Early Stinging Insect Prevention Tips For New Jersey Residents

With spring upon us, the pests that took a break over the cold winter are starting to return to New Jersey yards and homes. Stinging insects aren’t out in full force yet, but the queens will soon be looking for a suitable place to build their nests and lay their eggs. If you start early, the following stinging insect prevention tips can help you keep stinging insects off your property.

Why Early Spring is the Time to Take Action Against Stinging Insects

In fall all stinging insects die off except the queens. They overwinter until the weather warms up enough to become active again. Queens do not reuse nests from year to year. When they come out in the spring, they’ll begin looking for new places to start building their nests. This makes spring the ideal time to prevent a stinging insect invasion on your New Jersey property.

If you can make your home and yard unappealing to the queen, she’ll be less likely to build her nest near your house. Although you may still encounter stinging insects on your property throughout the summer, if they don’t nest nearby, they’re far less likely to hang around your yard and less likely to sting anyone if they are not protecting a nearby nest.

Early Stinging Insect Prevention Tips for New Jersey Residents

How do you make your yard unappealing to a queen? There are several things you can do.

• Reduce moisture. Like all living things, stinging insects need water to survive. If you have a lot of water or moisture on your property, it will tell the queen it’s a good place to live. Reduce moisture by ensuring you have good drainage systems in place, cleaning out your gutters, not over-watering your garden or lawn, fixing leaky spigots or pipes, and not leaving out water dishes for pets.
• Remove food sources. Stinging insects eat a variety of things. They like sweets, so reducing flowering plants will give them fewer places to find nectar. They eat other things as well, so make sure you don’t leave food out if you eat outside. Keep your garbage bins tightly closed, and clean out your grill’s drip pan on a regular basis.
• Reduce bright colors and strong smells. Stinging insects are attracted to bright colors and strong smells, especially sweet smells. Not only should you reduce these around your yard, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors, consider wearing muted colors and not wearing perfumes.

What to Do if Stinging Insects Still Make Your Home Their Home

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, stinging insects will still choose your property as their nesting area. This can be dangerous for residents, especially if you or a family member has an allergy to their stings. If you find an active nest on your property, contact Arrow Pest Control to take care of it. We can remove the nest safely, ensuring you don’t get stung in the process. Make your yard a pleasant and safe place again, reach out to Arrow today.