Hornets have created turmoil for humans since the beginning of time. They tend to sting when provoked and can also squirt venom into the eyes of their enemies, causing temporary blindness. On top of this, they bring nuisance and invade your personal space by building a nest in places like attics, eaves, and garages.
So, how do we keep hornets away? Several simple techniques can keep these vicious invaders away from your property and get rid of them permanently. You could maintain fixtures and structure in your home, use a fake wasp nest, and make a soap and water spray, to name a few. Follow these preventative measures to hornet-proof your home:
First Line of Defense Against Hornets
Remove Unwanted Food and Cover Garbage Cans
First and foremost, it's crucial to eliminate anything the hornets might be attracted to. This includes leftover food. Make sure to keep your food waste wrapped tightly within the confines of a garbage bag. Heavy-duty garbage bags help you avoid leaks or spillage and act as a barrier between invading pests and waste. Nectar and bird food may also attract hornets, so think about removing these as well. In addition, pick up fallen fruit to prevent any flying insect around, as these are what hornets feed on.
Maintain Fixtures and Structure at Home
Take a tour around your house and try to see if any areas may need fixing. Broken panels, gaps in soffits, and crevices are potential dwellings for a potential hornet nest. Ensure windows, doors, and screens are all in good condition so that no uninvited creature hangs around. Do a yard check and inspect for any rodent holes or potential burrows for hornets to make a home in. If they’re not occupied, and sometimes even if they are, fill the hole with dirt or debris.
Be Careful When Outside
When spending time outside, try to avoid wearing strong fragrances and sweet scents and instead opt for unscented hygienic products. Generally, hornets aren’t attracted to perfumes, but if your scent has a sweet smell, then they might linger near you. These pests use their sense of smell to detect flowers, and this tricks them into thinking that you might be one. Likewise, you should wear boots to cover and protect your feet from rogue hornets.
Use a Fake Wasp Nest
You can purchase a decorative hornet decoy from a garden or home improvement store. Hornets are territorial insects and tend not to build a nest within 200 feet of another hornet nest, so placing a wasp decoy or fake nest on either side of your home should deter any of them from moving in.
Deploy Hornet Traps
You can purchase a wasp trap from a store, but you can also easily make one if you have:
A two-liter bottle
Sweet liquid-like soda or fruit juices
Some masking or duct tape
You need to take the bottle, cut about a fourth of the bottle from the top off, flip it over, then set that top part within the bottom so that there's a pathway leading through the small opening down to the bottom. Next, pour about an inch of a sweet liquid into it and set it next to an area you know is attractive for hornets. You may also place it next to a decoy nest.
Make Use of Hornet-Repellent Plants
One way to repel hornets near your home is to plant hornet-repellent plant varieties like spearmint, thyme, eucalyptus, wormwood, and citronella. Place these anywhere near your home and especially where you have seen hornets nest in the past. Flowering plants like marigolds, geraniums, or pennyroyals make a beautiful display and also deter hornets. Furthermore, there are a few plants you’ll want to avoid having in your yard, as they attract hornets.
Make a Soap and Water Spray
Soap and water solution is an effective hornet killer and great protection against yellowjacket and mud dauber wasps. Get a spray bottle, add two tablespoons of dish soap, and fill the remaining of the bottle with water. After shaking well, thoroughly spray the soap and water mixture on the hornet nest or yellow jacket nest. This will surely clog up their breathing pores, causing them to die instantly.
Blend Essential Oils
Essential oils are excellent at repelling wasps and hornets. Mix a few drops of lemongrass, geranium, and clove essential oils to naturally deter hornets. Pour this essential oil blend into a spray bottle along with a few tablespoons of soapy water. Spray this solution on any hornet nests, and be sure you look under porch roofs, eaves, and any other corners. You can also apply this mixture in any area you've seen nests in the past. Some hornets like to build nests in the same place each year, so this is a good defense. Aside from the oils mentioned above, peppermint oil is also known as an effective natural hornet repellent.
