What are Stinging Pests?

The 5 main types of stinging pests are bees, hornets, scorpions, wasps, and yellow jackets. These insects may be found around a home, sometimes making nests under decks, under eaves, inside attics, and inside of gutters. There are more than 20,000 different species of bees with the largest being 3.9cm long. Hornets are a flying stinging insect that make their nests with paper-like materials mixed with saliva. They eat insects and plant nectar and are social insects.

Scorpions are technically arachnids as they possess 8 legs and are related to spiders. Wasps are important to the environment but may be harmful if they migrate and infest in someone’s home. The term yellow jacket actually refers to a set of wasp species whose colony reaches the maximum size in late summer.

Frequented Areas

Bees prefer areas that are abundant with flowering plants, such as meadows, orchards, woodlands, and gardens but because of domestication for various purposes, bees may be found all over the world including Europe, China, and the Americas. With about 20 different hornet species, they are found in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America. Scorpions live only in very dry climates and hide in the shade during the day, as they are sensitive to losing moisture from their body during the day. Wasps do live all around the world and may be found on almost every single continent. Fount mostly in North America, yellow jackets build their nests inside of the ground or in rotting logs.

Identification and Physical Characteristics

Bees may be black or brown with yellow, red, or blue stripes. Getting about 1.25 inches in size, hornets have two pairs of wings and six legs. They are reddish-brown on their head, thorax, first abdominal segment, and legs. Scorpions have 8 legs, two body segments, and an erectile tail that contains the stinger. These bugs are covered in hairs that act as balancing organs. Wasps vary by species, but many have a pinched waist and two pairs of wings. Their colors may range from black and metallic green and blues, and they also vary greatly in size from microscopic to a few centimeters long.  Yellow jackets may be identified by their thin, defined waists and wings that are as long as their body. They are black and yellow in color, and may get between 10 to 16mm long.

Special Characteristics

Some species of bees are solitary creatures while others such as honey bees and bumble bees are extremely social. Though named as pests to humans, hornets are predators to insects that may become pests if their populations get out of hand. The lifespan of a scorpion is normally 3 to 5 years, but they have been known to live from 10 to 15 years. Wasps are actually beneficial to mankind as they pollinate and help to fertilize plants.

Related >> Effectively Eradicating Hornets, Wasps and Yellow Jackets

 

Removal and Preventative Procedures

Removing a bee home as a whole is the only way to ensure that the infestation will be taken care of. This is not recommended to be done by homeowners as it is extremely dangerous, but if it is done, it should be attempted only after dark and/or when most of the hornets in the colony have returned to the nest. To prevent scorpions from entering a home, the homeowner should take care to seal any common entry points such as gaps under doors, gaps around plumbing pipes, utility lines, and ground-level windows. They can also get inside by hitchhiking on firewood, potted plants, and outdoor furniture so these items should be inspected before brought inside.

If a wasp infestation is found inside of a home, it would be best to leave the removal to a professional. To reduce the risk of a yellow jacket infestation, it is advisable to treat a nest during the day, as they are gone looking for food. No matter what the pest is, it is recommended to contact a pest control professional to ensure that an infestation is removed accurately and safely.

Application of Chemicals and Electronic Removals

Chemical and non-chemical treatments are available for a hornet infestation, but with this type of pest it is best to leave it up to the professionals. A pest control specialist will use chemicals to treat for a scorpion problem, but it may not always be effective unless it is known where they are living specifically. To remove wasps, a pest care professional will determine the best course of action to make the removal safe and sanitary. For yellow jackets, a pest care professional will utilize either an aerosol product or an insecticide dust.

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