The appearance of a wasp in an apartment evokes various emotions, from horror and panic to the practical interest of a novice entomologist. One individual flying in in search of food is not worth worrying about. You can catch it or wait until it flies away on its own. The problem occurs when the queen makes a nest in or near the apartment. A growing colony will become a threat to people; in some cases, it will be necessary to involve specialists in exterminating insects.
Expelling wasps: where to start
Before you start expelling wasps, it is necessary to take a number of measures.
1. Determine the scale.
Depending on how many wasps are infested, the method of control will vary slightly.
2. Organize security.
Use products that will help you avoid direct contact and wear closed clothing. Wasps do not like sudden movements and strong odors.
3. Choose a method.
The wasp can be killed or driven out of the area or premises. Further actions depend on this choice.
4. Time of attack
The best time to deal with wasps is at night, when they are less active. And with a nest - in winter.
What to do if you are bitten
Unlike bees, which sting and die immediately, wasps can sting repeatedly without harming themselves. One wasp can make up to five stings in one attack.
- Clean the bite site from poison: treat it with peroxide, chlorhexidine or something containing alcohol.
- Take an antihistamine, whatever you like best: from Suprastin to Erius.
- To relieve swelling, apply ice or something cold to the bite. Traditional medicine recommends rubbing the bite with salt - this helps, but the skin will be unpleasantly stung.
- Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins.
- If dizziness, swelling of the mucous membranes, nausea, or fever begin, call a doctor immediately.
If you are allergic, then do not tempt fate and immediately call an ambulance. An injection of dexamethasone or a couple of antihistamine tablets will help relieve increasing swelling.
How to drive a wasp out of a room
If you go into a house, apartment or any other room, first of all you need to stop fussing and not waving your hands. Many, in an attempt to drive out the wasp, begin to frantically fight it off and make noise. But first of all you need to remain calm.
How to expel a wasp alive
Catching a wasp with a jar.
There are several simple ways to get rid of a wasp without having to kill it.
- A simple method is to open a window or door to the street . The wasp will quickly find a way out of the room. Just be careful and not open doors where there may be nests nearby.
- A jar and paper will help. When the insect lands, it needs to be covered with a jar. Then insert a sheet of paper into the small gap under the wasp, thus removing the living creature in the jar.
Don't do anything stupid and try to catch a wasp in flight with the same jar. You are more likely to get bitten than to catch a Hymenoptera.
How to kill a wasp
There is an option to kill the wasp for those who are not sure they want to deal with a live pest. To do this, you can use available tools :
- fly swatter;
- newspaper;
- slippers;
- book.
If the animal is only slightly injured, then it can be taken out and released. You can crush and smear it over the surface out of anger, but why?
The second method is a trap . You can buy a suitable one or make it yourself. Here's a simple method:
- Cut the bottle in half so that the neck is smaller than the main part.
Bottle trap.
- Pour soapy water into the bottom.
- Lubricate the neck with honey or jam.
- Place it like a funnel with the neck facing inward.
Wasps will fly to the sweet nectar, slip through and drown in the soapy solution.
Where do wasps and bees come from in an apartment?
With the arrival of spring, female wasps and wild bees begin to look for secluded places to build nests and hives. Wasps and bees enter the room through open windows, doors and through cracks near the window frame. In the apartment, females find a secluded corner and build small nests and lay eggs. If the area of the house is large enough, then a person may not notice new neighbors for a long time. Wasps feed on protein foods, eating insects and leftover food. After 30-40 days, the first 5-6 young workers hatch and it is no longer possible not to notice the wasps.
The settlement of bees in an apartment or house is less common. But they can build a hive under the stairs, in the attic or in the basement. Such a neighborhood is also unpleasant, because they will be able to visit often and without an invitation.
How to remove an entire nest
It is good if the location of the nest is visible and in an accessible place. Then the fight against him will be easier.
They often settle in places that are not very convenient for people and finding them will be problematic; you will need to listen and look for them.
Physical methods
The easiest way to get rid of insect nests is in two cases: when they have just started building and when they have already left their habitat for the winter.
Then it will be very easy to remove it after detection - knock it down with something heavy and burn it or simply trample it. Just don't forget about safety.
Wasp nest.
Insecticides
There are special preparations - insecticides. They have a toxic effect on many insects, including wasps. They can be sold in two versions.
Aerosol. This is an effective method to get rid of insects without getting too close to them. They are safer than chemical ones and act effectively. The good ones are:
- Dr. Klaus;
- Delicia;
- Argus;
- Clean house.
Dust. This is a reliable insecticide option that retains its effect for a long time. It pollinates the entrances to the nest, the insects themselves bring it inside and spread it. Use :
- Tempo Dust;
- Sevin Garden;
- Dusters;
- Antitlin.
The instructions are the same for everything - use protective measures and strictly according to the instructions.
Using improvised means
There are simple means at hand that are easy to use and not expensive. This is fire, water and more water, but only with soap.
