How to get rid of ground wasps, how to destroy a wasp nest in the ground

Ground wasps are the name given to many species of wasps that choose cracks in the ground as their habitat. Their subspecies include road, sand and burrowing. A characteristic feature of their behavior is that they do not build nests, living separately on the surface. They can dig holes in search of prey, which they paralyze, then lay eggs. Dwellings are founded in cracks in the ground, old stumps, holes, embankments and thickets of grass. Popular rumors include earthen and ordinary paper wasps that have chosen an atypical place for their nest.

What do ground wasps look like?

In appearance, earthen insects are practically indistinguishable from their ordinary counterparts, forming hives under roofs, in attics, balconies and verandas, or among tree branches. This is a bright color with stripes. Black and yellow lines sequentially diverge throughout the body. The wings are thin, almost transparent. The insect's head is small, triangular in shape.

What do ground wasps look like?

At the end of the body there is a sting, which is a continuation of the gland that secretes poison. This weapon is used by insects in the process of obtaining food or hunting. Swarming wasps also use it to hold insects in place in which they will lay eggs. If it is necessary to protect the nest, insects can sting a person, which sometimes leads to allergic reactions. Therefore, the fight against ground wasps is a matter of principle for many summer residents.

Our service is both dangerous and difficult

Sometimes wasps are placed in the most inaccessible places or get into rooms. The methods described above will help here. But there are several features that need to be taken into account.

If the hive is under a roof

Wasp hives are often not located in the most accessible and convenient places. This is exactly what it is under the roof.

When a wasp flew into the house

Even one wasp in the house is a threat and danger. It needs to be expelled correctly.

If the wasps are located on the balcony

A place where people don’t go very often and trash is collected in large quantities is at risk.

Type of nest

How to get rid of earthen wasps on the site

A nest in the soil is practically no different from those made in other places. Insects use wood to form honeycombs. They take building fibers from tree bark, wooden fence boards and outbuildings. Glands in the area of the insect's head secrete a substance that softens wood. Then, with the help of powerful mandibles, its fibers are scraped off and transferred to the nesting site. There they digest the resulting substance with the help of saliva, obtaining a sticky mass with a sufficient degree of flexibility.

For your information! The nest is formed from many hexagonal honeycombs arranged in several rows. The layers of the hive on the surface are very fragile. The shape and thickness of the material is similar to toilet paper. In earth wasps, the average hive size can be as large as a large apple. In a huge striped family, the size of the nest can exceed half a meter. Usually the hive is spherical in shape.

Varieties

There are many types of burrowing wasps; here we will only talk about the most famous ones.

Larra anathema wasp

She is a voluntary assistant to gardeners in the fight against mole crickets. Represents

the insect is black in color and is a solitary wasp.

Having discovered a mole cricket in the underground passages, the wasp drives it to the surface. There, the larra temporarily paralyzes the victim with three precise sting blows to certain chest segments. Then the wasp lays an egg under the mole cricket's front leg. After about 5 minutes, the mole cricket’s paralysis goes away, and it crawls back underground, where it leads its usual way of life.

The larva emerging from the egg, from the moment of hatching to pupation, goes through 5 stages of development in 12–30 days. All this time she lives on the mole cricket as an external parasite. The mole cricket dies shortly before the Larra larva transforms into a pupa.

Wasp ammophila

Sandy ammophila is a black insect with a bright red thin abdomen,

located on a thin stalk, and long legs. It is quite large, reaching 4 cm in length.

This wasp chose cutworm caterpillars that live in the ground as food for the offspring. Having found the caterpillar and driven it to the surface, the ammophila paralyzes the victim. Then, all the way to the hole, the wasp will drag the prey, which is several times heavier than the hunter, along the ground.

Having reached the destination, she drags the cutworm caterpillar inside the future nest, lays one egg on it, seals the cell and carefully camouflages it.

Philanthus - bee wolf

Philanthus is one of the types of burrowing wasps. It is a rather large and strong insect, measuring from 12 to 15 mm. Has a too large head compared to the body and strong jaws. The chest of the philanthus is black, the abdomen is bright yellow, and there are from one to three white stripes on the back. They called him the bee wolf because he attacks honey bees.

This happens as follows. The philanthus rushes at the bee when it, unsuspectingly, collects pollen from a flower. Having grabbed it with its paws, the bee wolf stings the victim in the neck and kills. Rhythmically moving his paws, he squeezes out the nectar collected by the bee from the bee's crop, which he licks with his tongue. Then the bee carries the completely empty bee back to her burrow to use it as food for her offspring.

