Every day this week when my dog has gone outside, he has been greeted by a wasp. Luckily, they leave each other alone and go on about their business. After asking around the offices here at Northwest Exterminating, it seems that some of our customers may be seeing these same nuisance pests around their lawns.
One of the more common wasps in our area is the digger wasp. Digger wasps are found in lawns in the US and Canada in early morning and disappear in the evening. Digger wasps can be up to 2” in length with black bodies that usually include a band of either red, yellow or white. The digger wasp flies above lawns that are infested with scarab beetle larvae. The female digger wasp will sting the scarab larva to paralyze it, attach their eggs, and then builds a cell around the paralyzed larva…eventually feeding off of this. This act is how the digger wasp gets its name – from the fact that the female digs into the ground to locate the scarab larvae.
The good new is that it’s a fair fight between you and the digger wasp. These wasps are not social wasps and usually travel by themselves…meaning it’s you against the one wasp. Lucky for you though…digger wasps rarely sting people so you can chalk up the score to YOU -1, WASP – 0.
Although digger wasps do not pose a real threat, they are still a nuisance. Besides, who wants to get close enough to a wasp to identify if it’s a digger wasp or another more dangerous wasp. To treat for digger wasps in your yard, it is most beneficial to treat for the scarab larvae that they feed off of.
For treatment options, please call Northwest Exterminating at 888.466.7849 or visit us online