Wasp Control

While the hot and dry weather conditions in many parts of Canada have been good for curbing the surge of mosquito populations, the menacing wasps and yellow jackets are on the move across the country.

Wasps love the long, scorching days and muggy evenings of summer just as much as humans do. They thrive in this weather because it ensures better breeding conditions and higher survival rates for the insects they feed on. We’ve already seen a significant rise in wasp inquiries over the past few weeks, and as temperatures continue to rise, causing an increase in the number and size of wasps’ nests, we expect the number of wasp-related problems to rise substantially.

Should You Be Concerned?

What most people get anxious about when it comes to stinging insects is the painful sting and bite they can inflict when feeling threatened, which is especially dangerous for those who have strong allergic reactions to their venom.

The hate for wasps is universal. No matter if they’ve been stung once, multiple times, or never, people generally dislike the tiny buzzing insects, often including them into the category of “completely useless” insects from an ecological point of view. Stinging people with no reason, buzzing persistently, making nests out of paper vomit, invading picnics, and dive-bombing barbecues, the yellow jackets seem to cause nothing but pain and damage whenever they’re present. Aside from delivering one of the most painful stings of all stinging insects (rated by entomologist Justin Schmidt 3 on a scale from 0 to 4), wasps’ venom also contains a pheromone that alarms the rest of the colony and invites them to join the attack. So if one wasp stings you, brace yourself, because hell is about to break loose.

So yes, hating wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets seems like a perfectly reasonable thing, especially for those who felt their wrath themselves.

Theoretically, it takes A LOT of wasp venom to kill a man – studies estimate that a lethal dose is approximately 10 stings/pound for most mammals – but in many cases, people die after far fewer. Such is the tragic case of La Prairie mayor Lucie F. Roussel, who died last month after being stung by an estimated 15 wasps while at her summer cabin in Stratford, Que. 51-year-old Roussel was doing yard work near her lakeside cottage when she inadvertently stepped on a wasps’ nest and was stung multiple times by the angry swarm. Although she had no known allergic reactions to wasp venom, and doctors say it is extremely uncommon for someone to die as a result of insect stings directly, it could be possible for the  amount of venom she received to kill someone with an underlying health condition.

Although deaths from venomous insect stings are still very rare in Canada – according to Statistics Canada, 40 people died from bee, wasp, or hornet stings between 1999 and 2011, with an average of 3.3 Canadians/year – life-threatening, allergic reactions from insect bites are on the rise.

They may not be the most pleasant creatures to look at, but bats actually play a vital role in our ecosystem by controlling insect populations, dispersing seeds, and pollinating a variety of fruits across the globe. But despite their integral role in nature, they pose serious health risks to humans, especially if they take nest in their homes.

Due to their ability to spread disease and cause substantial damage to the structure of a home, removing nesting bats is a vital step in keeping your family safe. In order to better understand the importance of bat removal, following are three reasons why bats are more than just a noisy nuisance when they infest a building.

1. Rabies

Bats are one of the primary animals that transmit rabies to humans. Exposure to the disease typically occurs when a human is bitten by a rabid bat, but it can also be transmitted when saliva from an infected animal comes into contact with a person’s mouth, eyes, nose, or an open wound.

Thought extinct during the mid-part of the 20^th century, the Canada Goose has nursed back from the brink and managed to get off the roster of endangered species. In fact, their recovery was so tremendous, that they have become too abundant in some parts of Canada and the U.S., creating major problems for farmers and homeowners.