A hornet's nest in the garden or in the house can become a problem. The large wasps occasionally settle in houses or in gardens, where they can make some people uncomfortable. In order to properly deal with the animals, you should know a few things about them.

Hornet nests are beautiful, artistic creations

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Measures against hornets
  3. Remove hornets nest
  4. Professional nest relocation
  5. Remove empty hornets nest
  6. handling hornets
  7. NoGos when dealing with hornets
  8. Distinguishing hornets from wasps
  9. recognize a hornet's nest
  10. frequently asked Questions

    11. the essentials in brief

    • Hornets are threatened with extinction and are under protection
    • Hornet nests may only be removed with permission
    • Hornet nests should only be removed by a professional

    What to do against annoying hornets?

    If the hornets in your living area really bother you, you should rely on gentle defense methods. Aggressive mallet methods are generally out of place with potentially dangerous and difficult-to-direct animals. Unfortunately, a certain degree of toleration is always required. The art of the right hornet defense is a tightrope walk between caution and indulgence. Reasonable and nevertheless somewhat effective measures include the following:

    • Cordon off the area around the hornet's nest
    • Counter with smells
    • Have nest relocated professionally

    If you can somehow spare the area around the hornet's nest for a while, just cordon it off with trace tape or some other material. In this way you prevent visitors, children and even yourself from carelessly approaching the immediate vicinity of the nest. That can greatly promote peaceful coexistence.

    You cannot drive hornets out of an established nest with certain smells, but you can prevent them from building a nest. It may be worth spreading certain smells in places that hornets may find suitable for their habitation and breeding ground. What the animals are sensitive to are, for example, the ethereal and citrusy scents of lemons, lavender or cloves, as well as garlic or hairspray.

    The safest method is nest relocation by a professional. We shall go into this in more detail in the following section.

    Remove hornets nest

    Legal Restrictions

    Why it is so important to precisely identify the wasp species before fighting a nest has to do with animal welfare law. After all, anyone who feels disturbed or threatened by the insects shouldn't always simply take action against them as they see fit. This is especially true for hornets. As an endangered species, they enjoy special protection under the Federal Nature Conservation Act, according to which catching, damaging or killing the animals is a severe punishment. Violation can result in hefty five-digit fines.

    However, the species protection restriction is provided with the additional note "without good reason". A somewhat vague expression, but it must always be assessed in the individual case whether such a reasonable reason exists. What often speaks in favor of removing a hornet's nest are small children living in the household or people who are allergic to insect venom. In such cases, professional nest removal or relocation may be permitted by the local conservation authority.

    However, if the threat is not really acute, you should always try to come to terms with the hornet's nest first. In general, they are peaceful animals that only bite when they feel threatened. Also, unlike German and common wasps, they are not as aggressive towards our outdoor meals. The lifespan of a hornet colony is also limited: the cycles are annual and the activity of the animals is limited to the summer months. So you can always keep in mind that the stress will soon stop by itself anyway.

    A hornet's nest should always be removed by a professional

    Professional nest relocation or removal

    Before initiating a nest removal, you must do the following:

    • Obtain permission from local conservation authority
    • Commission a specialist (not the fire brigade)
    • calculate costs

    You should always have a hornet's nest removed by professionals. Because it takes a lot of experience to safely handle the large stinging insects. Anyone who tries to carry out a resettlement on their own exposes themselves to an incalculable danger and can then violate species protection laws in self-defence mode.

    A beekeeper or an employee of a nature conservation association can, for example, take over the resettlement of a hornet's nest. The fire brigade has not been responsible for removing insect nests for some time.

    The resettlement takes place at best in a phase in which the animals are in resting mode anyway. Favorable are the daily rest periods or cold periods in summer.

    The animals are then put into a twilight state with an animal-friendly agent so that they and the nest resettlement professional do not come under unnecessary stress. Then the nest is carefully removed from its niche, placed in a container and rebuilt at least 3 to 4 kilometers away. From this distance, the animals can no longer find their way back to their original place of activity.

    costs

    Of course, the whole thing is not free. How much money you have to invest in professional hornet nest removal varies. Any resettlement measure depends on several situational factors. These include:

    • size of the nest
    • accessibility of the nest site
    • Effort of damage-free removal
    • expenditure of time

    If the hornet's nest is in a hard-to-reach place, such as in a cavity in the roof or in the roller shutter box, it can take a long time to gain access. The way the hornets have attached their dwelling can also make the professional sweat. Depending on the size of the nest, more anesthetic is needed.

    All these factors can increase the service life and thus the costs. You can go with me around 100 euros Count on hiring someone from a conservation organization to private professionals are at around 150 to 350 euros a bit expensive. If you live for rent, you can get away with it for free: the cost of removing an insect nest is usually borne by the landlord. However, a hornet settlement is not a reason for a rent reduction. Wasp nest precedents have shown that insect nest establishment is recognized by courts as a natural, acceptable occurrence.