Philanthus can cause serious harm to beekeepers if it settles next to the hives, since the bees stop flying out for honey and sit in the hives. The queen bee stops laying eggs and the colony gradually weakens.

Lifestyle

Ground wasps in the country - how to get rid of them

In midsummer, the number of insects in one hive can reach tens of thousands. In the family, each insect performs its predetermined functions: builds, hunts, and cares for the larvae. The only individual that produces offspring is the queen, which is protected by all wasps.

The insects' diet consists of flower nectar, juice of vegetables and fruits, honey stolen from apiaries and hives of wild bees. To grow, the larvae require a large amount of protein, so worker wasps kill insects or flock to the smell of meat and fish while cutting them on the street.

Wasp activity increases greatly towards the end of summer. They can penetrate buildings, vigorously circle around the site, interfering with work, and when approaching their habitat, they attack furiously. If a person is attacked by a whole swarm, the resulting herbs can lead to anaphylactic shock.

Lifestyle of earth wasps

Polists.

The most common and noticeable among stinging wasps are representatives of the genus Polistes from the family Vespidae. Their length is slightly less than 2.5 cm, the body is slender, but without a long stalk-like constriction, and the color usually consists of yellow spots on a black, brown or reddish background. They build open honeycombs from paper cells that are suspended on thin stems from the eaves, walls and ceilings of old buildings, as well as from the branches of trees and shrubs. Like all social wasps, females of Polista are divided into oviparous queens (queens) and very similar in appearance, only smaller workers that do not mate and do not lay eggs. Only the young queen survives the winter and begins building a nest in the spring. In some species, several females can lay one nest at once (polygyny), although only one can cope with this task. The nest consists of a more or less rounded honeycomb hanging on a stalk with cells opening downward. The building materials are grass stems, old wood and similar materials: wasps chew them into a sticky fibrous mass, which is then shaped into the desired shape. When dry, this mass turns into hard gray paper, strong enough for even a thin leg made of it to withstand the weight of a honeycomb swaying in the wind. As soon as the stalk and the first empty cell are ready, the queen stops building and lays an egg inside. Then the next ones are built around the first cell, filled with eggs as they are completed. The hatched larvae are fed with pieces of insects chewed by the queen. The larvae are legless, grayish-whitish in color. They hang upside down in the cells without falling out of them, since the small ones are glued to the walls, and the large ones are simply pressed tightly against them by their overgrown body. As the larvae grow, the cells are built up, i.e. lengthen, and more and more new ones are added to the old ones along the edge of the honeycomb. At this stage, all the work - building the nest, foraging (searching for prey), laying eggs and feeding the offspring - is done by the queen.

The queen (in spring) or workers (in summer) feed the larvae with a mush of chewed insects. While eating, the larvae secrete saliva, which is licked off by the adults. This exchange of food is called trophallaxis. This phenomenon is common not only among wasps, but also among ants and termites.

When feeding the larva, the wasp holds a spherical lump of food in front of its head. Feeding does not last long - about 10 seconds. Then the rest of the food, again rolled into a ball, is offered to another larva, etc. One serving can be enough for four. Having completed development, the larva seals its cell with a dense silk cap, which sometimes continues inward, forming a more or less complete cocoon. When the adult emerges from the pupa, the empty wasp cell is cleaned and a new egg is laid there.

At the beginning of summer, all adults emerging from pupae are workers. As soon as there are several of them in the colony, they free the queen from worries about foraging, building a nest and feeding the larvae. In late summer and autumn, males and new queens appear. What factor determines the development of their genital organs is unknown. As winter approaches, males, workers and old queens fly away and die, and only young, already fertilized queens survive until next spring. They usually overwinter under the bark of dead trees, in rotting wood and similar places.

Bite danger

Any insects bite hard. Bites are accompanied by severe cutting pain. Edema appears, turning red and swelling over time. The temperature at the site of the bite rises significantly. Over time, itching may occur. If the bite occurs in heavily innervated areas of the body - ears, lips, fingers, then the itching will be very severe.

How to get rid of wasps in the attic

In a healthy body, the swelling goes away within a week. The bruise may remain for up to 10 days. To quickly get rid of pain, folk remedies are used: compresses or lotions, pastes containing soda and laundry soap.

