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What Are Stinging Insects?
With a name like stinging insects, you’d think you know everything there is to know about this classification of insect. They have stingers, they fly, and they sting. What else is there to know about these insects? Well, there is actually a lot more to know about these bugs, and knowing these crucial facts could be the difference between detecting an infestation and letting it fester. That being said, stinging insects belong to a family known as Hymenoptera, but interestingly enough, the ant also belongs to this order.
What’s even more interesting is, a lot of people consider stinging insects beneficial pollinators. This is, of course, as long as they don’t post a threat to you or your property. Some of them will and some of them won’t under the right circumstances. These are just some other crucial things that are needed to be known regarding these creatures. In Dayton, some of the insects that commonly fall into the stinging insect classification are bees, wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets.
How To Detect And Identify Stinging Insects
There are two different ways that you can go about determining what type of stinging insect you are dealing with. Identifying the type you are dealing with will not only be critical for elimination, but it’ll be critical for your safety. You have to know what type of insect you are dealing with so you will know and understand its temperament. Just because these insects all fall into the stinging insect classification, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are all the same. Here’s where you’ll need to start.
The Paper Wasp
There are actually two different types of paper wasps you’ll find in Dayton, which be will be discussed a little more later on. As of right now, you need to know that the paper wasp is one with medium-level aggression, meaning it generally won’t cause any problem until it feels threatened. If it is physically touched or you come near its nest, it will likely attack. These insects build a distinctive hive that resembles that of a honeycomb. They are usually found under eaves, overhangs, and sometimes on fences. They are smaller in size and grayish in color.
The European Paper Wasp
As was mentioned earlier, there are two types of wasps in Dayton. The first is the European Paper Wasp. While these critters will build similar nests, they are different in appearance and temperament. The European is striped yellow and black with orange antennae. It is somewhat similar to that of the yellowjacket in appearance but much larger. It is so large that its hind legs will dang while in flight.
Northern Paper Wasp
The other paper wasp that is common to the Dayton area is the Northern Paper Wasp. This one is brown in color but does also have dark orange areas with thin yellow or white stripes on the abdominal area.
The Yellowjacket
The yellow jacket is an insect with a high level of aggression. You don’t even have to be near its nest for it to sting you, which only adds to the difficulty of elimination. These bees will be even more aggressive during the summer and late fall when their nests are at maximum size. Speaking of nests, these colonies usually consist of hundreds to thousands of members and are usually covered with paper-like material. They are commonly erected in places like attics, under porches, and sometimes in dense bushes. There are some species that will even build nests in the ground, which makes them even more dangerous because you can walk right up on them without even knowing it. The bee has a black and yellow striped abdominal section with a solid black head and antenna. They are extremely fast flyers because of their ability to tuck their legs against their bodies during flight.
Bald-Faced Hornet
Here is another highly aggressive stinging insect. This one will also be more aggressive in the summer and late fall for the same reasons. This is when the colony will be at its highest number of members. These ones build extremely distinctive nests, as they’ll look like inverted tear-drops. The nests are typically located in trees, bushes, the side of buildings, and sometimes in tall undisturbed grass. The bee itself is black and white in appearance with a smooth body and slightly large head and thorax. The abdominal section is where the stinger is located.
The Honey Bee
The honey bee is extremely common in Dayton, as local honey is a huge proponent of the area. While these bees are not overly aggressive, they will sting when threatened or touched. Most people are familiar with these bee’s distinctive comb-style hives that house honey. Unlike other bees in Dayton, these bees can survive for long periods of time and through the winters because they’ll make honey all summer long and live off it in the winter. The bees are a combination of orange and yellow with fuzzy, brown bodies. They also have a fuzzy head and thorax with an abdominal stinger.
Are Stinging Insects Dangerous?
As you learned, there are some stinging insects that can be considered dangerous and there are some that aren’t. That being said, some individuals can have adverse allergic reactions to the venom that these insects inject. If this is the case, immediate medical attention should be sought out. Another good rule of thumb to apply is, the bigger the colony, the more aggressive it will be. Yellowjackets pose the biggest threat of all, as they possess the ability to sting repetitively.
Why Are Stinging Insects Around
Stinging insects are opportunistic creatures, meaning when an opportunity presents itself, they will jump right on it. If your property offers the right environmental conditions for their hives, they’ll build it there.
How To Eliminate Stinging Insects
As pest management professionals, we cannot in good conscience recommend anyone trying to eliminate stinging insects on their own. Not only all these critters dangerous, but the chemicals needed to eliminate them are just as dangerous when not used properly. It takes a trained and certified tech to administer them in the safest manner possible. In fact, this is why a lot of DIY and over-the-counter pesticides aren’t as effective. They don’t contain all the needed ingredients. Most of these ingredients are not available to the general public and considered illegal for anyone who isn’t EPA certified. Just something to keep in mind when choosing a pest management firm.
There Are Safer Alternatives
All that being said, we do want the residents of Dayton to know that we do now offer eco-friendly solutions. While they might not work in every situation, we’ll offer and use them whenever possible. All you have to do is gives us a call, we’ll dispatch out a tech, he’ll assess the area, and determine whether or not you are applicable for such treatments. Either way, we take safety with high concern and always take great care with everything we do.
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