Fall Is Prime Stinging Insect Season

The temps are dropping, kids are back-to-school and soon the leaves will be changing colors. But we are still spending lots of time outdoors soaking up the afternoon sun, spending time on soccer or football fields or caring for our lawn and gardens. We caution you to be on guard, stinging insects can become more aggressive this time of year.

Yellow jacket, bald-faced hornet, and other stinging insect nest populations peak in late summer and fall. These higher numbers make for more aggressive nests and more confident insects as they have more back-up, so to speak. These factors contribute to more folks getting stung this time of the year. Remembering not to let down your guard and also keeping these tips in mind will help to reduce your risk of being stung this fall:

• Stinging insects become aggressive when they feel their hive or nest is under attack. If you discover a nest or hive on your property stay a safe distance away from it. Your best bet is to contact a pest professional for safe and proper removal.
• Do not swat at stinging insects. Doing so will likely aggravate them making them more likely to sting you.
• A little-known fact is that most insect repellents will not work on stinging insects. Read the label carefully. 
• Strategically place flowering plants away from sitting areas. They attract many bees and other stinging insects. 

We caution you to leave treatment and removal of stinging insect bees and hives to a professional, like Cowleys! If you notice stinging insects moving into and out of a hole or crack and crevice to your home DO NOT seal the hole. By doing so you are sealing the entrance and trapping possibly thousands of stinging insects which will work to find a new exit out of your home. The new exit could have the stinging insects entering the inside of your home!  You do not want to risk having these stinging insects inside of your house.    

We strongly caution you to take stinging insect nests around the home seriously. Even if a person has never reacted in the past, serious allergic reactions to an insect sting could take place.