Identifying Stinging Insects
in NW Houston and Surrounding Areas
What are Stinging Insects?
Stinging insects such as wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, or
mud daubers can turn your backyard into an uncomfortable & dangerous
place in the summer months. These stinging insects are aggressive and
territorial, and while they serve a vital role as part of the
ecosystem, they nevertheless deliver painful stings to anyone
unfortunate enough to come into contact with them or be considered a
threat.
Each year as spring arrives, these insects emerge from overwintering
and begin to search for new nesting locations. If you’re unfortunate
enough, that could mean your property. Stinging insects infest yards
across Texas for a variety of reasons - but everyone is
better off without stinging insects in their yards. Read on for more
information about the various stinging insects found in the greater Houston area,
the dangers they pose to you and your family, and why
professional treatment is always the right move when stinging insects
come buzzing. Give us a call today and we can help!
Types of Stinging Insects in The Greater Houston Area
Wasps
Wasps are a wide variety of stinging insects in the order
Hymenoptera that can carry many different colors, shapes, sizes, and
diets depending on their species. Wasps are different from bees in
both their body shapes and in the fact that they can sting multiple
times while bees can sting only once. They are identifiable by their
narrow petiole “waists.”
Wasps serve an important part of the ecosystem as both pollinators
and predators, feeding on nectar and on other insects. Wasps are
divided into social and solitary subgroups, with social wasps living
in colonies and solitary wasps surviving on their own. While the most
commonly known wasp species are social, the majority of wasps in the
wild are actually solitary.
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps are slender, narrow-bodied insects with long legs and
reddish-orange to dark-brown or black coloration, with yellow markings
on their abdomen. They grow to about 1/2 inch long. They are named for
their paper nests, which are umbrella-shaped and with hexagonal cells
that are left open and visible. Paper wasp nests can often be found
along eaves, window and window frames, porch ceilings, deck floor
joints, rafters, etc.
Paper wasps are distinguishable by their thin pinched waists.
Although they are not as aggressive as other types of stinging
insects, paper wasps are fiercely territorial and will deliver painful
stings to anyone they perceive as a threat to the nest.
Hornets
Hornets are a type of wasp and have a dark coloring. They are
typically larger than other types of wasps, growing up to 2 inches in
length. Their paper-like nests can contain hundreds of colony members.
Hornets will aggressively defend their nests from any potential
intruders.
Often confused with yellow jackets, hornets tend to be larger in
size and have bigger nests than other wasp species.
Honey Bee
Honey bees are an important part of our eco-system and are actually
against the law to kill unless they are posing an immediate threat to
an area. Honey bees do have stingers and can sting you if they are provoked,
but in most cases, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone too.
While Guard Pest Control would love to help remove bees from
a location, we leave this for the bee keepers who have the resources to
relocate them and keep them safe.
That being said, if you have an urgent need and you or your family are
in danger, please give us a call right away. If you can remove yourself
from the area until a bee keeper or a professional can arrive, please do so.
Need help finding a bee-keeper? Call our office at
(281) 826-2930 and we can direct you to the right place.
Bald-Faced Hornets
Bald-faced hornets are among the most common types of hornets in
the United States, distinguishable by their black and white markings
(most wasps are black and yellow). Workers range from 5/8-3/4 inch in,
sometimes longer, with queens growing even larger still.
The Bald-faced hornet is mostly black with a characteristic white
pattern over most of its face, giving it its common name. Bald-faced
hornets construct pear-shaped nests that can be found in nearby trees,
chimneys, under eaves, or nesting behind siding, in barns, attics and
other structures. Their nests grow relatively large compared to other
species. While typically more docile than other yellowjackets, the
hornet is extremely protective of its nest and will sting repeatedly
if disturbed.
Mud Daubers
Mud Daubers are a type of wasp that is known for their behavior of
building tube-shaped nests using mud and dirt. They are dark brown in
coloration and range from 1/2 inch to an inch in length.
