Though they may look similar, wasps are far less popular than bees. But let’s not underestimate their value – wasps are equally as essential for the environment.

They are excellent predators for other crop-damaging insect pests such as caterpillars, spiders, flies and aphids. This means that wasps play a crucial role in helping to protect our crops and the agricultural industry.

Like bees, wasps also act as pollinators for plants to help maintain our ecosystem. This is very useful as they can step in when there are no bees around.

Some wasp species are known to be very generous by sharing their nests with other insects such as hover flies.

There are three main types of wasps found everywhere in Australia. They are generally more active in warmer weather.

Paper wasps

Growing up to a length of 2.5cm, paper wasps have brown wings and a black abdomen with yellow/orange bands, though some are yellow/brown.
They build smaller nests shaped like inverted cones consisting of hexagonal cells made of saliva mixed with wood fragments, which gives them a paper-like consistency and appearance. These nests hang by a stalk underneath eaves and tree branches and hold a maximum of 100-200 wasps.

Mud daubers

Named for their tendency to collect water and mud for their nests, mud daubers or mud wasps come in different sizes with black and orange colouring.
You’ll find their nests attached to walls and ceilings and overhanging rocks in less frequented areas.
These nests are small and divided into individual cells fashioned from mud. Mud daubers put paralysed spiders inside each cell as a food source before laying an egg and sealing off the cell.

European wasps

Considered a pest and more aggressive than native wasps, European wasps are 1-1.5cm in length with a bright yellow body and legs and black triangle-shaped markings.
As an introduced species, European wasps don’t have any natural predators in Australia to keep their population under control.
Their nests can house up to 100,000 wasps and are usually buried underground, with only the opening hole visible.
European wasp nests are oval-shaped and made up of multiple cells arranged in a honeycomb-like configuration.
These nests are covered by a material resembling paper mache or egg cartons, which is the result of chewed wood pulp mixed with saliva.
They fly in a straight line from their food source back to their nest and have a range of 50-250m.

Pay close attention to the following clues and stay alert to a potential infestation in your home or business:

You notice a large number of active wasps

If you see wasps swarming around a particular area, this is a sign that there may be a nest nearby.

You come across a wasp nest

Look for wasp nests in roof and wall cavities, trees, garages, bird boxes and underneath eaves. They are usually tucked away in sheltered areas but still easy to access. Some nests are located underground or within compost heaps, so don’t forget to check outside.

You see damaged wooden structures

Wasps often use chewed wood to make nests, so pay attention to signs of stripped wooden beams, furniture, fencing, firewood and trees.

They’re noisy

Similar to bees, wasps emit a tell-tale buzzing sound when flapping their wings together during flight. This means that a large swarm will create a pretty loud and constant distraction.
If you have wasps building a nest inside your wall or roof space, you may also hear a tapping noise.

Identify and seal off entry points to your home

Cover all small openings, gaps, cracks and crevices that permit wasps to crawl inside your roof space or wall void. Consider window and door screens for extra protection.

Maintain your yard regularly

Trim and check tree branches for wasp nests. Keep lawns tidy and mowed, and remove food scraps and fallen fruit.

Remove food sources

If you’re hosting an outdoor event, keep food and drinks covered where possible. Cover pet food and water bowls that are not in use. Seal and secure rubbish bins and compost heaps.

Remove or repair damaged or decayed wood

Many wasps build their nests by stripping and chewing wood they find in your yard.

For most of us, experiencing a swarm of wasps can be very stressful. There’s no need to panic though, because at Allstate, we’ve successfully treated wasp outbreaks since 1986. No matter where you are in metropolitan Adelaide, we have a 24/7 wasp emergency callout service that you can count on.

From residential to commercial and industrial settings, our experienced team is highly trained and fully equipped to ensure the safe handling of wasps. We use innovative, modern solutions and targeted treatments to keep your home or business safe from wasps for years to come. All the treatments that we use are are non-toxic to children, pets and the environment.

With a six-month warranty on our wasp removal service, as well as payment plans and a money-back satisfaction guarantee, you won’t need to delay any urgent treatment. Contact Allstate today to prevente wasps from your home or business for good.

