Wasps in the country: how to get rid of yourself

Contents

Types of wasps
How to properly remove a beehive with wasps
Folk remedies for wasps in the country
Professional tools
Popular questions and answers

Wasps live in almost all suburban areas in all regions. And if at the beginning of the summer season these insects are invisible, then in the second half of summer there are a lot of them – they are literally everywhere! Why do wasps appear next to a person and how to get rid of them? Let’s find out

Types of wasps

In suburban areas, 5 types of wasps are most often found:

OSA ORDINARY. These are perhaps the most typical and most recognizable wasps. About 20 mm long. They like temperate and cool climates.

Where does he live. They build their nests in outbuildings, in underground burrows, in thickets of bushes and in hollows of old trees. They create huge colonies – in one swarm there can be up to 5000 workers and up to 15 cells with larvae.

What does it eat. In spring they feed on nectar. When the larvae appear, they begin to prey on flies and other small insects. Often they attack spiders and at times steal prey from their webs. More often, prey is taken from ants. Yes Yes exactly. The fact is that in the antennae-antennae of these wasps they are able to capture the pheromones of ants. And ants usually drag something edible all the time. This is the food the wasps are trying to take away. Ants, of course, do not give up without a fight, they pounce on striped aliens, but the wasps have developed a defense tactic – they grab the ants with their jaws, fly away and throw them to the ground. This does not harm the ants in any way, however, stunned by the fall, they no longer return to the delicacy they found, and it goes to the wasps (1).

In the second half of summer, when berries and fruits begin to ripen, these wasps move to gardens – it is easier to get food here than to take food from ants.

WASP GERMAN. It looks like an ordinary wasp, but smaller – 12-15 mm long. And it can also be distinguished by its abdomen – the tip of the abdomen is black in the common wasp, and yellow in the German wasp. The number of this species is lower than that of the common wasp.

Where does he live. It lives in forests, often in rural areas. There are many of these in cities – the German wasp in megacities is more common than the common wasp.

These wasps traditionally build nests underground – in abandoned rodent burrows, in vegetable gardens, along the edges of cliffs and ravines. In cities, they settle in wastelands and parks. But not always – it is in the cities that they have mastered new shelters for themselves – they can attach their honeycombs in the voids of the walls of buildings, in attics and under the insulation of pipelines.

What does it eat. In nature, it feeds on plant nectar (very, by the way, loves the flowers of garden parsnips) and small insects. And in cities, it becomes a scavenger – it is these wasps that are most often found in markets and landfills, flock to barbecues and barbecues.

WASP EUROPEAN PAPER. These wasps are medium-sized, with a thin belly that has more black than yellow.

Where does he live. If you have wasp honeycombs on the stems of perennial flowers in your attic, on a thuja or juniper, know that they are European paper wasps.

These wasps collect material for building their nests on old trees and stumps – they scrape off the wood fibers with their jaws, then chew it and build their honeycombs from it.

The nest is built by the female. The first brood are worker wasps that expand the combs. In one season, the number of wasps in one nest increases from several tens to several hundred individuals.

What does it eat. The larvae are fed with insects – flies, ants, bees, caterpillars, after chewing them. That is, if you do not take into account the bees, they help rid the garden of pests. Adult wasps feed on flower nectar, aphid secretions, and fruit juice. And here they harm, because they like to eat fallen fruits.

WASP GALLIC (FRENCH). Outwardly, it is very similar to the European paper wasp and very often they are confused. In this species, yellow color predominates – black is less (2).

Where does he live. It occurs everywhere throughout the European part of Our Country, but still gravitates towards the south. Nests are built the same as the European paper wasp and in the same places.

What does it eat. Damages mature fruits on trees and during drying, especially grapes. The larvae feed on small insects.

HORTEN ORDINARY. The hornet is the largest wasp in Europe. Their length reaches 25–35 mm.

Where does he live. Throughout Europe, except for the most southern and most northern regions. Common in the European part of Our Country. Its nests are similar to wasp ones, but their color is brown, not gray, because hornets scrape wood from young birch branches, and they are known to be brown.

