A Property Manager’s Guide to Dealing with Wasps

Most people hate stinging insects. For Dupont Circle rental property owners, tackling wasps is a serious safety issue as well. Although wasps have a somewhat exaggerated reputation for aggressiveness, a single wasp sting can lead to hazards that range from allergic reactions to being attacked by an entire swarm. This can also happen when you disturb a wasp nest. If there is a potential wasp problem on your rental property, it is best to resolve it immediately. Here are some options for dealing with wasps. Your choice would depend on how big your wasp problem is.

First of all, it is important that you keep wasps away from your rental property. You can begin by identifying areas that wasps nest in and take steps to keep them at bay. Wasps usually make nests in the protected nooks and crannies around your rental property, like under the eaves, in a shed, or inside a wall. Wasps could also live in trees or in the ground.

You can also use wasp repellents on your property’s exterior surfaces to keep wasps away from your property. Studies show that wasps can be kept at bay with a combination of essential oils. In particular, a mixture of clove, geranium, and lemongrass essential oils sprayed around eaves, ledges, and crevices can keep wasps away.

Keep your property free from wasps by sealing off trash bins and cracks around windows and doors. Wasps also like to live near abundant food sources. Exposed trash or compost mounds are especially attractive. Ask your tenants to keep your rental property clean by closing all garbage bins and avoiding composting. Doing so will help bring down the wasp population. You can also keep wasps out of interior spaces by regularly checking for and sealing up cracks, holes, or other entry points in the exterior.

While you are sealing off possible entry points around the house, you should also check for wasps that might have already gotten inside. If there are any wasps buzzing about, try tracing them to the source. It is useless to kill individual wasps if their nest still remains. Should you be able to locate a small wasp nest, you have to deal with it right away. Leaving the nest there would just make the problem worse. A proven tip makes use of a mixture of dish soap and water to spray on the nest and the wasps. Because of the soap, the wasps won’t be able to breathe, thus freeing your property from them. Some stores also sell sprays that target individual wasps. You can also draw them away from the house by setting up a baited trap far from the property.

These methods are generally effective for small numbers of wasps. Large nests, however, are another matter. Do not try to remove a large nest by yourself. Never hit or knock down a wasp nest. Not even when you think there are no wasps inside. Don’t think of burning it either, or spraying it with water. Both are awful ideas. Disturbing a wasp nest will result in an angry swarm of stinging insects that will attack you and anyone else nearby. If there is a large nest on your property, tell your tenants to stay away from it, then have a professional deal with it right away. Wasps, when provoked, have been known to inflict serious injury or even death. With these risks, it is best to call on a professional to remove wasps safely.

Have you found the perfect investment home but need the perfect property management company? Reach out to Real Property Management DC Metro. Contact us online or give us a call at 202-269-0303.

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