    Remove empty hornets nest

    Once the nest is empty, it can be easily removed - or converted into a decorative element

    In the fall, the hornet state dissolves. The majority of the members, i.e. the workers and the drones, have now completed their task and simply die off according to the sober laws of nature. Only the fertilized young queens, who are responsible for the preservation of the species, live on and overwinter. To do this, they individually look for a sheltered spot, such as underground cavities or crevices in dead wood, where they hibernate. So the nest is deserted towards winter.

    You don't have to worry that the young queens will settle their own new colony in the old nest construct after hibernating. Each queen also begins building her own nest in the spring, usually in a different location, to start her own colony.

    Nevertheless, the abandoned nest can of course disturb. Reasons for having to remove an old hornet's nest include the following:

    • Elements in the house are affected (e.g. the roller shutter when it is in the roller shutter box)
    • Occurred stench
    • Prevention of settlement of other animals in the nest

    impairment of living elements

    Of course, if you keep banging your head on the old hornet's nest in the attic or garden shed, removing it makes sense. Functional elements in the house can also be affected by the nest and make removal necessary. The classic is a nest in the roller shutter box that blocks the roller shutter. If you can do without lowering the roller shutter over the summer, you should do so and only remove the nest after it is orphaned. This will save you and the animals unwanted collisions.

    resulting stench

    The resulting stench can also make it necessary to remove the orphaned nest. Especially in the final stage, a hornet's nest can develop an unpleasant, sweetish, acrid odor - this is due to the cloaca on the underside, through which the animals drop their feces and underdeveloped, killed larvae. There the material rots and begins to stink. Not a nice thing when the nest is in or on the house. If the stench becomes too unbearable while the nest is still occupied, you can help yourself by laying newspaper or crepe paper under the nest and replacing it from time to time.

    When the hornet's nest is repopulated

    The hornets themselves may no longer move into their old dwelling, but other small animals are quite happy to accept them as shelter. You should remove the nest in winter so that you don't soon get new crawling and dirt-making subtenants when the breeding ground is orphaned.

    Other handling of hornets

    If you can somehow put up with the hornets in the garden shed, (24.90€) in the attic or in the tree, you should refrain from fighting them as much as possible. This may only cause you and the animals even more stress and discomfort.

    An inner attitude in which one sees the settlement of the animals as a completely natural fact can have a great effect. It is helpful to consider the positive and useful properties of hornets. Because they have some of them:

    • Decimate insect pests
    • Stay away from our garden tables
    • Are an important link in the ecosystem
    • Are a rarity

    Decimation of insect pests

    Hornets feed their larvae a lot of insects that affect garden culture or our well-being - such as mosquitoes, moth caterpillars, beetles, flies and other wasps.

    Hornets eat pests

    Stay away from our garden tables

    It is very pleasant that they are not at all interested in cakes, ice cream, cold cuts and open jam jars on our garden tables. In general, they are much more reserved in comparison to German and common wasps (which are also known to most as typical wasps because of their offensive nature). If they are not disturbed or harassed, they are even extremely peaceful, almost even tame!

    Important role in the ecosystem

    Of course, hornets also play an essential role in the overall ecological balance. Through their hunting activities, they contribute to the balance of the species and their role as pollinators should not be underestimated. After all, insects only hunt hornets for their larvae, which need protein-rich food to grow up. The adult animals, on the other hand, eat vegetarian food: pollen, honeydew and carbohydrate-rich plant juices.

    Hornets are rare

    It is not for nothing that hornets enjoy special protection under the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Your species has been in decline for some time - an alarming situation given the general loss of species. Because of the lack of suitable habitat, hornets are increasingly dependent on places of retreat close to humans. So count yourself lucky if hornets seek asylum with you! With them you get rare and therefore valuable subtenants that are worth protecting and are a sign of hope for regenerating stocks.

    "In many regions of Central Europe, hornets are threatened with extinction."

    What to avoid when dealing with hornets

    We now know why hornets are so worthy of protection. In order to put into practice the necessary respectful handling of them, you should know what to avoid when dealing with them. The NoGos not only serve the safety of the animals, but of course also your own.

    Although hornets are not aggressive per se, when it comes to defending their nests, they can be quite defensive. What arouses hornets unnecessarily are the following things:

    • noise near the nest
    • Violent, hectic movements near nest

    Noise can upset not only human but also animal neighbors. Hornets are actually quite touchy about this. Loud engine noise from equipment used in the house or in the garden, such as lawnmowers, chainsaws or drills, can severely disturb the hornets.

    But the animals also evaluate noises made specifically to drive them away, such as knocking on the roof of nests in the roof truss, as an attack - which is actually correct. With such activities, you can really sic the large insects on you. In addition - we remember - not only the catching and killing, but also the willful impairment falls under the species protection law prohibited actions.

    You should also avoid violent movements in the immediate vicinity of the nest. Because that can also put the hornets into defense and attack mode. In this they are no different from other social wasps.

    background

    How is a hornet's nest formed?

