Now that winter is over, and the warm weather is upon us, everything is waking up, the grass, trees, flowers are in bloom and the pests are coming out in full force. This is the time of year we see a spike in pest activity. While most bugs play a vital role in our eco-system and pose little to no threat to us, there are some we should keep a distance from. The bald-faced hornet is one of those pests that are best left alone. Queen bald faced hornets come out about this time and begin to build their nests. The Queens will hibernate all winter long, then in about May-June she will emerge and begin the work on building her nest. Now these wasps in particular are pretty amazing, the Queen will do most of the work building the nest all by herself! Their “papier mache” like nests are comprised of organic material that the queen will fly from tree to tree gathering with her mandibles then mix them with her saliva and weaves it into honeycomb nest. The queen bald faced hornet will build her nest preferably in a tree, but they can also be found in tall, unmowed grass or places hospitable to their needs. These nests can host about 100-400 individuals at a time and can grow to be bigger than a basketball!
There are a number of pests that are more than a nuisance. Some cause major damages to our homes. While some pests such as rodents are destructive by nature, others seek to destroy. Eagle Pest Services will share the top three wood damaging pests that can cause major internal damage, costing thousands of dollars to homes each year.
There are many species of ant found throughout North America. However, in Virginia there seem to be the same four common species found invading homes and some of them are quite destructive. Eagle Pest Services will share more about these most common species of ant and how you can protect your home from them.
It’s no secret that wasps are dangerous. Their sting can be horrible, especially if you are allergic to their venom. There are many myths that are related to wasps that you may not be aware of. Eagle Pest Services is here to talk about myths associated with wasps as we head into spring and summer.