The insects are responding to Spring and in the case of fleas, its all bad news! The warmer months here in Auckland are more favourable to fleas and as the weather heats up slowly so do the flea problems.
Fleas (order Siphonaptera) can build up into a major problem very quickly. A female will usually drop off 4-8 eggs after each blood feed and can drop off hundreds in a life time. They are usually dropped onto the host and then fall off from there. This why the hot wash to bedding and pets bedding is important. These fleas can hatch out as adults in as little as four weeks in favourable conditions

A house that is occupied is easier to treat than an un-occupied one. This is because flea larvae can enter the pupae stage and stay there for up to a year before hatching out in unfavourable conditions. In the case of un-occupied houses, the fleas may continue to breed and build up to the pupae stage and then just lay dormant waiting. When the house is then re occupied, the vibrations of the people entering tell the fleas it is a good time to hatch and jump on for a blood feed. there could be hundreds hatch out all at once - feeling the same vibrations and looking for a feed - on you!

Flea treatments should include an adulticide and an insect growth regulator. This way there is something to stop the fleas at the different stages of development. An effective treatment should be done alongside a treatment for pets, a hot wash of bedding and a very thorough pre-spray vaccum.

Most flea problems can be sorted by a professional in a single application to all floor areas. This is providing the occupant follows all the house keeping directions of the pest control technician to make the treatment effective. Ask about the guarantee that comes with any treatment you are considering.

They have started already. Bees swarming as they surround a Queen bee making her way out to start a new colony. Bear in mind that if a swarm lands in your property there may be no need for any action. A swarm is mobile and not a nest. It is simply worker bees following and surrounding a Queen bee. The swarm may move off by itself. Unfortunately it is difficult to tell when the swarm is finished swarming and in its final resting place - the start of the new hive. Some new nests appear like swarms but have already started to produce honey comb in the centre of the swarm.

One or two days of warm weather and the paper wasps are abuzz! Activated by the warmer weather the paper wasps are out looking to start building and re-building nests for summer.

How do you know a paper wasp from other wasps? Probably the best way to identify them is that they are the wasp with the “dangling legs”. A set of the wasps legs appear long and hang straight down when in flight - unlike other common problem wasps in New Zealand. The species “Polistes” are not the only wasps to build nests from paper but are characterised by this and the unique umbrella shape to the nests they build. The nest are often built externally on houses and fencelines. It looks like a paper honey comb shaped umbrella - if you dare get that close!

The wasps are often seen hovering along fence lines and on wooden decks and bare wood outdoor furniture. Although there may be many wasps, the nest may not be here. The wasps may simply be gathering fibres from these places to build there nest. A simple solution to wasps hovering around bare wood to gather fibre - paint the wood. This may be all the barrier that is needed to deny the wasps the fibres they want.

The paper wasp is not known for its aggressive behaviour but will defend its nest and has the ability to sting repeatedly. If, for example,  it has built its nest near a path. It may end up attacking (defending its nest) when people walk along the path to close to its territory. This makes the wasp a potential hazard and from there the need for pest control rises.

Other problem wasps in New Zealand include the German wasp. September is still a little early for widespread problems here but further into spring should see the rise of this pest.