Important! The poison can cause an allergic reaction with varying degrees of intensity. The lesion may enlarge significantly if the swelling exceeds 1 cm in diameter. Then the use of antihistamines will be required.

Ground wasps feed on many parasitic insects, so if the hive is small and the distance from the cottage is large, you can leave them alone. However, if there are often children or allergy sufferers in the area, destruction of the hive becomes simply necessary. Otherwise, at the end of summer, the swarm will not allow the harvest to be harvested normally.

How to get rid of earth wasps

To get rid of ground wasps, you can use insecticides or completely burn out the nest. Measures to eradicate striped parasites from the site are carried out only at night or early in the morning. At night, insects return to the nest to spend the night. Early in the morning, when the working insects have not yet flown away in search of food, removing the nest will also be effective.

How to get rid of earth wasps

How to deal with ground wasps:

The insect nest can be burned. To do this, you need to pour kerosene, gasoline or flammable oils over it and set it on fire.
The insect hive is flooded with hot water. The peculiarity of the physiology of insects is that they quickly die from high temperatures. The event may need to be repeated the next day.
If the wasps leave the nest in the fall, you can try to dig it up and destroy it using any available method. This is necessary so that in the new year the swarm does not return to its old habitat, as this is typical for them.
You can drive a wedge into the socket. Any hardwood stake or scrap will do. The inside of the hive is severely damaged, and the insects will have to look for another habitat, since they will not repair the old house. However, there is a high probability that they will settle nearby.

Destruction by insecticides

The destruction of wasps using special preparations - insecticides, is one of the most effective, modern and widespread methods of combating these insects.

When choosing this method, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

All modern insecticides have a water-soluble form; in order to obtain a working mixture, they must be mixed with water, but this is done strictly in accordance with the attached instructions.
Prepare a polyethylene bag with a dense structure; its dimensions should be such that the entire wasp’s nest fits inside. 200 ml or more of the diluted solution is poured into the bag.
Place the bag on the nest; this is done with sharp and quick movements so that the angry insects do not have time to fly out and attack the offender. It is tied at the top with rope, tape or tape to prevent wasps from leaving the trap.
Usually all the inhabitants of the nest die after 2-3 days, but first it is better to tap the bag with some object to make sure that there are no living insects left inside that can attack a person.

Today, the market offers a wide range of different drugs designed to kill wasps.

The most effective and proven positives are the following types of insecticides:

Tetrix is quite expensive, but it is still very popular due to its high effectiveness. Sold in cylinders with a capacity of 250 ml, from which you can get 2-3 liters of the working mixture. The cost is about 1,200 rubles, often sold in liter canisters, which cost approximately 5,000 rubles.

Diazinon is not only a good way to kill wasps, but is also used to prevent the appearance of other insects, and is completely safe for most types of domestic animals. The price for a 1 liter container is about 1000 rubles.

Sinuzan is most often used to destroy nests indoors, since this drug can also remove other insects living at home, including cockroaches and flies. The cost of a 5-liter canister is about 8,000 rubles.

Karbofos is an inexpensive and at the same time very effective drug that not only destroys individuals of any age, but also kills larvae. The cost of a 5-liter canister will be only 2500-3000 rubles; you can also purchase a small package, which will cost no more than 30-50 rubles.

Lambda Zone will destroy not only wasps and their larvae, but also all insects in the next 100 square meters. One 50 ml package is enough for exactly this area; its price is only 600-700 rubles.

How to destroy a wasp's nest in the ground

Important! To destroy a wasp nest in the ground, you must wear the appropriate equipment. Wasps will do their best to prevent the destruction of the hive with the queen and larvae.

Precautionary measures

Before starting procedures to remove the nest, you need to wear thick clothing. Ideally, this should be a special suit for working with bees. If you don't have one, you can replace it with a thick raincoat with long mittens and tight-fitting cuffs. Be sure to provide thick trousers or jeans, closed shoes and a hat for the beekeeper. If the latter is not available, then a gas mask or a cap with a mosquito net will do.

How to destroy a wasp's nest in the ground

When using insecticides, it is imperative to use filtration means - respirators. If the hive is located near a country house, you need to close all the windows and doors in it. If household members spend the night at the dacha, it is better to send them for a walk.

For your information! When approaching the nest, you need to move calmly, gradually and without sudden movements. It is forbidden to make loud noise, as it can cause unnecessary aggression in the striped ones. In this case, it is advisable to prepare an escape route in advance.