Mud daubers feed on insects like spiders and other nuisance pests,
making them generally seen as helpful. Mud daubers are among the least
aggressive of wasp species, but the mud tubes they leave behind can
become a nuisance and an eyesore for property owners.
Yellow Jackets
Yellow Jackets are mid-sized wasps that range from about 3/8 - 5/8
inches long. They are named for their distinctive yellow and black
coloring. They prefer to make nests underground or in concealed
spaces, making a paper-carton nest with multiple layers and hundreds
of individual cells. These underground nests can grow as large as a
basketball. They can also be found nesting in attics, behind walls,
inside hollow trees, barns, in retaining walls and other landscape.
At rest, the yellow jacket’s wings are folded lengthwise along the
body. Yellow jackets have a distinctive side-to-side flight pattern
that can quickly differentiate them from other wasps that look similar.
Yellow jackets are extremely aggressive and often sting without
provocation.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are large black bees, about 1/2 to 1 inch in length, that
appear fatter than typical bees and much fatter than wasps. Carpenter
bees get their name from their behavior of boring into wood. Unlike
termites, carpenter bees do not eat wood but rather cause damage to
structures by drilling circular holes in order to tunnel inside it.
Despite this difference, they are still considered an extremely
destructive pest due to the wood damage they cause.
Unlike other common bees, carpenter bees are not social insects and
build individual nests into trees outdoors or into the frames, eaves
or sides of buildings. The most common sign that you have carpenter
bees is the presence of the round, smooth holes they bore into wood.
Are Stinging Insects Dangerous?
While stinging insects are largely considered more of a nuisance than
a danger, and serve a vital role in nature, their stings can nevertheless
be quite painful and even dangerous if enough wasps sting you at the same
time. Wasp and hornet stings can also lead to severe allergic reactions
that can be life-threatening. If you agitate the nest, even accidentally,
the sheer number of wasps that might come out to attack you, combined
with the fact that they can sting multiple times, can have serious
detrimental health effects.
The risk stinging insects pose to people that come into contact with
them is a large part of the reason stinging insects are always best left
to the professionals.
Steps You Can Take To Prevent Stinging Insects
In The Greater Houston Area
With both the nuisance that having wasps buzzing around you brings
and the dangers they pose, preventing wasps around your home is always
a smart move.
Here are some tips to help protect your property and mitigate
stinging insects in your yard:
- Remove food sources from your yard, such as fruit trees or
berry bushes.
- Keep doors and windows shut whenever not in use.
- Keep exterior garbage stored in sealed containers.
- Inspect your home’s walls and foundations for any cracks or
crevices stinging insects could squeeze inside and seal them
immediately.
- Move hummingbird feeders well away from your home.
- Do not leave pet food outside.
- Consider planting natural wasp-repelling plants around the
exterior of your home, such as wormwood, marigold, mint, basil,
pennyroyal, or geranium.
- Check the exterior of your home as well as any sheds or
structures on your property for wasps nests, and avoid those areas
until they can be treated.
- Do not leave out meat or other protein-rich foods, and these
will attract wasps.
- Cover up any holes in the ground that could serve as a nesting
grounds.
- Call a professional for help eliminating any other existing pest
infestations around your home that could serve as prey for wasps in
the area.
Why Call Guard Pest Control For
Help With Stinging Insects?
DIY stinging insect removal treatments aren’t just difficult; they
can be outright dangerous to attempt. Wasps and hornets are already
challenging pests to treat since their flying ability allows them to
get into almost anywhere. But should you disturb the nest, either
accidentally or on purpose, you could find yourself covered in stings.
Without the proper tools and equipment, trying to face off against
stinging insects alone could be quite costly. And if you fail to
eliminate the entire infestation, you risk having it come back again
in full force later, making your sacrifice for nothing.
If stinging insects are buzzing around your yard, don’t go it alone:
contact the Houston, TX pest professionals
at Guard Pest Control for help. We have the tools and training to
handle stinging insect infestations safely and effectively, allowing us
to get rid of the wasps without putting you or your loved ones at risk.
Contact us today for more information about our
stinging insect treatment options.
