In the later part of summer and early fall, you might feel like you are surrounded by more bees, wasps, and hornets every time you eat outside. This is not your imagination. Here in the Gainesville area, stinging insects become more aggressive in the fall. They are more likely to fly into your picnic, backyard barbeque, or even your home. They are also more likely to sting if you get too close.

The aggression of stinging insects in the late summer and fall corresponds directly to their life cycle. But once you know when bees and wasps are likely to become aggressive, you can make a plan to keep stinging insects away from your food and protect your family with pest control if necessary.

Life Cycle of Wasps

Wasps come out of hibernation in the spring and start building their hives. Each of these hives can contain hundreds or thousands of workers responsible for finding food for the colony.

Wasps primarily eat insects, spiders, dead animals, and nectar. In spring and early summer, all of these foods are readily available since flowers are blooming and other insects are extremely active. This enables most worker wasps to find the food they need without having to risk flying near humans to get at your dinner.

Yet as summer progresses, wasp colonies will reach their largest size and food is becoming scarce. Plant growth slows, leaving less sugary nectar for wasps to find. Insect food sources also disappear as insects start preparing to overwinter, perhaps moving into your home for shelter.

All of these factors lead to food scarcity, and the best sources of food for a wasp are the insects living inside your home or the food that you set out at dinner time. Since human food is often high in sugar and protein, it is an especially good source of energy for wasps. This means that wasps are more likely to be near your home and aggressively seeking out food during the fall, increasing your family’s risk of coming into contact with a wasp.

Additionally, since wasp colonies are now at their largest, they will go to great lengths to protect the nest and will act more aggressively towards anyone they perceive as a threat. If you, one of your children, or a pet gets too near the nest, wasps are now more likely to sting.

Eventually as autumn draws to a close, the worker wasps die off and the queens go into hibernation until next spring. But until that time comes, it is important that you are taking precautions against stinging insects in your home. ExtermPRO is a pest control company in Gainesville that can locate any stinging insects and provide treatment to prevent them from getting into your home. We can also exterminate them if necessary. Don’t wait until wasps are acting aggressively in your backyard this fall. Call our team today to get the protection you need.