Keep the Hummingbird Feeder Away From Insects
When too many bugs are feeding on the sugar water of a bird feeder, it becomes contaminated and less attractive to hummingbirds. When it comes to extreme cases, dozens or even hundreds of insects could monopolize a feeder, which prevents birds from visiting at all. Stay away from feeders with yellow insect guards or flower accents in order to minimize the feeders’ attractiveness to insects, which are something that hornets prey on. If your feeder has some yellow accents, repaint the accents with non-toxic red paint.
Use a Dryer Sheet
Bees and wasps, including hornets, loathe the smell of a dryer sheet and will stay far away from it. Spread some sheets around your back patio or whatever area where you’re having a get-together to keep the area free from pests. Aside from the dryer sheet, you can also use mothballs.
Where Do Hornets Live?
Usually, hornets like to create their nests in high areas like attics, treetops, under roofs, decking, sheds, garages, and hollow tree trunks. This solitary wasp also favors enclosed spaces. These can be old, abandoned rodent burrows found in gardens, fields, and parks. Hornets that create their nests in the ground cause a real risk to people. Hornet and yellow jacket nests built in places highly inhabited by people run the risk of getting stepped on by accident, causing the hornets to attack the unsuspecting human.
Types of Hornets
Hornets are the largest of the social wasps and are similar in appearance to their close yellow-striped relatives the yellow jacket, paper wasp, worker wasps, cicada killer, honey bee, and mud dauber wasp. One of the most typical types of hornets in the United States is the bald faced hornet, largely black-colored with a mostly white face. This type of hornet builds visible paper nests usually attached to trees. Their nests are quite incredible looking, smooth, and conical, and can range in size from about the diameter of a grapefruit to the size of a beach ball.
Another hornet species is the European hornet, which is large in size, between ¾ and more than 1 inch, and sports brown with yellow abdominal stripes and a pale face. These hornets create paper carton nests that are ordinarily covered in a brown paper envelope as protection. Usually, the nests can be found in hollow trees, barns, and hollow walls of houses and buildings.
Both wasp species are very dangerous. If you come across a wasp colony, try not to make abrupt and exaggerated movements that may startle them. These hornets have what is referred to as a smooth stinger, which allows the wasps to continually sting until the threat they’ve perceived has been abated.
First, do your best to prevent being stung several times. If you’re stung, calmly but quickly move away from that area. Hornets typically sting when you’re near their nest, so they’ll most likely keep on stinging you if you stay put. The right action to take is to clear out of that area or location so that they don’t have any motives to sting you further. If a hornet accidentally lands on you, gently brush it off and move calmly. Don’t panic.
Hornet stings generally cause mild symptoms, but they can result in allergic reactions or other serious symptoms. So as soon as you can, wash the wasp sting with soap and water to clean the wound, and then apply ice to reduce swelling and inflammation. Swelling can last up to a week. Take ibuprofen to ease any soreness. If you’re dealing with itching, apply a topical steroid.
If the spot where you were stung continues to be inflamed or gets very red and feels warm, it could be a symptom of infection. In that case, consult your doctor for treatment.
The most effective way of avoiding stings is to steer away from individual wasps, nests, swarms, and colonies. If you stumble upon one, walk quickly and calmly in the opposite direction. This will prevent you from further aggravating the insects. You must also make your exit in a straight line, as running in a zig-zag will just keep you in the danger zone all the more.
If you get attacked by a swarm, run as fast as possible away from it. By moving away from the immediate vicinity, you may be able to prove to the insects that you aren’t a threat, and they’re more likely to leave you alone. Meanwhile, If you’re dealing with one or two stinging insects circling you around, don’t freak out. Chances are, the hornet is just assessing the threat. Don’t swat at it or violently jerk from side to side, as this may encourage them to sting.
Keeping the Hornets Away Permanently
Hornets are aggressive pests and will attack anyone or anything that intrudes their space, unlike other insects that may only rarely sting when they feel highly threatened. This makes hornet removal difficult. The safest way to deal with your wasp problem is to call a professional. At Positive Pest Management, we ensure efficient removal of menacing hornets and wasp nests on your property, thus keeping your place sustainable.