Substance | Usage |
Fire | More precisely, the smoke will help get rid of insects. It is enough to light a fire enough to smoke the nest. The wasps will fly out, the place of residence itself is physically necessary. |
Water | Using a strong pressure of water from a hose, you can knock down the nest and then destroy it using the methods you prefer, optimally burning it. |
Soap solution | For 2 liters of water you need half a glass of soap. It needs to be sprayed with a powerful spray bottle. |
The danger of bee and wasp stings
Bees and wasps can sting if they sense danger. But there are cases when insects attack for no reason. After bee and wasp stings, the victim may experience symptoms of a local or general reaction of the body, which affect health in different ways.
Manifestations of a general reaction to bee and wasp stings can be divided into several types:
- General toxic. It can develop when attacked by a swarm of bees or wasps, in which a person receives many bites and a lot of poisons accumulate in the blood, causing nausea, headaches, chills, dizziness and dry mouth. The presence of such symptoms indicates poisoning of the body.
- Allergic. Rapid development can be fatal. If a person suffers from an allergy to bee or wasp venom, then after insect bites biologically active substances are released into the blood, the accumulation of which leads to the development of:
- anaphylactic shock;
- bronchial asthma;
- swelling;
- joint pain;
- skin rashes;
- mixed syndrome.
A rapidly developing allergic reaction can lead to death within an hour. Even if the symptoms are not expressed, you cannot refuse medical care, and it must be provided as quickly as possible.
The most dangerous for people are bites in the oral cavity . This can happen while eating or drinking. Bites are accompanied by swelling of the larynx, and if there is an allergy to the venom of bees and wasps, the consequences can be irreversible. Rapid swelling of the mucous membranes leads to attacks of suffocation. In addition, wasps carry various diseases. Therefore, the fight against wasps and bees on the site and in the apartment is relevant at all times.
A wasp sting is much more severe for humans than a bee sting.
How to make a house uninhabitable for wasps
It is best to prevent the appearance of wasps and make your home unsuitable for their habitat. To do this, you need to take a number of steps:
- Use screens and close doors to prevent insects from entering.
- Remove leftover sweets so that there is no bait for wasps.
- On the site, dismantle all the places where wasps like to place their nests: woodpiles, garbage containers.
- Remove carrion in a timely manner.
As has been mentioned more than once, safety is important. Protective clothing, calmness and keeping your distance are the most important.
If all this does not help and you still get bitten, here are the first aid instructions.
Traps
Simple homemade traps will help you exterminate wasps in your dacha yourself or reduce their numbers. They are prepared from plastic bottles of different capacities. Cut off the neck, insert it inside like a watering can, and secure it with staples, adhesive tape, and tape. A cord and wire are threaded at the top so that you can hang it in any convenient place.
Bait, not necessarily poisonous, is poured inside. It can be lemonade, compote, jam with water, syrup, juice, bubbling yeast, kvass. Insects freely climb inside, but get out through the small neck of the unit.
What to do with prisoners is an individual decision. You can fill it with water, throw the bottle into the fire, sprinkle it with an insecticidal preparation, or release it into the wild away from your own property.
Electric insect killers
A useful household item, but expensive.
Another option is electric insect killers. It’s also an effective remedy, but the price of 3-5 thousand rubles, in our opinion, is too high for, sorry, a light bulb with a grid and a battery (the description is conditional, but the essence of the device accurately conveys, may their manufacturers forgive me). Insects fly into the light, touch the metal grid and receive an electric shock. This is the end of their life's journey. Electric exterminators are well suited for homes or other enclosed spaces as they attract and kill all flying insects (flies, mosquitoes, moths, etc.). Whether to purchase such a device or not depends on the thickness of your wallet.
If you decide to poison wasps in your apartment with an insecticide, then warn your neighbors just in case.
Favorite habitat: attic, roof, garage, balcony
Wasps set up their homes in secluded places. Insects prefer those corners where there are no bright sun rays and strong gusts of wind. Often, wasp nests are very difficult to find: striped pests hide precisely where humans can hardly detect them:
- in attics;
- in darkened balconies and loggias;
- in the cavities between the walls of the house and the internal lining of the walls;
- in secluded places on a summer cottage and garage;
- under the flooring;
- in pipes
- on the roof.
Experienced owners find wasp nests by hanging a piece of meat in a visible place. Insects will immediately smell the smell and fly in for tasty food. This is where it is necessary to closely monitor the “flights” being made.
The place where the wasps will transport food for the larvae will become an approximate area for establishing a nest.
Summer or spring: when is the best time to get rid of wasps?
The destruction of the wasp's home should begin in the cold season, when the insects have not yet woken up or have begun to hibernate. The main thing is to track down the location of the nest in advance. In the summer, an exterminated wasp family can cause a lot of trouble with its aggressiveness, so the elimination of individuals should be done either with the onset of spring or late autumn.
When you can’t endure an unpleasant neighborhood, you can start destroying the wasp family at sunset. In the evening, the wasps become less aggressive.