The September Sting: Why Wasps Are Crashing Your End-of-Summer BBQ
We’re here. Welcome to September in Ontario! The leaves are preparing to turn, the CNE has wrapped up, and the local wasp population has collectively decided to lose its mind.
If you’ve tried to enjoy a pint, a burger, or some ice cream on a patio anywhere from Toronto to Southwestern Ontario lately, you’ve probably noticed that yellow jackets are suddenly fearless. They aren’t just buzzing by. They are aggressively diving into your food.
Why the sudden hostility? It’s simple economics. During the summer, worker wasps have a steady job of hunting insects to feed the larvae back at the nest. In return, the larvae secrete a sugary substance that feeds the workers. But by September, the queen stops laying eggs. The larvae grow up, the sugar supply dries up, and the workers are essentially laid off. Now, they are roaming the GTA, unemployed, starving for carbohydrates, and entirely out of patience. C’est la vie, right? Well, NOT when they’re swarming your backyard.
Don’t negotiate with pests. If you’re seeing a high volume of yellow jackets, there is a nest nearby, and it’s time to call in the professionals before someone gets hurt.
The Post-Read Playbook:
- The Question You’re Probably Asking: “Can I just spray the nest myself with store-bought foam?” The Answer: You can, if you enjoy sprinting across your lawn while swatting at the air. Store-bought sprays often just agitate the colony if you don’t hit the queen or if the nest is hidden deep behind your siding. Let the pros handle the extraction safely.
- The Guru’s Recommendation: Check out the podcast Ologies by Alie Ward, specifically the “Spheksology (WASPS)” episode. It will give you a fascinating, grudging respect for these insects and their complex social structures—even as you hire us to evict them.
- Your Action Step Today: Walk the perimeter of your home at noon today. Look up at your eaves, gutters, and soffits. If you see steady “air traffic” of wasps flying in and out of a specific crack, do not plug the hole. Call City & Country Pest Control so we can treat it properly.
- Your Next Step Toward a Pest-Free Goal: Next, winterproof. Once the freeze kills off the remaining straggler wasps, you need to remove the dormant nest to prevent secondary infestations from other bugs. We’ll be covering “How to Safely Remove and Clean Up Dormant Winter Nests” in a future post!
Contact City & Country Pest Control Today for a Professional Inspection
