Pests We Treat - Three stingers in Neptune City, NJ

From springtime to summer, and well into the fall, homeowners and businesses in Neptune City, NJ or the Jersey Shore alike experience a wide array of stinging insect infestations, including all sorts of different types of bees and wasps. Starting in the early spring, we may encounter honey bee swarms when they are looking for a nesting place, which is often some cavity or void like inside a tree knot. Sometimes, however, they make their own temporary nesting place. The queen will land on a tree branch, and the thousands of worker bees supporting her will form a protective nest around her until a suitable permanent nesting place is found. Honey bees are important beneficial insects and a necessary part of our eco-system.

They are major transferors of pollen, the powdery fertilizing element of flowing plants (that, unfortunately, for some of us, is also an allergen that causes a host of irritating symptoms). As such, unless they are a direct threat to a homeowner’s safety, we will have a local beekeeper come out to remove and relocate the hive. Like almost all stinging insects that live in colonies, also known as “social” insects, honey bees will aggressively defend their queen if disturbed. The first video shows pollinating honey bees.

There are other stinging insects that are not social and do not live in colonies. These solitary insects tend to be much less aggressive than their social counterparts, and they do not defend their nests. For example, mud daubers are solitary wasps. The females construct nests of mud that homeowners often find under eaves and porch ceilings. Since mud daubers rarely sting and do not destroy property they are considered to be nuisance pests. They are also beneficial insects because they control spider populations around the home. The second video shows mud dauber wasps.

Another example of social stinging insects is paper wasps. These social wasps live in small colonies. They hang their above-ground comb nest from tree branches, porch ceilings, window and door frames, and other structures around the home like soffits and eaves. Unlike yellow jackets and baldfaced hornets, these wasps are not highly aggressive. However, like any social insect, they will sting if their nest is disturbed or threatened. The third video shows paper wasps.