Hornets build nests in hollows, on trees under thick branches, in old beehives, under the roofs of houses and outbuildings.

It is believed that hornets are very aggressive, they say, three bites are enough to kill a person. Actually this is a myth. Hornet venom is no more dangerous than wasp venom. And they are much calmer than wasps and even shy. For example, if a hornet flew through a window, it will slowly scan the room until it finds a way out. No need to try to spank or kick him out, just open a window or door – he will fly away by himself.

They can show aggression only near their nest. And then not immediately. If a person approaches their colony, several guard hornets fly out to meet him, making warning circles near the intruder. If you do not react, they move on to more decisive actions – they hit the enemy with their head, but they do not sting! But if you ignore their numerous warnings, they can go on the attack already “in an adult way.”

What does it eat. Adult individuals prefer sweets – they willingly eat a span (excretion of aphids and other insects), love fallen fruits (apples, pears and plums), all kinds of confectionery.

Hornets feed their larvae with insects. Including the bees. However, scientists noticed that these large wasps catch bees in September-October, when there are already few other insects. But in the summer they become garden orderlies, as they actively destroy flies, butterflies, leaf cutters and even wasps.

How to properly remove a beehive with wasps

The first rule is to start fighting wasps as early as possible, preferably in the spring. The fact is that most wasps are working individuals, they live only in summer and die in autumn. Single females hibernate. And at the beginning of the season, they build their nests alone, usually small ones. During the summer, they breed several offspring, the nest grows, insects become tens or even hundreds of times more. So do not wait for this moment – it is much easier to deal with one wasp than with hordes.

It is better to destroy the nests in the evening, when it starts to get dark – at this time the wasps are not so active, besides, the whole swarm has already returned home. Or early in the morning before they are awake (3).

The second rule is equipment. Before you go to the destruction of the hornet’s nest, you need to properly dress. On the body – a padded jacket or a tight jacket. On the feet – thick (again, better wadded) pants and rubber boots with tight tops. On the head – a mosquito net, and on the top of the head – a thick cap or hat. Hands on canvas gloves.

It is also important to provide escape routes so that in the event of a massive wasp attack, you can hide in a safe place.

Before you remove the nests, you need to destroy the wasps themselves. For these purposes, the usual “Dichlorvos” is suitable – it must be carefully shaken off and sprinkled abundantly on the nest from a distance of 20-30 cm. If this is an attic or other room, leave it and close the door tightly. If the nest is outside, just spray it. After about half an hour, the wasps will die, it will be possible to safely remove all the nests.

Instead of dichlorvos, you can use any analogue. Don’t look for “wasp” labels – “fly” and other insect repellant also works great.

Important! There are a lot of tips on the Internet on how to fill the nests with boiling water, kerosene, diesel fuel, etc., but they are of no use – you will only anger the wasps. Better not tempt fate.

Folk remedies for wasps in the country

The destruction of wasp nests is a cardinal and rather dangerous method. But there are much easier options.

Sweet water bottles

At a plastic bottle, you need to cut off the top with a neck, pour into it old jam or syrup diluted in water (3), and insert the top cut off part of the bottle from above, but with the neck down.

Bottles should be placed or hung in the garden. Wasps make their way inside, but they can no longer fly out of there and drown.

From time to time, the dead wasps must be shaken out and filled with new syrup into bottles.

Drinkers with poisoned syrup

The method is similar, but somewhat improved. At a plastic bottle, you need to cut off the lower part, pierce 2 holes in the upper edge, tie a wire and hang these containers on fruit trees and grapes.

Syrup is poured into the drinkers (the same old jam diluted with water), and then any insecticide against pests is added to it (see “Professional products”).

After the insects get drunk on the poisoned “cocktail”, they will fly away and die outside the drinking bowls. This means you don’t have to clean them. All that is needed is to add syrup to the drinking bowls from time to time.