In late 2019, two unusual hornets with orange and black markings and long stingers were spotted in Washington State. This is the first time these species invaded North America. Further investigation by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and a managing entomologist revealed they were murder hornets, the world's largest wasps, growing nearly two inches in length.
So what are murdering hornets? Also referred to as Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) as it’s native to Japan and well established throughout East Asia, including Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka, this invasive species targets a honeybee, which pollinates crops. They can get rid of a bee colony and a bee nest in just a few hours, and they can also spit venom and inflict numerous powerful hornets' stings on humans.
What Does a Murder Hornet Look Like?
More commonly five times bigger than a honeybee, murder hornets have a big, firm yellow or orange head with black-colored, teardrop-shaped eyes. The mid-part (the thorax) is dark, and in adults, it tapers in at the waist to intersect the bottom section, known as the abdomen.
Some other bugs look almost the same, but most are evidently smaller than the murder hornet. You can identify larger lookalikes like the western cicada killer wasp and the eastern cicada killer wasp by their smaller heads, lighter-colored thoraxes, and rounder eyes. The bands on their abdomens also appear distinct.
The most common type of hornet in the United States, the bald faced hornet, on one hand, greatly differs in appearance as it’s largely black in color, with a mostly white face. The European hornet sports a brown with yellow abdominal stripes and a pale face.
Queens of this giant hornet, regarded as “the world’s largest hornet,” can grow some 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, about the length of an average-sized woman's thumb. Wingspans can exceed 7 centimeters (2.8 inches), which isn’t quite the entire width of a woman's palm. Workers, on the other hand, have a smaller size.
The Asian giant hornet, the world's largest hornet, isn’t to be confused with the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), a wasp species also native to many Asian countries, that's been found in Europe since 2004. The species has distinctive yellow legs and its thorax is a velvety brown or black with a brown abdomen.
What's the Biggest Risk From Murder Hornets?
Murder hornets are less direct threats to humans, although they’re a major problem to the honeybee population. The bee population is beneficial to humans as they’re reliable pollinators. In fact, bees are responsible for pollinating nearly 85 percent of all food crops for humans. These native species mostly target wild bees and honeybee hives during late summer and early fall. They attack the honeybee colony when worker hornets need to provide food for developing young. They strike the entire hive, kill the adult bees, leave their bodies at the bottom of the hive, and bring developing bees, in the form of larvae and pupae, back to their nests for food.
Murder hornets aren’t typically dangerous to humans, but they’ll sting to defend their nest or to keep you distant from a honeybee hive they’ve invaded. If that occurs, their larger size can make their stings worse than those from other insects. There are several reasons for this. First is because their stinger is longer than that of other wasps, and second because their sting can cause a lot more venom and can damage tissue.
Like other wasps and hornets, murder hornets can sting several times. Though it’s very rare for a group of hornets to attack a human, it’s still possible and can be serious if it does occur.
A beekeeper's clothing often can’t defend against the murder hornets’ stings. The murder hornet's stinger is long enough to pass through protective garments. Individuals who are allergic to bee stings or wasp stings should be especially careful around murder hornets.
To give you an idea, a murder hornet transmits a substantial dose of a fairly strong venom. Its sting can deliver a lot of venoms, generally up to 1,100 micrograms (dry weight). That’s more than seven times as much as a little honey bee delivers. The murder hornet venom's knockdown power is to be reckoned with. Seeing what its venom did to laboratory animals, experts say that just one full sting would have a fifty percent likelihood of killing a decent-sized rodent. It’s estimated that the murder hornet’s sting is equivalent to three to 10 yellow jackets stinging at once.
What Can You Do to Defend Yourself From Murder Hornets?
While only a few sightings in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and British Columbia’s Vancouver Island have been confirmed, it’s still best to avoid murder hornets and murder hornet nests. Always move away calmly from it. Swatting at it is not a good idea as it might sting you. If a hornet or hornets get into your vehicle, stop and calmly open all the windows and get out of the car if you’re in a safe enough place.
Furthermore, properly keeping these invasive insects from setting up camp around your home starts with establishing pest control prevention, so plan ahead. Before spring begins, make sure to inspect your house, yard, and any surrounding structures for places that can serve as hornets’ nest.
