Stinging Insect Identification 

Are Stinging Insects Dangerous?

The biggest risk with any stinging insect species nesting on your property is the threat of you, your kids, or pets being stung. Not only is being stung by one of these insects painful, but the venom they inject is strong enough to trigger serious allergic reactions. Those severely allergic to their venom can potentially have a life-threatening reaction after being stung.

Stinging insects living on your property can make your yard less usable and enjoyable. It is hard to feel at home in your yard when you have to avoid contact with stinging insects.

Why Do I Have a Stinging Insect Problem? 

Stinging insects like to build nests in our yards because they often offer them plenty of sheltered areas to protect their nests from harsh weather and predators. Gardens, trash cans, flower beds, and outdoor eating areas provide stinging insects with plenty of foraging opportunities. Birdbaths, clogged gutters, buckets, and puddles offer them sources of water.

Any home or yard could become a nesting site for stinging insects, but properties located near wooded areas, fields, and parks are most likely to have problems with stinging insects.

Where Will I Find Stinging Insects?

Common nesting sites for stinging insects include under roof eaves, on ceiling beams, and under porches and decks. They will also take advantage of entry points leading into our homes and build nests behind wall voids, in chimneys, and in attic spaces.

Tree branches, tree hollows, shrubbery, and dense vegetation are typical outdoor nesting sites. Yellow jackets build their nests in naturally occurring ground holes under woodpiles or brush piles or in the abandoned nests of small animals. Carpenter bees prefer to nest in older or untreated wood like fences, play structures, wood shingles, or decks.