Liquid smoke

If wasps do not annoy you, you love nature and are not ready to kill even insects, then this method is for you. Its essence is to protect the crop without harming the wasps. All that is needed is to spray fruit plants and grapes with liquid smoke (it is sold in grocery stores). Wasps, like other insects, do not like the smell of smoke, so they will fly around fruit plants.

Professional tools

The destruction of wasps with aerosols, as we found out, is an unsafe method. Especially if there are a lot of nests. And when they are in inaccessible places, you won’t get there at all. Therefore, the most optimal method is traps, drinking bowls or baits with poison.

As a poisonous additive, you can use:

Karbofos. This drug is widely used in horticulture against pests, but there they are sprayed with plants. They do not need to spray wasps – just add a little of the drug to sweet water and hang traps in the garden.

Instead of Karbofos, you can use its analogues – Aliot, Alatan, Antiklesh, Profilaktin, Fufanon.

Consumption rate: 1 teaspoon per glass of water.

Executioner. Insecticide of new generation of instant action. Usually it is used from ants, cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas. But it also destroys wasps very effectively. They are used in the same way as Karbofos – they are bred in sweet water.

Consumption rate: 1 teaspoon per glass of water.

Scoop. This drug is designed to fight flies and wasps. The convenience is that you do not need to prepare any “cocktails”. Honey buzzard – gel. It only needs to be spread over some kind of base (substrate for food, a board) with a dotted line (2 through 2 cm) and placed in places where insects accumulate. The drug contains food additives that attract wasps and flies – they eat up this gel and die very quickly.

Why do wasps start in the country?

There are two reasons here:

1. Secluded places. Attics, sheds, bathhouses, dense crowns of coniferous trees and shrubs, thickets of perennials – all these are ideal options for building nests.

2. Abundance of food. There are always a lot of flowering plants, fruits and berries in the dachas – this is a food base for adult wasps. In addition, there are an abundance of pests in the public garden, and wasps feed their larvae with them. Plus, the abundance of kitchen waste that is on each even is also a source of food.

What to do if you are bitten by a wasp?

The consequences of a wasp sting are severe burning, redness and swelling. This happens to almost all people. If the body successfully fights the poison, then the swelling subsides after 2-3 hours. Still, it’s better not to let things take their course.

After a wasp sting, do the following:

1. Remove the stinger (four). If, of course, it remains. The easiest way to get it is with tweezers. Before doing this, thoroughly rinse and disinfect your hands and tools. In no case do not try to squeeze out the sting – this way even more poison will get into the wound and you can infect.

Wasps do not usually leave a stinger, they are able to bite many times. But occasionally such cases happen, for example, if you crush or squash a wasp. In addition, it is not always possible to understand who exactly bit you.

2. Treat the wound with an antiseptic (four). Hydrogen peroxide or alcohol (vodka) will do. This is important because the sting of the wasp often has various infections.

3. Apply a sterile bandage to the bite site. It localizes the poison, will not allow it to spread throughout the body.

4. Apply ice to the bite It relieves pain well.

5. Take an antihistamine. Any one you find. Just read the instructions, they have contraindications.

6. Drink a lot. As a result, you will go to the toilet more often and the toxin will be eliminated from the body faster.

What to do if you are massively bitten by wasps?

It is believed that the lethal dose of wasp venom is 500-1000 bites. However, for some, just one bite may be enough if a severe allergic reaction develops – such cases occur in 1% of people. It seems that the figure is small, but according to doctors, the number of deaths from the bites of various types of wasps and bees is 3 times more than from snake bites.

There can be no self-treatment in this case. Urgently call an ambulance! Or go to the nearest medical facility. Especially dangerous are bites in the neck, lip and tongue – often this leads to suffocation even in people who do not suffer from allergies!

How to get wasps out of the wall of the house or the floor?

If you know exactly where the nest is located and it is possible to lift the floorboard or carefully tear off the wall sheathing, then you can destroy the entire swarm along with the combs (see “How to remove the nest with wasps”).

If this is not possible or the location of the nest is unknown, the simplest thing is to set traps or sent baits in the yard – the wasps will certainly fall there. And an empty nest will not cause you any problems.