To make you less prone to attract them in the first place:
Avoid perfume and cologne and grooming products with lots of fragrance.
Cover food and drink when you're outdoors as these can attract any insect, which murder hornets feed on.
Keep your living areas neat of waste, food, dog droppings, and fruit that has fallen from trees to your backyard.
Use "wasp guards" to prevent wasps from getting into hummingbird feeders.
Keep trees and bushes trimmed.
Repaint walls, eaves, or other possible nesting spaces.
Hang sun-catching mobiles, old CDs, or mirrors near old nesting spaces.
Hang artificial murder hornets' nest from the hardware store. Territorial hornets are less likely to create a nest if they think the area is already home to another colony.
What Should You Do If You’re Stung?
Clean the site thoroughly with water and soap.
Put ice on the sting to avoid the spread of venom.
Apply hydrocortisone cream to the spot to relieve the redness or itching.
Use an antihistamine pill or cream to lessen swelling.
Contact a doctor quickly if you have multiple stings or an allergic reaction.
If you haven’t had a tetanus booster in the past ten years, consider getting one over the next couple of days.
Seek immediate medical help if a person who has been stung has any of these:
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Trouble breathing or shortness of breath
Difficulty swallowing or tightness in the throat
Blue color on the skin
Face or mouth swellings
There are many things you should do after a hornet sting. Let’s hope that everything will go away after hours of pain and a rash.
Murder hornet isn’t a species you would want to tolerate anywhere near your home. Suppose you have seen murder hornets' nests (typically underground, such as in abandoned burrows or cavities around tree roots), it’s best to stray away from them as the murder hornets will attack as a group, attracting other members of the colony to join the stinging party. The amount of venom they can inject through several stings can make them hazardous to kids as well as individuals with existing health problems.
It’s best to report it to your state or province's agriculture department immediately or contact an entomologist or pest control specialist to confirm if what you’ve seen are indeed murder hornets’ nests.
The Solution to All Your Pest Problems
The first step to be taken in hornet control is to know the wasp species. At Positive Pest Management, we can help determine and exterminate these stinging insects away from your property through our complete pest control services.
Have you heard of insect species like the giant hornet, murder hornet, Asian hornet, Asian giant hornet or Vespa mandarinia, solitary wasps, and a bunch of other stinging insects? Unless you’re a beekeeper, probably not.
Because the most common types we always encounter at home are the wasp, bumble bee, honeybee, bee, and hornet. And finding their nest can be tricky, especially if you can’t determine which is which.
These stingers belong to the same order of insects called Hymenoptera, but they’re not the same as an ordinary insect in terms of what they eat, where they live, and how likely they are to sting you.
So for now, let's try to determine the difference between hornets vs bees. What’s the difference? The best way to distinguish them from each other is their appearance. Bees are generally golden in color and have hairs all over their bodies which make them appear fuzzy. Hornets, on the other hand, have hairless bodies. To know more about these insects, read on.
How to Spot the Stingers
Appearance
Behavior
Diet
Bees
Stout with rounded bodies; light brown with yellow and brown bands around their body; furry
Gentle in nature and rarely sting; usually hides legs when flying
Collect pollen to feed their young and consume nectar for the sugar-rich liquid it produces
Hornets
Long and slender; color ranges from brown with yellow stripes or hints of red, to metallic green or blue; smooth and hairless
Aggressive and ready to sting especially when their nests are threatened; legs hang down when flying
General scavengers who feed on other insects, decaying fruit, and food left on the ground
Where Do They Live?
The location of their nest can be beneficial when it comes to identifying bee and hornet infestations. Knowing where to look may also keep you from accidentally disturbing a colony, which often provokes the pests to attack.
Bee nests
The location of nests varies between bee species. Most of the common species like the bumblebee prefer dry and dark cavities. Their nests can turn up in places you wouldn't expect.
Of the ones that nest above ground, some produce nests in areas with thick grass, while others create their nests in lofts, bird boxes, and trees. One of the predominant species which nests in these areas are the Tree bumblebee, European honey bee, and Japanese honey bee.