Bees are more active in the warmer months, from October to December, and hibernate in winter. If you have plants and flowers in your garden, it’s likely that you’ll be visited by bees at some point.

This is because they play an important role in nature and food production by helping plants to reproduce and improving survival through pollination and preventing inbreeding.

A bee’s main job is to transport pollen between different plants, and sometimes within the same plant, to assist with fertilisation. 

It’s handy to know the difference between bees and wasps so that you can act fast to protect your family if you’re confronted with a swarm. There are several features you can look for:

Appearance

Bees and wasps can often look similar, but wasps have a longer abdomen, distinct yellow and black stripes, some have hair and are designed for hunting. Most bees are covered in fine hairs which assist with collecting pollen, though some bees have no hair at all.

Flying pattern

Wasps tend to fly in a zig-zag path and move directly from one location to another.

Bees retract their legs in flight, whereas wasps don’t.

Nesting material

Wasp nests are large and elaborate and made of mud and chewed wood to form a grey, paper-like nesting material. Beehive honeycombs are made of yellow wax, which is secreted by their wax-producing glands.

Stinging behaviour

Bees can only sting once, and some may not even sting at all. Wasps are more aggressive and easily provoked, and can sting multiple times, particularly if they are protecting their Queen.

Bees and wasps release a pheromone to attract other members of their colony when they feel threatened, so it doesn’t take long for a bee problem to escalate.

Wasp stings often feel more painful than beestings due to stronger chemicals being secreted into the skin.

Feeding behaviour

While bees eat mostly honey and pollen, they are also drawn to overripe fruit and substances high in sugar. Wasps’ diet includes the above, but they also feed on other small insects and plants i when necessary.

Although they are small, bees can cause damage to your home by leaving unattractive honey stains on your walls and ceilings.

Many people dread bee stings, and it’s no wonder why. Not only are they painful, but they can also trigger allergies and in some cases, anaphylactic shock, which requires emergency treatment.

With noisy buzzing sounds emitted by their rapidly flapping wings, you and your family will find a bee swarm to be distracting, disruptive and not to mention, very irritating.

As foragers by nature, bees visit many places, and easily collect bacteria and other germs with their fine hairs. This can result in the spread of disease and lead to poor hygiene.

Queen bees can lay 2000 eggs a day, with adults taking around three weeks to develop. With such a quick reproductive cycle, there’s no doubt that outbreaks can get out of control in a very short time.

Keep food covered

In summer when dining outdoors, avoid leaving food and drinks exposed if they are high in sugar or contain meat or dairy products.

Electronic bug repellent

Available from hardware stores, these devices emit ultrasonic sound waves that deter bees from entering your home.

Sprays

Fill a pump bottle with water and mix in a few drops of citronella, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, lemon myrtle essential oils. You can also use cinnamon, lemon, lime, cayenne pepper, liquid soap, vinegar.

We recommend spraying your preparation around entry points including windows, doorways and around pots and plants.

Strongly scented products

You can burn scented candles and hang mothballs around your yard and deck.

Cucumber slices laid along aluminium paper or trays

A chemical reaction between the cucumber and aluminium gives off an odour that is highly repulsive to bees.

Bee repelling plants

Filling your garden with geranium, marigold, mint, eucalyptus, neem and citronella can reduce the number of busy bees around your home.

There’s no doubt that having a large swarm of bees buzzing around your home and garden is both a stressful and potentially dangerous situation.

Luckily at Allstate, our team understands the need to quickly act to remove a bee outbreak. That’s why we’re fully equipped and highly trained to understand bee behaviour and handle them safely and humanely.

Whether you’re in a residential, commercial or industrial property, we use innovative and targeted treatments to prevente bees in accordance with Australian standards and laws. If needed, we will take extra precautions and call in beekeeping specialists for assistance. Where possible, we prioritise using treatments which are nontoxic to children, pets and the environment.

With Allstate’s interest-free payment plans, your bee prevention can start as soon as possible. All of our services are covered with a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee.

Contact Allstate today to find out how our friendly and experienced team can help you with Adelaide bee swarm removal.