Wildlife Wednesdays: Wasps

Wasps are summertime bugs that we generally stay away from due to their larger size and stingers! They tend to build their nests in garages, under tables, and even on the siding of houses! They can be very pesky and scary but are actually a good value to our environment. They are pollinators like bees and are really good predators for bad insects. This results in better population control for insects such as deer and horse flies, which are the main food for wasps. 

Wasps are not as aggressive as people make them out to be. They only become aggressive if you are too close to their nests or if they are hunting for food, especially food or drink items that contain sugar. Having fruit trees around such as crab apples, plums, apples, and even raspberries will keep the wasps away from your house. They will stay nearby the trees as the forage for nectar and sugar during the summer months to store up for the winter season. 

As a general rule, stay three feet away from a wasp nest during the summer season and leave the nest. Only remove them once the first hard freeze of the fall/winter season.