Lake Highlands Pest Control

04/08/2026

“Most”

Most? Yeah, most. Wanna fight about it? In general, it’s best not to be in contact with any part of a wild animal.
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Let’s be honest, squirrels can be cute and fluffy (if not friend, why friend shaped?) therefore, people don’t usually mind them getting too close. But cuteness fades when a squirrel bites your hand, steals your car keys, and floors it out of the park with all your food in tow. Um, was Grandma in the car?
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We kid about the keys and driving, (that’d be nutty), but animal bites do happen at parks. Best to keep hands and fingers away from heads, tails, paws, teeth, etc. Also, feeding human food to wildlife in national parks is bad for them and can make them fearless around humans and potentially aggressive. Not just the passive kind with a hint of side eye.
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In conclusion, squirrels may not know better, but YOU do. Although it may feel flattering, (well, aren’t you the animal whisperer) if any kind of wildlife approaches you, back away and maintain a safe distance. Help us keep wildlife wild.⁣ Now has anyone seen the car keys?

Learn more tips at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/watchingwildlife/watchingwildlife101.htm

Image: A screenshot of a National Park Service tweet that reads, “Most squirrel bites originate at the front, or “bitey end,” of the squirrel.”

02/27/2026

11/11/2025

10/19/2025

I let them bite me several times in Afghanistan. Mostly to demonstrate to people that they’re harmless. It feels like someone is pinching you very hard with two pairs of tweezers.

09/18/2025

It's that time of year again.

The Fall Transformation – Paper Wasps and Yellowjackets

During the Spring and Summer months, social wasps such as Paper wasps and Yellowjackets are busy building their nest and gathering food to feed their brood. Although they will protect their nest and sting if they feel threatened, they are fairly passive. Some of you may be thinking right now, please define fairly passive! That’s understandable, but please read on.

As Fall approaches, many of these colonies reach their maximum size and begin to decrease in size because there are no more workers being reared. The only ones left to feed are the future developing queens and food is beginning to get harder to find.

Paper wasps feed their larvae liquefied insects such as caterpillars, but as adults they feed on nectar. On the other hand, Yellowjackets will feed on insects, carrion, fruit, sap and plant nectar. The photo below shows Eastern Yellowjackets gathering meat from the remains of a Copperhead snake to take back to their larvae.

During the Fall, the workers are out looking for food and may become a nuisance during Autumn outdoor activities. They are often aggressive feeders at this time and may sting if agitated. During this time of the year, they have a very important job to do and that is gathering food for the future reproductive larvae back in the nest. They will take sips from your favorite beverage and help themselves to your sandwich, as well. So, be careful! Your favorite beverage may be too much of an invitation for them. They may readily fly into the can or glass to collect liquid. If you unsuspectingly take a drink while the insect is there, you may ingest it into your mouth, or worse, into your stomach. This is a very dangerous situation. You could be stung repeatedly. It’s hard to imagine how painful a sting would be in your esophagus or stomach!!

Once the reproductives mature, they leave the nest and mate, becoming less aggressive once again. The males (drones) soon die after mating, leaving the fertile queen to find a safe place to overwinter. With the exception of some Yellowjacket colonies in the south, the old queen and workers will die by the first hard frost. The old nest is seldom reused and will eventually fall apart.

Paper wasp queens will often gather in homes and other structures to overwinter. They seem to prefer tall buildings and homes with peaked attics and chimneys. During warm periods, they may enter the structure and cause all sorts of excitement. The good thing is…they are not normally defensive at this time. Now, that should make you feel much better about them!

Daniel D Dye II, A.C.E., Emeritus

08/28/2025

Things are getting serious, y’all!

08/09/2025

Here’s a pro tip for ya!!!

08/09/2025

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take care of the wasps on your house, but I do love them. They ARE beneficial organisms after all.

07/20/2025

Don’t forget to bee kind