Hornets are the largest native wasp species and are often found in the garden or on the terrace. You are not allowed to catch or kill the animals because they are under nature protection. Still, you have a few ways to drive them away gently.

Hornets are not always welcome

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Killing hornets not allowed
  3. Drive away hornets legally
  4. Drive hornets out of the apartment
  5. prevent nest building
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Hornets may not be killed or caught.
    • Strong smells such as clove oil, lemon, garlic or coffee are said to keep hornets away.
    • Hornets also avoid strongly scented plants such as lavender, tomatoes, basil and peppermint.
    • Hornets can be lured to another location using ripe fruit.

    Caution, fine! Killing hornets not allowed

    “Hornets have become rarer and threatened with extinction. Since they hardly attack humans, they are by no means as dangerous as is commonly assumed.” (from: “Diseases of the Bee” by Enoch Zander)

    Because of their size alone, hornets scare many people, especially since the old saying "five hornet bites kill a horse, three kill a person (…)" still haunts many people's heads. So it's no wonder that the hornet's nest has to go or that people are trying to drive the animals out of their garden in a panic. But be careful: According to the provisions of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, hornets are protected by law and may not be caught or killed. Not only does this mean that you are not allowed to hit the lone animal at the coffee table with the heel of your shoe, it is also forbidden to remove hornet nests. In the event of an infringement, the authorities can fine you up to EUR 50,000.

    Selling hornets legally - You have these options

    However, you may drive hornets out of your apartment or garden as long as the animals are not harmed. There are a few simple options and tools available to you for this, which we will present to you here. In addition, there is no need to be afraid of hornets: the animals are peaceful and tend to avoid confrontation rather than attacking you. Also, while a hornet sting is painful, it is no more toxic or dangerous than any other insect bite.

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    Avoid and eliminate attractants

    Hornets are attracted to certain smells. If you keep these scents under lock and key or eliminate those responsible for them, then the animals won't get lost in your garden in the first place. Hornets find these smells particularly irresistible:

    • Succulent trees: Unlike their insectivorous larvae, adult hornets feed largely on tree and plant saps. In particular, the sweet tree sap of particularly succulent species such as lilac, willow, ash or birch attracts the animals, so that they often settle near these food sources.
    • windfall: The same applies to sweet apples, pears and other fallen fruit, which not only attracts hungry hornets in the summer months. Collect stone fruit in particular, but also grapes and apples in good time so that they do not attract any insects in the first place. It is best to store harvested fruit and other sweet foods under a glass cover so that their scent does not attract hornets or wasps.

    In addition, the hornets, which are also active at night, like so many insects, head for every light source in the dark. Therefore, avoid having lights on permanently in the garden. This also includes doing without the solar lamps that have been so popular for some time.

    tips

    Instead of cutting down beautiful and healthy trees, you can also rub their trunks with an unattractive scent for hornets. Clove oil, for example, is very suitable for this. This measure makes sense if hornets return every year and you want to get rid of them permanently.

    Repel hornets with scents

    Just as hornets are attracted to some scents, they are repelled by others. The animals can be driven away very well with the following smells:

    medium application
    clove oil Drizzle into scented bowls and place on the patio or windowsill
    cloves crush and place in vulnerable places with lemon zest or oil
    incense sticks burn on the windowsill or the coffee table
    incense bowl set up in vulnerable places
    coffee either drink hot, fragrant coffee or light and burn coffee powder
    Lemons Cut open and distribute strategically
    lemon oil Drizzle into scented bowls and place on the patio or windowsill
    garlic Cut open and distribute strategically

    The means mentioned are very well suited to keeping hornets out of the apartment or the set coffee table on the summer terrace. Of course, they are not a panacea, because many a hungry little animal finds the delicious scents more attractive than the unpleasant ones more repulsive. But clove oil in particular has proven to be very effective time and again, also against other wasp species such as the much more annoying common wasp (Vespula vulgaris).

    Burning coffee powder is said to keep hornets, wasps and mosquitoes away

    Some plants help against hornets

    Some plants that smell very pleasant to us are also wonderful for driving away hornets or keeping them away. Put them in strategic places in the garden (next to the lilacs, for example) or plant them in pots around the patio or on the windowsill. Unless the hornet's nest is in the immediate vicinity, the animals will give the plants in question a wide berth. The following types are most suitable:

    • Basil (bot. Ocimum basilicum)
    • Lavender (bot. Lavandula angustifolia)
    • Peppermint and other mints (bot. Mentha × piperita)
    • Tomatoes (bot. Solanum lycopersicum)
    • Frankincense plant (bot. Plectranthus coleoides)
    • Lemon balm (bot. Melissa officinalis)

    All these plants can be easily cultivated in pots and other planters and even used in the kitchen and for other purposes. A bag of dried lavender, for example, provides a pleasant floral scent in the closet and keeps clothes moths away.

    Distract instead of driving away

    If there is a hornet's nest in the garden and you don't want the animals to constantly fly onto the terrace, you can use simple means to distract them if necessary. Place tasty bait in the form of ripe fruit in a strategically favorable place not far from the nest - and as far away as possible from heavily frequented places such as a children's playground. Hornets are particularly attracted to apples, pears, grapes and stone fruit (e.g. peaches and nectarines, plums or cherries). To intensify the sweet scent, it is best to cut the fruit open and place it on flat bowls.

