Why Do Wasps Like Cars – If you live in Alabama or the surrounding states and you come across a wasp nest that is bigger than you – don’t be too shocked. It happens everywhere, and there is one specific reason.
Entomologists, people who study bugs and insects for a living, have concluded that these “super nests” are becoming a much more common occurrence due to global warming.
Why Do Wasps Like Cars
These enormous nests are home to more than 15,000 yellow jackets each and can become several feet wide and reach a height of four to five feet, depending on the surrounding area.
Vacant Wasp Nest Inside My Car Mirror
In mid-2019, two “super nests” were discovered in Alabama and scientists believe another one is already being built. Something similar happened in 2006, during which time nearly 100 of these huge colonies and wasp nests were found.
“If we see them a month earlier than we saw in 2006, I’m very concerned that there will be a large number of them in the country,” Charles Ray told NPR. “The hives I saw this year already have more than 10,000 workers and are expanding rapidly.”
According to his estimates, Ray expects a similar number of nests to the 2006 season, and homeowners are warned not to disturb a nest if they come across one. Keeping a distance from the nest and contacting a licensed pest control company are the next suggested steps.
Check out the video below of an entomologist tending to a giant nest and let us know if you’ve ever seen one in person before. Although the weather can be damp and gloomy at times these days, the signs of spring are in the air and elsewhere. I’ve heard through the grapevine that dozens of robins flock to Ardsley Park to feast on berries, and the soft pink tulip trees that always start the season are already blooming.
Beware The Drone And Vicious Sting Of Wasps
In our house, wasps were making a nest on top of one of the balcony doors. I’m afraid their paper thin home will only grow and attract more wasps, so soon we’ll have to throw these pesky insects at a coming out party, with a heavy dose of wasp and spray bumblebee
Back in the day, when I was growing up, the powerful cans of wasp spray that would shoot for miles didn’t exist, so Dad, as he often did, would surely
Dad would whistle a tune, as if on an errand, wander into his workshop and check his stock of that for an old fishing line on a stick. Carefully, like the surgeon, he would roll old newspapers and carefully wrap them around one end of the pole and tie the bundle with string. Afterwards, he would extinguish the newspapers with turpentine, light a match to them and carefully raise the torch high in the air towards the hornet’s nest.
Talk about a coming out party! One could imagine steam coming from the ears of these angry wasps, who were simply minding their own business before they were suddenly set on fire and whisked away. Eventually the burning nest would fly to the ground and Dad would give it a good background.
Beware The Hidden Nests Of Yellow Jacks And Wasps
Wasps are probably good for something but their stings are not soon forgotten. Think of a hot hypodermic needle and that would be a wasp sting. And usually it is not a single wasp but a whole colony that swarms when it is disturbed.
Dad knew immediately what to do when he got the warning that yellow jackets had moved in. He called Rufus Taylor, his old booker whose shop was near Daddy’s Jones Street office. I remember when the yellow jackets stopped, Rufus dug up the huge nest and used it for fishing bait. Could it be true? If so, Rufus recycled long before it was environmentally popular.
Recently, it has been fashionable to ditch wasps’ nests when using home decorations. At least that’s what I noticed when flipping through the magazines. Online marketplace eBay has various shapes and sizes of nests for sale – ranging in price from $4.99 to $55.
Imagine that? If we only knew then what we know now, we could have been on the bee’s knees and had a little more change in our pockets. Pests do not discriminate when looking for a home. A car is no different than an empty tree, and the last thing you want is to find a pest making its home inside your vehicle, under the hood, or deep in the trunk.
Let’s Talk Bugs: What To Do About Wasps
Use the following tips to help protect your car from mice, bees and other pests that can not only attack your car but can also cause damage due to their presence.
Limiting exposure has a big impact on pest access to your vehicle. Parking in a garage can help limit a lot of exposure, especially to insects. Insects such as bees and wasps are unlikely to be found inside your garage and you don’t have to worry about insects building nests in your car’s mirrors or windows.
When your car is parked outside during cold weather, the heat from a recently used engine can attract pests to the area under your hood. From there, the animals can easily find their way into the vehicle’s ventilation system. In some cases, a mouse can bring babies inside the vehicle and cause bigger problems as the mice explore and gain access to the interior.
While garage parking helps, you also want to make sure small animals don’t have easy access to your garage. Proper weather stripping will help remove gaps and holes that small animals can easily crawl through. Mice are known to crawl through very small spaces, so gap blocking is an essential process.
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Along with the large automatic door, check each of the side doors or entry doors to make sure they all close properly. Add additional weatherstripping to the bottom of these doors.
Some parts of the garage may have weak spots. The walls may not be as thick and insulated as the house itself. Gaps and small holes can open easy access for pests. A pest control company can block those holes by installing copper mesh. The copper mesh prevents rodents from squeezing through the gap and the copper is strong enough to prevent chewing.
During an inspection, a pest control worker will find any susceptible areas. Some may be hidden in the dark corners of the garage or may not be visible with just a quick glance. The quick fix will help keep mice out of your car.
For added insurance, you can keep future rodents away from your vehicle by using mouse repellants. Pest control workers use a variety of items to help keep rodents away. A professional sound machine can emit high-pitched sounds to help keep mice away and prevent the creatures from approaching your vehicle.
Yellowjackets: What Are They? And Why Do They Come Out In The Fall?
A pest control company can also install mouse traps. The traps are placed near some of the most vulnerable areas in the garage and will help catch rodents before any creatures can reach your car.
The warmth and convenient access to the garage can turn the roof, siding or windows into a nest building site for bees or wasps. Without you noticing, a nest can grow very large and start to become a problem inside the garage. Some insects will eventually make their way into your car to build their own nests. Paper wasps, for example, are known to build small nests in side mirrors.
A pest control company will completely remove a bee nest or bee hive and determine how the insects entered the area. In the case of honey bees, evacuation and safe relocation of the nest can be requested to ensure that the bee colony survives and continues with its nest in a safer location.
One of the more ideal solutions to pest problems in your garage is to block the pests from the outside in. A pest control worker can use pesticides and treatment options on the outside of the garage. After an initial inspection and survey of the area, the worker can decide on the best course of action.
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Ideally, you want the process to be repeated annually to help keep insects and rodents away. The strength of the chemicals can disappear and they can disappear due to bad weather such as rain or snow. Depending on your location, you may consider a three-season service plan to help keep your car pest-free throughout most of the year.
If you park in a driveway, then you can consider the perimeter options for the driveway area. A pest control worker can help build an invisible wall with some products. Although a car is better protected in a garage or car park, the solutions will make a difference and prevent invasions.
For more information about our services, contact us at Paffy’s Pest Control. Whether you have one car or a whole collection, we’ll help keep everything pest free and prevent pest problems
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