How to Identify, Avoid a Sting Operation

All wasps are distinguishable from bees by their slender waists and long, slim bodies.

But the name “wasp” is commonly given to four closely related flying insects: yellow jackets, hornets, mud daubers and paper wasps.

Identifying Wasps

The easiest way to tell these wasps apart is by the nests they build. Yellow jackets, which make their homes in the ground, can be spotted buzzing around their underground nest entrance.

The other three types of wasps nest above ground. A hornet makes a grayish nest that has a papery shell and is shaped somewhat like a football. Paper wasps also build papery nests, but theirs are flat with many open, six-sided cells. Mud daubers build a number of side-by-side mud tubes.

Hornets and paper wasps build their nests in trees and shrubbery, under eaves or high on the wall under the roof of an attic, garage or outbuilding. Mud daubers put their mud tubes on wood sidings, brick and concrete, often under eaves or porch roofs or behind shutters. In the fall, yellow jackets, hornets and paper wasps all abandon their nests and don’t reuse them. Mud daubers, by contrast, winter over as larvae.

Control

Here are some tips on how to get rid of these stingers:

* Locate the nest in daylight when the insects are active by following them as they return to their nest. Be sure to keep a good distance away, however.

* Before spraying, wait until dusk or night, when all of the insects have returned to the nest and are inactive. Wear protective clothing including long sleeves and gloves and a hat with a cheesecloth veil. Button and turn up your collar. If you use a flashlight, place it away from you, because the insects will fly toward it. Make sure someone is near in case you have an extreme reaction to a sting.

* Spray exposed outdoor nests with a commercial wasp-and-hornet formula available at hardware stores and garden centers. These stun insects on contact. Buy a type that lets you direct a stream from several feet away.

* In an enclosed space such as an attic, hang chemically treated pest strips. Carefully follow package directions.

* If you see insects coming and going through a crack or knothole in a wall, put in insecticide dust. Passing insects will carry the poison back to the nest.

For yellow-jacket nests in the ground, direct insecticide dust into the opening with a duster. Then throw a shovelful of damp earth over the hole.

If activity in the nest continues after several days, repeat the treatment. Should you disturb a nest and several insects attack you at once, run indoors or into a wooded area. It’s harder for the insects to follow you there than in an open area.

Allergic Reaction

To people allergic to wasp venom, the sting of any of these wasps can be fatal. That’s why nests close to where people live should be destroyed.

One sting is dangerous only to those highly sensitive to the venom. But multiple stings can make anyone ill.

Get medical help immediately if someone receives multiple stings or has more than a local reaction to a sting--including hives, swelling that puffs up a large area, difficulty in breathing or faintness.

To minimize the risk of a sting in an area where wasps are common:

* Don’t wear perfume or brightly colored clothing.

* Don’t swat an insect if it lands on you; blow it away.

* Wear loose-fitting clothing to reduce the chances of penetration by the insect’s stinger.