    Beware of smoke and water

    Some guides suggest using smoke or water to drive hornets away. For example, the suggestion is made to have a smoke-intensive barbecue near the nest or to hose down the nest with a garden hose. Please refrain from such ideas, because on the one hand both fire and water cause considerable damage to the animals and on the other hand the hornet colony could respond to such a measure with a furious attack. The same can happen if you spray or smoke individual animals directly with water. However, there is nothing wrong with lighting incense sticks and placing them on the table.

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    Is an electric insect repellent worth it?

    Electric insect repellers are battery-powered devices that emit a high-pitched tone at the push of a button to repel insects. From experience it can be said that these devices do not fulfill their purpose at all or not satisfactorily with hornets and many other insects and you can therefore save yourself this expense.

    How to get hornets out of the apartment?

    Hornets looking for food sometimes get lost in the house

    Especially in spring, hornets get lost in the apartment more often, because at this time the hornet queen is busy looking for both food and a suitable place for her nest. But even in the course of the summer, one or the other animal can get lost, for example because it perceives an irresistible scent in this direction or is attracted by a light source in the dark. Prevent such stray flights by providing windows and doors with insect screens and cultivating plants that hornets dislike on the windowsills. But once the hornet is in your own four walls, you can get rid of it as follows.

    Catch hornets - Here's how

    Basically, according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, catching hornets is not permitted, which is why you shouldn't actually lend a hand. Sometimes, however, there is no other way and the little animal has to go out again promptly. Be careful not to harm it and then release it back outside. On the other hand, sucking up with a vacuum cleaner, hunting with a fly swatter or any other tool intended to kill the insect is strictly forbidden.

    With glass and cardboard

    This old trick has proven itself on many occasions and helps to catch stray hornets unharmed and then release them back into the open. And that's how it works:

    • Use a clear glass or equivalent plastic cup.
    • You will also need a piece of cardboard or thick paper to cover the bottom of the glass with.
    • Have everything ready and wait for the hornet to settle on a surface that is easy for you to reach.
    • Now approach slowly and with careful movements.
    • Once you have reached the spot, quickly put the glass with the opening over the insect.
    • Now slide the cardboard or paper under the opening so that it is now covered.
    • Carry the jar outside with the cardboard and hornet.
    • Set the animal free.

    light trap

    On the other hand, if the hornet strays into the living room when it's dark outside, use this trick to shoo it back outside: Switch off all the light sources in the apartment, open the windows fully and switch on a lamp in front of them - but from outside . The animal will follow the light and find its way out again on its own. Naturally, this works best in an apartment on the ground floor or one with a balcony.

    digression

    Caution: Wasp traps also attract hornets

    Wasp traps are available in specialist shops, which usually work with an attractant and also attract hornets - after all, these are also a type of wasp. For private users, on the other hand, electric traps that attract the animals with UV light and then kill them with an electric shock are prohibited. If you are caught with such a device in the garden, a very high fine can be imposed on you. The same applies, by the way, if you are only after "normal" wasps: these are also protected and may not be killed or controlled in any other way.

    So that it doesn't get that far in the first place: prevent nest building

    Hornet nest building can be prevented if it is still in its infancy

    However, the best way to stop a summer hornet plague is to prevent nest building in spring. You may not remove a nest that has already been built without official permission, but you can prevent the queen from building it. From April onwards, therefore, keep a close eye on endangered areas such as tree cavities, roller shutter boxes, wooden houses in the garden, etc.: If a single hornet keeps flying in and out there, it is probably the queen building the nest. Wait for it to fly out and close off the flying area with close-meshed insect netting, construction foam, or some other impermeable material.

    Get rid of the hornet's nest - can you do it yourself?

    Unless you are a beekeeper, you must not remove a hornet's nest yourself. In any case, you need official permission for such a project, which you can apply for, for example, from the lower nature conservation authority in your region. However, it is only granted in exceptional cases and if there is a real threat from the hornets. If you are granted permission, hire the local fire brigade, a certified pest controller or even a beekeeper with this task. You bear the resulting costs yourself.

    Relocate swarm of hornets - is that possible?

    The nest and the hornets living in it will not be destroyed even if the removal is officially approved, but only relocated. What you can try yourself, for example because the hornets have built their nest near the terrace, is to get the animals to move themselves. To do this, hang up a hornet box near the nest and prepare it with attractants. With a bit of luck (and if it's still early enough in the year and the construction of the old nest isn't too far advanced yet!) the hornets will settle there and can be moved to a slightly cheaper place.

    digression

    Do not spray hornets

    Many a fearful contemporary is tempted to spray the hornet with insect spray or hairspray and thus drive them away or kill them. This is forbidden under the Federal Nature Conservation Act and should therefore be avoided - especially since hairspray in particular sticks the wings of the animals so much that they can no longer fly and therefore starve miserably.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are hornets aggressive?

    Although hornets are large and look dangerous, they are not. As a rule, the animals avoid humans and flee rather than attack. The situation is different when they feel threatened and see no other choice but to attack: For example, because they are fumigating their nest, are in the vicinity of the nest at all (and possibly standing around in the trajectory) or are making hectic movements.

    How dangerous is a hornet bite?

    A hornet sting is painful but no more dangerous than that of a bee or wasp.

    Are hornets poisonous?

    Hornet venom is also no more toxic than that of a wasp. On the contrary: Most of the poison is even transmitted by a bee sting - these animals are much smaller.

    tips

    In fact, hornets are very useful animals, keeping all sorts of pests away from you. For example, the wasp population in a garden with a hornet's nest is much lower than where there are no hornets. So hang up a nesting box (€49.85) for the giant wasps in a garden tree and do something good for the animals.

Category:

Animals in the garden