Helpful Tips To Protect Your Trees From Wasp Infestations

Although wasps are important pollinators and useful as predators to help control other insect pests in the garden, having a wasp infestation in your trees is not ideal — especially if they're nesting. Wasps can cause damage to your trees and can be a hazard around your garden. There are many different species of wasps you might find in your yard, some of which are harmless and some you definitely want to kill. To get some helpful tips on how to protect your trees from wasp infestations, House Digest spoke exclusively to Anna Wallace, Truly Nolen Pest Control's Operations Manager for Naples (Florida), who has been with the company for five years and in the pest control industry for 10.

According to Wallace, the best way to keep wasps away from your trees is to remove any and all food sources, such as dropped and rotting fruits, in and around your trees. She also stated, "Don't forget items such as palm trees' flowering seed pod branches, which eventually turn into palm nuts (seeds). They can also rot and ferment in the trees and on the ground." Wallace recommends keeping hummingbird feeders filled with sweet nectar, and other types of bird food such as fruits and vegetables, away from your trees. Keeping your trees pruned correctly and healthy should help to protect them from wasp problems.

Dealing with wasps or wasp nests is dangerous and requires extra care, especially if you are allergic to wasp stings and may not be aware of it. In speaking exclusively to House Digest about the best way to handle the safe removal of a wasp problem, Anna Wallace stated, "We recommend calling a professional for help with identification and potential treatment methods before proceeding on your own. Safety is the top priority, especially in cases where height and size of the nest are concerned. "

According to Wallace, when attempting this removal process yourself, it's important to wear personal protective clothing such as a bee suit, especially when dealing with a large nest. She also emphasized that it's important to read the label on any pesticide product you intend to use, and to follow the instructions correctly. While dealing with small wasp nest issues is fairly easy for most people, Wallace recommends calling a professional any time there are safety risks for killing a wasp nest. To keep your garden relatively safe from a wasp invasion, you should remove any wasp-attracting weeds you don't want in your lawn and garden.