    In general, all wasps build their nests in a similar way. The architecture of the structures is also similar to bee hives: in principle, honeycomb chambers form the core of the nest, which is protected by an outer shell. This creates a more or less spherical structure. The combs serve as brood cells for the larvae.

    Like other real wasps, hornet queens begin their nest building with the creation of the first honeycomb chambers in which they lay the first eggs. The brood cells are aligned hanging vertically downwards. Hornets use wood fibers as their material, which they gnaw from rotten branches or wood affected by white or brown rot, chew them up and mix them with their saliva to form a tough paste. As a result, the finished structure later looks very paper-like.

    While the first larvae are developing, the hornet queen is already building the outer shell. For this she uses the same mixture of wood and saliva as for the brood cells. The protective cover is created from hollow pockets - the principle of air insulation is therefore quite intuitive to hornets. The enclosed layers of air effectively protect the inside of the nest from greater temperature fluctuations.

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    As soon as the first workers have hatched, the nest building work for the queen is complete. The female workers are now responsible for continuing the construction work, while the queen concentrates exclusively on laying eggs from now on. The workers start where the queen left off and continue according to the same principle: more and more brood chambers are laid out one below the other in horizontal plates and the outer shell is continued accordingly.

    Finally, a hornet's nest can reach up to 60 cm in diameter, which is smaller than the largest nests of German or common wasps. A hornet colony also only counts about 400 to 700 animals, while colonies of German or common wasps can include up to 7000 individuals.

    Hornets versus German and common wasps

    If you are dealing with a balloon-like nest construct that appears to be made of paper, it is almost certainly a wasp nest. Both the animals of this subfamily and the species-specific nests only differ in relatively fine details. However, the differentiation is anything but irrelevant - because if the wasps bother you and you want to do something about them, you have to observe animal welfare restrictions.

    recognize a hornet's nest

    You can tell whether you are standing in front of a hornet's nest or a wasp's nest of another species by certain characteristics. If you collect as many impressions as possible, you can arrive at a relatively reliable diagnosis. Here is a brief overview of the identifying features of the animals to be observed and the nests:

    hornets German/Common Wasps
    animal identification features Larger body shape: workers 18 to 25 mm long, drones 21 to 28 mm long, queens 23 to 35 mm long Smaller body shape: workers 11 to 16 mm long, drones 13 to 17 mm long, queens up to 20 mm long
    Colouration: middle segment of trunk black to brown or brick-red without yellow elements, only abdomen shows characteristic black-yellow markings Colouring: completely black and yellow (warning) markings
    Identifying features of the nests Slightly smaller size (because of smaller state size): maximum length of up to 60 cm, smooth-looking, light brown shell around horizontal honeycomb plates, lower opening used for excretions Rather greyish, rounded nests up to football size
    Place: above all rain-protected places in and around the house, in garden sheds, in forked branches of trees Prefers dark, sheltered places in and around the house or garden shed, but occasionally in the ground too!
    Noises: Humming at night too, because hornets are nocturnal, scratching and trampling of begging larvae and incoming and outgoing workers during the day Humming and larval noises only during the day

    At first glance, you can recognize a hornet's nest or wasp's nest primarily by its size and colour. If it is rather small, despite relatively large animals flying in and out, you are probably dealing with a colony of hornets. Nocturnal buzzing is also a clear indication that it is a hornet's nest.

    digression

    wasps in the ground

    If you have a colony of yellow-striped stinging insects living in the garden soil, you can eliminate the possibility that they are hornets. They only nest above ground, preferably also at higher altitudes.

    Only common and German wasps occasionally move to underground nesting sites, such as in abandoned mouse or mole burrows. Apart from that, of course, there are also numerous other species of wasps, which, however, differ significantly from hornets, German and common wasps due to their smaller size and different coloration. In addition, most of them live solitarily, i.e. not in large national associations, but alone with their brood.

    frequently asked Questions

    Do certain home remedies help against hornets?

    Unfortunately, home remedies that are often propagated usually help little or not at all. Although certain smells can slightly irritate the animals, an established colony cannot be driven away with them. Some household remedy barriers are actually nothing more than superstition, such as coffee or copper coins. The method used by hornet nest traps to exploit the animals' territorial behavior is also dubious: by simulating a foreign nest, flying animals are supposed to be persuaded to flee. Many practical experiences show, however, that this method is not effective.

    Can you remove a hornet's nest yourself?

    Of course you can remove an abandoned hornet's nest. That is their right. What you should never do, however, is to destroy a nest that is still inhabited on your own, for example by flushing out or fumigating. In doing so, you are not only violating the Species Protection Act, you are also endangering yourself to a great extent.

    Are hornets particularly dangerous?

    Probably simply because of their size, the hornets still have the reputation of being particularly dangerous. Their sting venom is no more toxic than that of other wasps or bees and does not cause any exceptionally strong reactions, except in those who are allergic to insect venom and children. Due to a different composition of the hornet sting venom and the generally smaller injected amount, hornet stings are even smaller and associated with less swelling than stings from other wasps or bees.

Category:

Animals in the garden