Meanwhile, another common bee species, the honey bee, can live in natural or domesticated environments, though they prefer to dwell in gardens, woodlands, orchards, meadows, and other areas where flowering plants are abundant.
There are different types of bees in a honeybee hive: Queen, drone, and worker bee. Each has its own important roles and performs specific duties in a honey bee colony.
Unlike the bumble bee and honey bees that live in colonies, the carpenter bee species, on the other hand, belong to the solitary bee species and build individual nests into trees outside or the eaves, frames, or sides of buildings.
Their name is from their habit of boring into wood.
Hornet nests
Nesting habits depend on the hornet species, but most of these pests gravitate toward similar areas.
Most of the time, you can see their nests in wall voids and attics. These stinging insects also make nests in roof eaves and tree hollows. Once they find their new home, they build their nest from wood pulp that hangs from tree limbs.
Similar to a wasp nest, a hornet’s nest is paper-like. When winter comes, hornets abandon their nests, with only the young queens and their eggs surviving by staying below rooftops and tree barks.
When the spring season comes around, the queen will build a new nest where her young will become workers, and she’ll work on breeding a new generation of queens and males.
Is There Really a Difference Between the Dangers of Hornets vs. Bees?
The primary problem with both of these pests is their ability to sting. The only real hornet in the United States, the European hornet, which is often mistaken as a cicada killer, is quite large and will defend its nest against intruders. Common attacks are at night, as European worker hornets are active during this time.
Nonetheless, some species of bees and hornets aren’t distinctively aggressive. Only the Africanized honey bees, Asian honey bees and their subspecies the Japanese honeybees, and bald faced hornet have a reputation for greater hostility. The yellow jacket and paper wasp species, both considered a social wasp, also share the same aggressive trait.
If the location of a hornet or bee nest doesn’t threaten or bring nuisance, these pests can generally be left alone. While bees pollinate crops and plants, hornets prey on many pests. However, colonies near or inside homes can pose serious health risks to residents.
Hornet and bee stings can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions in some people. Bees can generally only sting you once, while hornets can sting multiple times. This is because hornets don’t die after stinging as their stingers aren’t pulled out of their bodies.
Hornet stings and bee stings can cause symptoms that are quite similar, but the treatment measures of these two are slightly different. Unless you’re allergic to them, the majority of bee stings can be treated at home. You can remove the bee sting by swiping at the affected area of the skin with your fingernail within 30 seconds of getting stung.
You can lessen the pain and swelling with cold compresses, as well as an OTC medication such as ibuprofen.
Keeping Bees and Hornets Away
Eliminating outside food sources will keep any flying insect away. During late summer, both pests become more attracted to sugary foods to prepare for winter. To prevent them from dwelling in your home, make sure garbage cans have covers and that food isn’t left unmoved or unattended for an extended amount of time.
Uneaten pet food should be disposed of properly, and even birdseed and hummingbird nectar should be kept away. Flowers and fruit trees attract hornets and bees, so these should be kept at a distance from homes.
Furthermore, check your property and look for any areas that may need repairing. Broken panels or siding, gaps in soffits, and other crevices are ideal locations for a bee or hornet nest.
Make sure all windows, doors, and screens are working so that unwanted creatures don’t fly in. It’s also integral to do a regular yard check and inspect any rodent holes or potential burrows for bees and hornets to reside in. If they’re unoccupied, fill the gap with dirt or debris.
Another long-term preventative measure is growing plants such as citronella, eucalyptus, mint, and wormwood, which have scents that naturally repel these pests. A fake nest sounds silly, but because both are considered a solitary wasp and are territorial, they can effectively keep these flying stingers away. You can also construct a decoy nest using a crumpled paper bag on a string. Avoiding a nasty sting from a bee or hornet is worth the effort, trust us.
When it comes to DIY bee and hornet control, there are no foolproof solutions to make sure that the colony will completely pack up and leave your area. While you may find many DIY solutions accessible through the internet, most of them will do little more than place you, your family, or your pets in harm's way.
