Not for DIY – Stirring up a hidden wasp nest isn’t a do-it-yourself job
All day the wasps have been buzzing, circling around the deck and disrupting your barbecue. You can see where they’re coming from – a tiny hole along the edge of the deck – so you grab the can of hornet blaster and take aim. Mark Sampson has a word of advice for you: don’t.
“If you can’t see the nest, then using a wasp and hornet blaster can actually make matters worse,” he says. The owner of Muskoka Pest Control, Mark says that spraying a hole in your house wall won’t kill the insects inside the nest. However, it will make that entrance unusable, forcing the wasps to find another way out.
“The new exit they find may well lead them inside the house,” says Mark. “Now you’ve got a whole nest of wasps flying into the house, and you’ve got a serious problem on your hands.”
Seeking a home
Stinging insects aren’t the only creatures that can end up in your cottage at this time of year. As soon as cool evenings hit, mice and other rodents begin to look for cozy places to spend the winter.
“Mice can fit through incredibly small openings, and do a lot of damage over the winter,” says Mark. “The only way to really control mice is to do a thorough inspection of the cottage before close-up, and set up a baiting/trapping program.”
Experienced pest control experts are familiar with the kinds of travel paths that mice prefer, and know how and where to place rodent control devices. “We have a cottage closing service that’s very effective against mice,” Mark says.
Summer foragers
In addition, carpenter ants continue to be a problem from spring thaw until freeze-up, as they roam the area in search of food and harbourage.
“They’re native to this area, and they’re found everywhere throughout the landscape,” says Mark. “They don’t distinguish between a dead spruce tree that’s lying in the forest, and the lumber for your cottage – If suitable conditions are present, ants are likely to be there.”
Dead wood, such as firewood or lumber, should be stored away from the cottage. If the ants have established a nest indoors, the only way to get rid of them is to find the nest and treat it.
Prevention is best
Regardless of the pest, preventing the problem is the best solution. A cottage maintenance contract ensures that a professional pest control expert is regularly looking for potential problems – flying insects, carpenter ants and rodents, as well as spiders, and a host of other creatures.
“It’s always easier, cheaper, and faster to deal with problems when they’re just getting started,” says Mark.
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Muskoka Pest Control has been keeping your home, cottage and business pest free for almost 30 years! Serving all of Muskoka and surrounding areas, we specialize in Pest Control, Pest Removal, Wildlife Control and Retail Products. We specialize in pests such as Carpenter Ants, Bed bugs, Wasps/Hornets, Mice, Spiders and Wasps.
