Controlling New Jersey's Most Common Stinging Insects

Bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and other species of stinging insects are common backyard invaders during the summer months in New Jersey. While some are simply a nuisance to have around, others can pack a painful sting, invade a home, and even pose a dangerous allergic reaction to certain individuals.  

Stinging insects vary in their level of aggressiveness as well as the danger they pose. Properly identifying the pest can help determine the level of threat as well as their nesting behaviors and ultimately the best method of control. When dealing with stinging insects, we highly recommend you contact a professional versus attempting do-it-yourself measures at home. 

Bees

Honey bees

Honey bees are essential to our agriculture. In fact, over 80% of U.S. crops are pollinated by honey bees. They are, therefore, protected by law, and it is illegal to kill them. This means working with a pest management professional is vital to ensure proper identification and handling. Honey bees are oval in shape and measure a little over a half-inch in size with a darkened yellow and black striped body. They tend to nest in holed-out trees, chimneys, attics, sheds, or soffits. Occasionally, honey bees will nest inside a building or structure. Cowley’s team will perform an assessment and help you get into contact with a beekeeper should your infestation be that of honey bees. 

Bumble Bees

The bumblebee is known for the buzzing sounds it makes caused by its rapid wingbeats creating wind vibrations. Their buzzing actually shakes the plant causing pollination. The bumblebee is larger than a honey bee, measuring closer to an inch long and they have more hairs on their body. They are also known to nest in burrows under the ground, versus honey bees which nest higher up in trees or other structures. 

Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees look similar to bumblebees but their shiny black abdomen is a good way to tell them apart visually. They are often reported as hovering around exteriors of homes including soffits, fascia boards, decks, fencing, and wooden furniture. As their name suggests, they are known for drilling holes and tunnels into unfinished wood surfaces that they use to rear their young. A carpenter bee infestation may be uncovered by noticing damaged wood in the form of cylinder holes. Male carpenter bees can be intimidating to people as they hover near the nesting site, however, they are harmless and rarely sting. 

Wasps & Hornets

Yellow jackets

Yellow jackets are longer and thinner than bees with brighter colors. Their bites are the most common stinging insect bite to humans. Yellow jackets are more aggressive, particularly if their nest is disturbed, and they can sting repeatedly sending poisonous venom into the skin. They often nest in the ground and can become particularly aggressive if their nests are disturbed. 

Paper wasps

Paper wasps have a noticeably slender waist and are reddish-brown or black and yellow in color. Their nests are easily identified as the open comb nest made out of papery brown material. Nests are often found around eaves of homes or on tree branches. They are not aggressive stingers. 

Bald-Faced Hornets

Bald-faced hornets are around ¾-inch in length with black and white markings. Their tell-tale paper coned nests can grow as large as a basketball and inhabit as many as 700 workers. They are capable of repeatedly stinging their prey with their smooth stinger. They can be quite aggressive when their nest is disturbed. 

Cicada Killers

These extremely large wasps are black, yellow, and red in color and measure in at a whopping 1-3/4 long. Despite their intimidating size they rarely sting humans and prefer to hunt cicadas as their name suggests. They nest in solitaire in tunnels in the ground. 

Work with a licensed pest professional

New Jersey is home to a wide range of stinging insects with subtle differences in their appearance. We only touched on the most common stinging insects in the garden state. Proper identification should always determine the best course of action to rid a home and property of an infestation. Stinging insects send over 500,000 people to the emergency room each year. Therefore, you should always contact a licensed pest professional to handle stinging insect infestations to avoid injury.  

The Cowleys Team Will Inspect & Properly Identify

Any pest service begins with a thorough inspection. Our team will do a thorough inspection of your home and property to uncover nests and infestations in the home. Outdoors, stinging insects often nest in decks, banisters, stairs, soffits and eaves of the home, sheds as well as deck furniture, play areas, gardens, and more. Once a nest is uncovered, a proper identification will take place and then a course of action is determined. Our team will ensure we are taking the proper course of action to protect honeybees or other endangered and beneficial insects while safely exterminating nuisance and dangerous stinging insects. 

Follow these tips to keep stinging insects at bay consider these tips: 

• Stinging insects are attracted to almost any sweet food or drink. This includes fruits, fruit juices, desserts, barbecue meats, and more. Therefore, we recommend when eating outdoors you always cover food and drinks. 

• When outdoors avoid wearing perfumes or strongly scented lotions. 

• Avoid placing seating areas near flowering garden areas that attract stinging insects. 

• Wear shoes to avoid stings by ground dwellers. 

• Use garbage receptacle covers to ensure trash does not attract stinging insects to the area. Dispose of trash often. 

• Ensure unfinished wood is painted or treated to avoid carpenter bees. 

• Regularly inspect your home and property for stinging insect nests.  

• Ensure screens on windows and doors are intact. 

• Contact a licensed professional if you are having a problem with stinging insects.