If you have a bee hive or hornet nest nearby your home, it’s wise to know what hive removal methods you should do to avoid painful stings, damage to your property and keep these insects from coming back.
Your first instinct may naturally be to grab a nearby hose and start spraying, but flooding a hive isn’t a foolproof solution. When bees are sprayed with water, they become agitated and can start attacking. Once an aggravated bee homes in on a target, aka you, it releases chemical pheromones that call in the colony cavalry. This strategy will also incite a hornet or yellowjacket attack.
Just like water, using fire to eliminate a bee or hornet nest is ineffective, not to mention it's highly dangerous. Because most of their nests are made from pulps of chewed-up wood, and they’re highly flammable. However, if you manage to get near enough to set fire to a hive, you could run the risk of spreading the flame, which could cause irreversible damage to both you and your property.
Additionally, hive fires don’t adequately stave off the entire colony, as many insects will fly away just fine once a flame starts to burn the thin, papery outer layer of the nest, as they emit their pheromones while doing so.
Moreover, attempting to destroy a bee or hornet nest with a baseball bat, large stick, or any other pole-like object will place you right behind the dangerous lines. When you stand too close to the colony, especially that of the baldfaced hornet, which will attack anyone or anything that invades its space, the possibility of you being stung multiple times increases.
This DIY method of nest removal is hazardous for those who are allergic to insect stings, as anaphylactic shock could happen in just minutes. Hitting their nest with any tool will result in a bee or hornet attack and you being hurt before any progress is made, so it's advisable to avoid this method altogether.
Controlling Infestations With the Help of Experts
No matter which stinging insect is present, you shouldn’t try to deal with the pests alone. Approaching a hornet nest or honey bee hive could incite these pests to defend their colony. It's always a better idea to seek the help of experienced professionals who can identify and safely remove these stinging pests before they infest your home.
If you’re worried about bees or hornets lurking around you, your home, and your family, get in touch with Positive Pest Management today and see what our expert pest control specialists can do to keep your sacred space and business free from all these stinging invaders.
It's finally summer, the weather is friendly and inviting. It's time to enjoy the great outdoors. As you walk in your garden, you notice something else has come out to play: Hornets.
Do they sting, and how do you treat a hornet sting at home? Yes. A hornet sting is much more powerful than an insect sting, wasp sting, bee sting, or the sting of any stinging insect. Hornet venom contains a large amount of potent pain stimulant called acetylcholine, making stings a lot painful and, not to mention, lethal. If you happen to find yourself in this situation, here's exactly what to do and how to treat the sting or any allergic reaction.
How to Identify a Hornet Sting
Most of the time, an insect attack will make you panic and lose sight of what's happening. If you weren’t able to see the insect that stung you, you would have to identify it by the mark it has left on your skin. If you see a red, throbbing welt, as well as a small white mark in the center of the wound, it’s possibly from a hornet.
Often, people confuse honey bee or wasp stings as hornet stings, but another clear indication is when there’s no stinger in sight. When hornets sting, their stinger will remain attached to their bodies. With bees, you'll usually find the stinger itself still intact in your skin. If you see a stinger, you were probably stung by a bee, and you should remove it as quickly as possible to avoid at least some of the venom sac from entering your body.
Learning how to identify a sting and whether there’s a venom sac is the best way to know if you can treat the bite at home or if you need to seek immediate medical attention.
If you’ve confirmed that the sting is from a hornet, you’ll probably suffer no more than localized swelling, and the pain should recede within several hours. However, if the sting causes a more serious reaction, you might be experiencing a venom allergy.
Here are some of the insect sting allergy symptoms you should look out for:
Red and itchy rashes beyond the sting site
Severe swellings on your face, tongue, throat, or lips
Shock
Difficulty breathing or wheezing
Struggling to swallow
A weak pulse or rapid heart rate
An extreme drop in blood pressure
Nausea and disorientation
Cardiac arrest or unconsciousness
Anaphylaxis (the term used to describe a severe systemic allergic reaction) can happen quickly and can be fatal in a short amount of time, so make sure to take first aid measures and contact a medical professional immediately. To prevent venom allergy, keep a packet of antihistamines in your pocket, wear protective clothing, and use insect repellent if you plan to stay outdoors. When gardening, always use gloves. Moreover, bites and stings can happen when you have bare feet, so wear shoes, even inside your home.
