Of the various types of wasps, yellow jackets have one of the fiercest reputations. Thoughts of them usually conjure mental images of airborne hostility and repeated painful stings. [Read more…]
Great Black Wasps on Long Island
It’s like something from a horror movie, but you can’t look away. A giant black insect flies through the air with a paralyzed cicada in its jaws. It lands in the dirt and begins to stuff the creature into a hole in the ground, where hungry larvae will consume it while it’s still alive. No, you didn’t walk onto a creepy kaiju movie set. It’s just a great black wasp, going about its daily business.
Are Great Black Wasps Dangerous?
Great black wasps may be fearsome looking, but they typically aren’t aggressive toward humans. Unlike yellow jackets and other social wasps, great black wasps are solitary and don’t have a large colony to defend – or join them in an attack. A female great black wasp can sting, but she will only do so if provoked or her nest is threatened.
Great black wasp stings do happen, but they rarely cause more than moderate pain at the site of the sting. As with other insect stings, some individuals may have an allergic reaction, ranging from redness and swelling around the sting to anaphylaxis, which constitutes a medical emergency. If you are stung by a wasp and experience severe swelling of the face, lips, or throat, hives, dizziness, breathing problems, or a weak pulse, administer an EpiPen, and call 911 immediately.
What Is The Difference Between A Mud Dauber And A Wasp?
With so many species of wasps calling Long Island home, it’s easy to confuse great black wasps with mud daubers. They’re both solitary wasps that only sting when provoked, but they are pretty different in where they nest and what they eat.
Mud daubers get their name, as you might expect because they use mud to build their nests. Long Island hosts three species of mud dauber wasps – the organ-pipe mud dauber, the black and yellow mud dauber, and the metallic blue mud dauber.
Like the great black wasp, mud daubers are large, with the females averaging between 1.5-2 inches long. Unlike the great black wasp, which is monochromatic, dauber species vary in color.
Mud daubers build their nests above ground, under eaves, on walls, or other flat surfaces. Female daubers collect mud and form it into either a group of cylindrical shapes (organ-pipe daubers) or a smooth, fist-sized nest (black and yellow daubers). Blue daubers don’t build their nests; they take over abandoned nests formerly used by their black and yellow cousins.
Great black wasp females build their nests underground. They use their mouth and legs to dig a tunnel about a foot below ground where they will nest, lay their eggs, and feed their larvae.
Mud daubers and great black wasps consume insects but choose very different prey. Mud daubers are spider hunters, whereas great black wasps eat crickets, katydids, and grasshoppers. Like most wasps, both paralyze their prey with venom, preserving it for up to a week so it can be eaten slowly while still alive.
What Wasps Are On Long Island?
Long Island is home to a variety of wasp species, solitary, burrowing wasps, and nesting, colony-based wasps that often swarm in large groups. In addition to the great black wasp, mud dauber wasps and cicada killer wasps are solitary insects that build underground nests and rarely attack unless provoked.
Yellow jackets, paper wasps, and European paper wasps are “social” wasps that nest in large colonies. Of these, the yellow jacket is the most aggressive, repeatedly stinging when threatened.
Twin Forks Pest Control® Is Your Wasp Removal Professional
Unless someone in your household has a wasp allergy, finding the occasional great black wasp on your property probably isn’t an issue. If allergies are a factor, or if you see colony-based wasps like yellow jackets or paper wasps, the time to take action is now. Because of some wasp species’ ability to attack repeatedly and en masse, it’s highly recommended that you leave removal to an experienced professional.
Contact. Twin Forks Pest Control® today for an appointment to discuss wasp removal and all your pest control needs. Southampton residents please call (631) 287-9020. Easthampton residents, please call (631) 324-9020. Southold residents, please call (631) 298-0500.
What You Need To Know About Termite Swarming
Most homeowners know that termites are tiny insects that eat wood and can cause irreparable damage to their homes, which is enough to cause concern all on its own. But many homeowners are unaware that termites swarm and what those swarms mean for their homes.
Which Species of Termites Swarm?
All termites species swarm, though the timing varies for each one – subterranean termites swarm in the spring, dampwood termites swarm during the summer, and drywood termites swarm in late summer/early fall. Effective swarms’ ideal weather conditions include damp ground, calm winds, and higher humidity.
The termites that swarm are from a specific group within the colony whose sole purpose is to swarm and reproduce. They are the only termites in the colony with wings; workers and soldiers lack wings. Males and females will swarm when the colony reaches a maximum capacity and needs to expand. A homeowner finds broken wings near swarms of termites because once the male and female become a mated pair, they break their wings off as a sign of their union. These newly coupled pairs now become the king and queen of a new colony.
Does a Swarm Mean You Have a Termite Infestation?
Unfortunately, a termite swarm means termites on the property in nearly all cases. Termites may use a dead tree or stump on the property to swarm. While the swarm may not have originated in your home itself, it is still a cause for concern. A termite swarm does not cause actual damage to your home. The colony’s worker termites accomplish this, so a swarm trapped indoors will die if it cannot get outside. It would be best if you still had a termite inspection done by a licensed professional because a swarm means an entire colony somewhere close by. Discarded wings may be difficult for an average homeowner to identify, and distinguishing between a termite’s discarded wings and an ant wing can be tricky.
What to Do If You Have a Swarm
If you have or see a termite swarm on your property or in your house, you must immediately call a qualified termite control company. Swarms are a sure sign of a full-sized colony somewhere nearby. The last thing you want is for these swarms to survive and create new colonies of termites on your property or in your house. Be sure to take samples of any wings that you find to show your pest control expert and get an identification.
Rapid identification is key to preventing more termites so if you see any, act quickly. Termites are not bugs to wait on and see if they go away, and their capacity for destruction is overwhelming.
Trust Twin Forks Pest Control® to Get Rid of Your Termites
At Twin Forks Pest Control®, we advise a yearly inspection to provide the peace of mind that your home is termite-free. Our termite experts will help with termite prevention, removal, and extermination if termites are spotted until your home is termite-free. For more information about our termite inspection service, Southampton residents, please call (631) 287-9020, East Hampton residents please call (631) 324-9020, or Southold residents, please call (631) 298-0500. You can also fill out our contact form and request a free inspection or schedule your first service appointment.
What to Do If You Have a Spider Problem?
Spiders are often considered helping hands when it comes to dealing with other small pests out in the garden or yard, but what do you do when they decide to move in uninvited? Below are a few common questions and tips to help you understand what attracts spiders into your home and how to deal with them. [Read more…]
Are Roaches Worse In Winter?
As the weather turns colder, we like to bundle up, snuggle in warm blankets, light comforting fireplaces, and generally stay indoors. But what about insects?
It is a myth that mosquitoes die off in winter. What they do is closer to hibernating like bears when the temperatures fall, though technically their process is called “diapause.” Termites burrow more deeply into the soil to keep warm and become dormant until spring. So, where do roaches go during the winter? [Read more…]
9 Tips to Keep Pests Out for the Holidays
Cold weather is starting to arrive, and what do you do when the weather gets cold? Go inside, where it is warm. The winter months are when you see fewer bugs because they are doing the same thing. Having pests seek shelter in your home is not the holiday guests you were hoping for. [Read more…]