Even outdoors, many are not necessarily happy about wasp visits. But the biting insects really have no place in the house. Depending on the situation, however, you should always behave calmly and prudently - for the sake of the animals and yourself.
From time to time a wasp can get lost in the house
How wasps can get into the house
Wasps can get into our homes in a number of ways - either unintentionally or entirely by design. Here we are mainly talking about the following cases:
- Individual animals stray through open doors and windows
- Nest building in corners in and around the house
Single wasp in the house
Especially in summer, when windows and patio doors are open, many species of insects quickly find their way into the house individually. So do wasps. Large areas of glass, such as conservatories, are particularly critical, since the compound eyes of insects are more specialized in recognizing colors and movements than in sharp image reproduction. A wasp that has lost its way inside will therefore desperately try to fly back outside through the closed window panes.
In such a case you should try to catch the wasp with a drinking glass or a net and carefully guide it outside.
As a preventive measure, it is advisable to stick insect gauze in the windows. They keep wasps and mosquitoes away and still do not hinder the necessary ventilation. Under no circumstances should you simply kill the wasp. On the one hand, some wasp species are protected and on the other hand, you increase the risk of being stung. Dying wasps also emit pheromones (chemical messengers) that attract other wasps.
Wasp nest in and around the house
Two species of short-headed wasps in particular, the German and the common wasp, like to build their nests close to people and also prefer to use their living quarters for this purpose. Dark niches in the beams of roof trusses or roller shutter boxes are absolute favourites, because they provide ideal, protected conditions for state building.
This case is of course a bit more problematic than a single wasp in the living room or bedroom. Because the colonies of the species mentioned grow to around 7000 individuals and are difficult to fight. Firstly, in many cases, species protection stands in the way of direct control and secondly, the much greater danger of being bitten. Wasps can pose a deadly risk for allergy sufferers, especially in large groups.
Once a wasp nest is present, it must first be clarified whether removal can be approved under nature conservation law. That is always judged individually. If the authorities give the go-ahead, a specialist can be hired to remove or relocate the nest.
As a preventative measure, it makes sense to close all possible access points to attics and roller shutter boxes - i.e. cracks in the facade, porous seals and irregularities in the laying of the roof tiles. It can also help to provide potential nesting sites with unpleasant odors for wasps - for example by rubbing clove or lavender oil on wooden beams, laying out cut cloves of garlic or hanging an incense plant directly next to the window frame in a hanging basket.