First Aid and Home Remedies
Understanding what to do in case of an insect bite can save a life, so it's an excellent idea to learn first aid basics. When stung by a hornet, immediately perform these measures:
Transfer to a safe area to avoid more bites or stings.
Cleanse the site of the sting with soap and water.
Apply cold compress or ice to the sting site to dull the pain and reduce swelling.
Use 1% hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion to the bite area to relieve redness and itching. Always stock these topical medications as they’re effective in mosquito bites and other types of bug bite.
Take an antihistamine to counteract any allergic reaction. Antihistamines are generally good to have on hand as they can also help with many seasonal allergies.
If needed, take acetaminophen to manage the pain.
If you haven’t had a tetanus booster in the past ten years, consider getting one over the next couple of days.
When to Seek Emergency Care
If an anaphylactic reaction or anaphylactic shock occurs, immediately seek medical help. Medical professionals may perform any of the following:
Perform local wound care with corticosteroid or antibiotic.
If needed, prescribe antihistamines for the itching, pain relievers, and/or a tetanus immunization.
Inject steroids, epinephrine autoinjector, or allergy shots in more severe situations.
Insert a tracheal tube to avoid suffocation if you have a swelling throat or you struggle in breathing.
Give you intravenous fluids, which is common in cases with a severe reaction.
The doctor may require you to take a blood test if you have multiple stings, even if there's no sign of a severe allergic reaction. Extended observation in the emergency department can also be necessary for the worst cases.
Even if you’ve been stung by hornets before and haven’t had a systemic reaction, it doesn't necessarily mean that you’ll develop venom immunotherapy to hornet venom, as well as insect venom, wasp venom, and bee venom. This is why it's always important to watch out for any wasp nest. Keep in mind that these pests will stay unbothered unless their perceived enemy chooses to disturb their nest. Yellow jacket sting and fire ant sting most often trigger allergic reactions, so be more careful with them.
Safeguarding Your Home From Hornets
The best way to prevent hornets or any flying insect from entering your home is by removing potential lures. Here's how:
Don’t leave any dropped fruit lying on the ground as hornets are drawn to its scent. Pick up peels or pieces scattered around as these entice hornets to build a nest nearby. Bananas are attractive to hornets, so be sure to discard their peels in a closed trash bin.
Make sure your trash and recycling bin are sealed. Open containers and garbage can attract hornets in search of food. Once hornets discover a new food source, they establish a new nest in the area, so keeping them closed is an effective way to deter hornets.
Seal those cracks in your walls with caulk to avoid nesting. Hornets can penetrate the walls of your home through any cracks or crevices and build a nest inside that can be difficult to eradicate.
As much as possible, avoid using sweet-smelling scents that may draw hornets. They have a keen sense of smell, and sweet-smelling chemicals in cologne, perfume, and soap can make them assume that you’re a source of food. Use unscented toiletries. Clean your garments with unscented detergents if there are hornets in the area. Moreover, sweat that collects in your clothing can lure nearby hornets, so wear clean clothing if hornets have been in the area.
Remove any brightly colored items around your home. Hornets can get attracted by bright colors and attack you. Pick up any bright-colored objects from your yards, such as lawn chairs, garden decorations, or even frisbees.
Rake up those piles of leaves, gather any wood, and remove it from your yard to help avoid female hornets from nesting on your property.
Treat your camping gear, clothes, and shoes with repellent to fend off hornets and other insects.
Regularly mow and keep the grass on your lawn healthy to fight off an insect infestation.
The best way to stop a giant hornet nest from forming and becoming a nuisance is to get rid of it before it develops. It’s best to hire a skilled and experienced pest control specialist to complete a detailed check around your entire property and search for any pests and infestations that may be present.
Discover why calling a professional pest control specialist is the smarter, safer, and cost-effective choice rather than trying to eradicate the infestation all by yourself.
Contact Positive Pest Management today to learn more about our pest control services.
