Stinging Insects

More About Common Stinging Insects

In the United States, stinging insects are frightening. This term is used to describe wasps, bees, hornets, and other insects that can stink. Stinging insects are a part of the Hymenoptera order. Stinging insects create problems for Portland residents because they can stink, but they’re helpful as well. They can help pollinate plants so they’re important to the environment. If they’re not on your property or posing a threat to you, it is a good idea to leave them alone. Before you can figure out how to deal with this issue, you need to know which stinging insect has entered your home.

Once you’ve identified the type, you can find out how aggressive they are and how to get rid of them. In Portland, we commonly eradicate yellowjackets, bald-faced hornets, and paper wasps. Within this guide, you’ll learn more about stinging insects in Portland and our stinging insect removal services.

Identifying Your Stinging Insects

Before you can take steps to reclaim your home from stinging insects, you need to find out which species you’re dealing with. You can achieve this goal by looking at the stinging insects, the nest, and the location of the nest. Once you’ve done that, you’ll want to compare these details with the information provided below.

Paper Wasps – Nest & Appearance

Paper wasps can be aggressive, but they’re not as aggressive as other stinging insects. As long as you keep a safe distance from their nest, you won’t get stung. Stinging insect nests are small, gray, and round. You can identify the nest because it’ll have a unique honeycomb shape. Their nests are primarily built on eaves and overhangs. They can be placed on fences as well. Numerous species of paper wasps are in Portland, but the most common are European paper wasps and Northern paper wasps.

European paper wasps have yellow and black stripes with orange antennas. Northern Paper Wasps have brown bodies and dark orange spots. Their abdomens are covered with thin white or yellow stripes.

Yellowjackets – Nest & Appearance

Yellowjackets can be very aggressive. You’ll want to stay away from their nest when possible. Don’t approach their nest in summer or fall because the nest will be larger, and this stinging insect will be more aggressive. Some stinging insects build nests underground and this makes them difficult to avoid. Nests above ground are built under your porch and near your attic. They can build large nests that will be home to hundreds or thousands of stinging insects. Their nests are covered with a paper material that is either black or gray.

Yellowjackets have stripes on their abdomens with the stripes being yellow and black. Their antennas are black. When they fly across your property, they’ll tuck their legs against their bodies and move at fast speeds.

Bald-Faced Hornets – Nest & Appearance

Bald-faced hornets are incredibly aggressive, so you need to stay away from them. Again, a bald-faced hornet colony will become more aggressive as the colony grows in size. Their nests are large and are shaped like a teardrop. Bald-faced hornets often build their nests on trees and bushes. They may also be built on tall grass.

These stinging insects have black and white bodies that are smooth. They’re not furry like other stinging insects. They have large heads, thoraxes, abdomens, and a stinger.

Honeybees – Nest & Appearance

Honeybees are usually less aggressive than other stinging insects. In Portland, you can likely approach this stinging insect without getting stung. They can be bred to make them as gentle as possible. When you see a honeybee nest, you’ll know immediately what you’re looking at. Honeybees build their nests on hollow trees, rocks, and wall cavities. Their nests are round with a honeycomb shape. Honeybees tend to use the same nest for several years so they have to store honey to ensure they’ll have enough food to survive.

Honeybees are fuzzy, and most are yellow or orange. They have a stinger but don’t sting often.

Carpenter Bees – Nest & Appearance

In terms of aggression, carpenter bees rank at the bottom of the list. You can approach a carpenter bee nest and you likely won’t get stung. Still, you should try to avoid them to minimize the risks. When carpenter bees approach your home, they’re going to build nests in your wood fascia, siding, and decks. They’ll bore 3/8” holes in the wood during Spring. The holes they build will be used to care for their young. Carpenter bees are large bees that share many characteristics with bumblebees.

If you’re trying to determine the bee’s gender, you should look for a yellow spot on the bee’s face. If you find one, it is a male carpenter bee.

Potential Health Hazards With Stinging Insects

Ultimately, stinging insects could be dangerous. However, it is important to be realistic because some stinging insects are not dangerous at all. To determine how dangerous the stinging insect is, you need to find out what species you have. Once you’ve done that, you’ll know a great deal more about stinging insects. For instance, you’ll know more about their behavior, their nesting activities, and how dangerous they can be. Most people are stung when they approach large stinging insect nests. Minimize the risks by staying away from stinging insects. You’ll also want to check carefully for ground nests because they’re harder to find. You may step on a ground nest without realizing it. If you’re stung, you may experience a dangerous allergic reaction.

Why Stinging Insects Are Targeting Your Portland Home

Stinging insects will likely approach your home because they want to build stinging insect nests. If you have wood siding or fascia, stinging insects will likely enter your property.

Removing Stinging Insects From Your Portland Property

It is pertinent to eliminate stinging insect infestations swiftly because they could be dangerous. Our company is eager to help. Although you can purchase DIY sprays and chemicals, these products are not 100% effective. Furthermore, some of them are dangerous. To minimize the risks and protect your loved ones, use our services. We’re here to help you. Our company uses comprehensive, safe stinging insect treatments to tackle the issue promptly. When you pick us, you can rest assured knowing we’ll fix the problem without causing unnecessary risks.

Is Your Stinging Insect Exterminations Safe?

Our exterminators want to do everything possible to protect you and your loved ones. We also want to protect your pets and plants. Our company has a rigorous training protocol to guarantee that our exterminators will take precise steps to keep our clients safe. In addition to that, we use EPA-registered products to eliminate pests without increasing risks. When you use our stinging insect exterminations, you can sleep soundly knowing our exterminators will do what we can to keep you safe. If you want to protect the ones you live with you want to use our stinging insect extermination services.

What Factors Determine The Final Cost Of Professional Pest Control?

Some Portland consumers shy away from professional pest control because they believe it is too costly. It is a fact, professional pest control is more expensive than over-the-counter pest control pesticides. However, when you compare the success rate of both options, the price variance may not be that important. We will work with you and your budget to customize a pest control strategy that is guaranteed to deliver a speedy outcome.

The factors that reflect the pest control price include the following:

• Insect species
• Severity of infestation
• Number of nests
• Treatment option
• Home location
• Level of involvement

When Will The Exterminator Arrive At My Home?

We can have a licensed exterminator dispatched to your home within 24 to 48 hours of the initial pest control requests. Our goal is to deliver a speedy response, whether the client requests an in-home pest inspection or something as simple as a free service quote.

Is It Possible To Prevent Repeat Stinging Insect Infestations?

Yes, it is possible with our professional pest management, which includes routine pest inspections, customized treatment, and a prevention strategy. In addition to these services, we offer educational materials, tips, guidance, and professional pest control monitoring. Whether we are involved in the process or just helping a community member, our pest control is affordable, accessible, and effective.

Pantry pests are more problematic beginning in late fall. This behavior will continue until the onset of cold weather. We suggest ramping up pest control during this duration, in an attempt to push back harder against pantry pest infiltration.

Our pantry pest control is affordable, accessible, and doable. We will work with you to develop a strategy that is guaranteed to keep your home’s status “pest-free.” Contact our Portland office to learn more.

If you have any other pest control issues please check out other services.