached by a yellow jacket, stay calm and quiet. Never swat, as it will likely provoke an attack.
Seek immediate medical attention if you are stung and the reaction seems to be severe.
For total protection from yellow jackets and other stinging insects on your Davenport property, call Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators today to sign up for pest control solutions that fit your needs and budget.