Wasps in your Home

If you are dreaming about warm vacations during the cooler months, you’re not the only one. Wasps and other cold-blooded creatures are also seeking a warm place to stay over the winter. Paper wasps, in particular, see your home as the perfect tropical hideaway to spend the winter months.

What are Paper Wasps?

Paper wasps are a group of wasps that chew vegetation to make paper to build their nests. While they are extremely protective of their colonies- and known for stinging as a result- they are also very beneficial for gardens as both pollinators and predators of veggie-munching caterpillars.

What is the Lifespan of a Colony?              

Each colony will last typically a year, which is the lifespan of a fertilized queen. In the fall, the wasps in the colony that will become the next generation of queens will mate and then seek a place indoors to overwinter before starting their colony. In the woods, they would seek a home under a piece of bark or in a tree crevice. Near your home, they will search under siding, in chimney cracks and in gaps in your eaves or roof. If they wake up before spring, they may fly around your home but will be relatively drowsy and not aggressive. In the spring, the wasp will return to the outside and begin to make a nest and lay eggs for her own colony. If she can’t get out, there is a risk she will start the colony in your attic or other indoor space.

How do you Prevent Overwintering Wasps?

The trick to stopping these queens from coming into your home in the first place is to make sure everything is sealed tightly. Gaps can be caulked, mortared, or nailed down depending on the type of material. Your local wildlife company is a great place to start; they can help you identify all the spaces that need sealing for wasp pest control and help you to keep your winter home snug and wasp-free.