Taking a look at the do's and don'ts when it comes to wasps

Keeping Wasps Away

• Don’t try to deter wasps with fabric softener sheets or a penny in a plastic bag filled with water. These home remedies are not effective repellents.
• Don’t waste money hanging an artificial hive. Although a colony will not build in the same spot, nothing will stop them from constructing a home right next door.
• Don’t rely on wasp traps. They may kill a few, but will not eliminate an entire colony.
• Do keep calm. Scientific studies show wasps can recognize individual faces and become accustomed to non-threatening humans in their environment.
• Do cover fruit and sugary drinks when outdoors. Wasps are attracted to these foods, and you may unintentionally be stung in the mouth when taking a drink.
• Do check for wasps on the underside of shrubs before doing yard work. Shaking a branch with a nest will cause them to swarm in defense of their colony. Wasps will bite or sting to preserve their territory.

Removing a Nest

• Don’t remove a nest at night, thinking the wasps will stay asleep. They do become inactive after dark but will wake up if they feel threatened.
• Don’t burn a paper wasp hive. Burning a hanging nest can catch surrounding structures on fire.
• Don’t flood an underground nest. Dousing it with water will drown only a portion of the wasps, and the survivors will rebuild nearby.
• Do remove old nests in winter. All but the queen die during the fall, so a nest that looks abandoned probably is.
• Do stay calm. Swatting makes wasps feel threatened and can initiate an attack.
• Do get professional assistance. Help is just a phone call away.

Being Attacked

• Don’t play dead. Wasps will continue to sting repeatedly, regardless of whether you are moving.
• Don’t put a copper penny on the sting. Instead, try a plastic venom extractor or drawing salve, followed by hydrocortisone cream to minimize itching.
• Don’t assume you are allergic. Bee and wasp venom are very different, so someone who experiences severe reactions to bees may not have the same reaction to wasp stings.
• Do run fast, far, and in a straight line. It’s true that wasps fly faster than humans run, but they will give up after 100 meters, and zigzagging only slows you down.
• Do cover your face and neck. Wasps aim for the head when attacking, and stings in this region are particularly painful.
• Do remove stingers from your skin. Wasps can sting multiple times, but a stinger can lodge in your skin if you press it against your body while smacking the wasp.