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A Property Manager’s Guide to Dealing with Wasps

Cary Wasp Nest on Home ExteriorIn case you are like many other people, you’re disgusted when it comes to stinging insects. However, as a Cary rental property owner, dealing with wasps is also a serious safety issue. While wasps have quite an overstated reputation for aggressiveness, a single wasp sting can lead to hazards that range from allergic reactions to being attacked by an entire swarm. This is indeed accurate if you disturb a wasp nest, either intentionally or by accident. If you ascertain a probable wasp problem is on your rental property, your best course of action is to deal with it immediately – and in the right way. To handle wasps, you have some choices. Which one you select will depend on how big your wasp problem has become.

Classified as one of the ideal methods to deal with wasps is to draw them off of your rental property. You can begin by knowing where wasp nests are likely to occur and taking steps to drive them away. Wasps tend to build nests in the protected nooks and crannies around your rental property, like under the eaves, in a shed, or inside a wall. Wasps can also live in trees or even in the ground.

To draw and keep wasps away from your property, try using one or more known wasp repellents on your property’s exterior surfaces. Studies have shown that the right combination of essential oils can keep wasps away. Namely, a mixture of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils sprayed around eaves, ledges, and crevices can scare wasps away.

On the realistic side of things, you can prevent wasps from congregating around your property by sealing off the things they are drawn to, such as trash bins and cracks around windows and doors. Wasps are attracted to places with abundant food sources. Among those sources are exposed trash or compost mounds. By motivating your tenants to keep all garbage bins tightly closed and to avoid composting, you can substantially minimize the number of wasps around your rental property. You can as well keep wasps out of interior spaces by regularly checking for and sealing up cracks, holes, or other entry points in the exterior.

As you’re moving about sealing up potential entry points, it’s important to check for wasps that may have already gotten inside. If you notice wasps buzzing everywhere, try to trace them back to the source. Killing individual wasps won’t help if there is a nest near. If it follows that you do find a small wasp nest, it’s important to deal with it right away. The issue will only grow the longer the nest is there. One way that has been proved suitable is to spray the nest and the wasps with a mixture of dish soap and water. The soap makes it impossible for the wasps to breathe, quickly eliminating them from the property. You can likewise obtain sprays designed to kill individual wasps or draw them away from the house by installing a baited trap some space and distance away.

Although these techniques are generally effective for small numbers of wasps, large nests are another matter. Do not try to remove a large nest by yourself. Never hit or knock down a wasp nest, even if you think there aren’t any wasps inside. The same applies to spraying it with water or burning it. Both are really bad suggestions. Disturbing a wasp nest will result in an angry swarm of stinging insects that will attack you and somebody close by. If you or your tenants find a large nest on the property, make sure everyone knows to stay away from it and call a professional at once. Although wasps are generally not aggressive if left alone when provoked, they are known to cause serious injury or even death. With such certain hazards, it’s necessary to count on a professional to remove the wasps safely and effectively.

Have you found the perfect investment home but need the perfect property management company? Reach out to Real Property Management Excellence. Contact us online or give us a call at 919-827-1107.

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