Wasps
Eliminating wasps from your home or business is needed for maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment. Not only do some wasps pose a real threat to humans, but they can be harmful to native insect wildlife, especially bees and other essential insects needed for plant pollination.
Wasp nest removal can pose a challenge in terms of safety and effectiveness if you don’t have the correct equipment, professional experience, and products. Greens Environmental Pest Services specialises in a range of wasp species including the Australian Hornet/Potter wasp, Paper Wasps, Gall Wasps, and the infamous European Wasps. The dangers each type brings to your property differ as do our effective methods of wasp and nest removal.
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Australian Hornet/Potter wasps
Australian Hornet/Potter wasps, also known as mud wasps, are known for constructing distinctive mud nests, which are attached to walls and structures. They are usually not aggressive towards humans, but if their nests are disturbed, they can become territorial and sting. However, the main danger these wasps pose is their impact on native wildlife. They prey on various insects which leads to a decline in beneficial native insect populations.
To eliminate these wasps, our professional technicians carefully remove the nests and spray the area with a specialised insecticide to inhibit their return.
Paper Wasps
Paper Wasps are another common type of wasp found in many households and share some similarities in appearance with European Wasps (see above). They can become aggressive if their nests are disturbed and their stings can cause severe pain and allergic reactions in some individuals. Adult paper wasps feed on nectar and collect caterpillars and other small insects to feed their brood. The Australian paper wasp is part of the Australian ecosystem and plays an important role in pollination services and population control.
These wasps generally construct small, open nests under eaves, window frames, and other sheltered spots around the home. When dealing with these wasp nests, our professional technicians will remove the nest and dispose of it.
Gall Wasps
Gall Wasps are unique, as they lay their eggs inside plants, most commonly in citrus trees, with lemon trees being a favourite. You’ve likely seen these abnormal lumps (or galls) within a citrus branch, and these protect and feed their larvae. These galls can hinder plant growth and your citrus crop while also giving the appearance of a sick plant.
While Gall Wasps do not pose a direct threat to humans their impact on plants and trees can have significant economic consequences for agriculture, horticulture, and hobby farms.
Controlling Gall Wasps generally requires identifying affected plants and removing and destroying the galls before the larvae mature and emerge. The time of year to do this is critical for effectiveness of the treatment and to lessen the impact on the plant, so it is best to consult with Greens Environmental Pest Services first.
European Wasps
European Wasps are an introduced species in Australia and are native to parts of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. They are highly aggressive and often form large colonies, which can exceed 50,000 individuals, and often in the summertime grow to the size of a basketball or larger. Usually, these nests are under ground with the entrance hole at the surface, but on rare occasions they can also be found in a roof or wall cavity. In our experience with European wasp nest removal, we have seen a nest in a roof space that was so large that it was affecting household wiring!
The wasp nest will have a busy entrance hole with many wasps entering and exiting per minute. The nest should not be disturbed as their stings are extremely painful and can cause life-threatening allergic reactions in some people.
European Wasps are not only a problem to humans and pets but can also have a devastating impact on native insect wildlife since they often out compete them for food sources due to their aggressive nature and numbers. Being an introduced species, they don’t have any natural predators to keep their numbers in check.
If you are a beekeeper, it is not uncommon to discover a hidden underground European wasp nest only meters away from your prized apiaries, where the opportunistic and predatory social wasps will kill off your beehive population. This is a real problem, especially when honeybee populations are already currently under threat.
Eradicating these wasps typically involves locating and dusting the nests with insecticide powder, or employing baiting techniques to eliminate the colony, depending on the situation. Given the aggressive nature of European Wasps and the dangers they pose, we strongly advise contacting Greens Environmental Pest Services to ensure effective eradication without endangering yourself or others.
Effective and safe wasp removal in Adelaide
Due to the potential dangers associated with inexperience in dealing with wasps and the ineffectiveness of “off-the-shelf” solutions we always recommended to consult with Greens Environmental Pest Services first. With over 30 years of knowledge and experience, we effectively assess your situation, determine the appropriate treatment, and ensure wasp removal and wasp nest removal is carried out safely.
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