Before you start getting rid of them, pay attention to how the wasps behave. If they swarm around the nest, then it is better to postpone the event to a later time. If insects attack, you need to gradually retreat indoors and sit out for several hours, and then try again to destroy the nest.

Burning the nest

To burn a nest, you will need a large amount of flammable liquid. This can be kerosene, gasoline or flammable oils. This should be done when all the insects have returned to the hole or have not yet left it. Otherwise, the swarm that has gathered will begin to attack everyone it notices.

Note! To protect yourself from an attack while pouring gasoline, you should definitely follow safety precautions.

The amount of fuel needed to pour into a hole depends on the size of the hive. However, even relatively small nests will require at least 1 liter. The walls of the honeycomb are essentially made of paper, so they will burn well.

Nest flooding

how to get rid of a wasp nest in the ground? This will require at least 1 bucket of boiling water. The method is less effective than burning because the procedure may need to be repeated. After pouring the liquid inside the hole, you must cover the entrance with a flat board and secure it with a sufficiently sized stone or brick. Otherwise, an aggressive swarm will fly out to punish the offender. Water is poured into the hive at an average rate, over the entire above-ground surface of the honeycomb. Paper walls easily allow boiling water to pass through, and high temperatures cause insects to instantly die on the spot.

Nest flooding

How to destroy a wasp nest in the ground using insecticides

How to deal with wasps in the ground? To eradicate insects from the area, use boric acid or insecticides with a broad spectrum of action. This is done using the following methods:

Gel baits are laid out over the entire surface of the area, especially around the nest.
Boric acid is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, mixed until completely dissolved and added 1 tbsp. spoon into bait for earthen wasps. It can serve as any sugar-containing product - jam, honey, natural juices. The poison can also be added to finely chopped pieces of fruit, vegetables or meat. In this case, it is better to pour boric acid in powder form.
Fill the hive with anti-insect preparations, cover it from air penetration, and place bait around the hive. To poison all wasps, substances without a strong odor are suitable, since those with an aroma can scare away the swarm. Effective remedies include the delta zone, get and many others. You can use powder dusts - Baygot, Trianon, Super Fas.

Interesting! Toxic substances enter the body of insects through the intestinal tract, causing failure of the nervous system and, as a result, death. The swarm will die within a week. The effectiveness of the method is also that the worker wasps will feed the queen with poison. The hatched larvae also feed on poisoned foods and die.

Precautionary measures

You took a bucket with the chosen product and on a warm day in a light T-shirt you went to fight wasps. Do not conduct such extreme experiments, the insects will defend themselves with all their might. Wait until dark when the swarm falls asleep. Wear a thick suit with long sleeves and cuffs, gloves and a beekeeper's hat.

If the wasp does sting, treat the wound with iodine and take an antihistamine. If you feel worse, consult a doctor immediately.

The following symptoms should alert you:

change in heart rate;
nausea or vomiting;
bluish tint to lips;
dizziness;
slow speech;
profuse sweat;
pallor;
weakness.

Nature creates nothing in vain, and wasps appeared on earth not to annoy gardeners, but to maintain ecological balance. It is better not to touch a nest of earth wasps located in an abandoned corner. All summer the swarm will destroy pests in the dacha, and next year it will move to another place.

If ground wasps have settled on the site near the house or in places where people frequently move, you need to get rid of dangerous neighbors. When choosing a method for destroying a swarm, think about the safety of people and the safety of property. Do not use fire near flammable structures. If you are not confident in your capabilities, or do not know how to get rid of earthen wasps without harmful consequences, invite professionals to help.

However, as a preventive measure, you can make a dummy wasp nest and leave it in a visible place: a burrowing wasp in search of a nesting place will not risk occupying someone else’s territory alone. In this case, ground wasps will not force you to rack your brains in search of a way to get rid of their holes, for example, in the country.

Wasps are aggressive insects that can regard any gesture as a danger to life. The nest is guarded by scouts and guards, and in case of danger they transmit a signal to others. When an insect dies, a special substance is released, which its relatives catch and rush to attack en masse. You need to remember all this when going on an operation to destroy a nest or wasp family.

The work should be done in the evening, when insect activity has decreased. In the dark, they have difficulty oriented in space. But everything needs to be done as accurately as possible, since they hear the smell very well. They will rush to attack blindly.
When performing pest control operations, you should not make sudden movements; all actions must be thought out in advance, and the necessary materials must be prepared. If one insect bites, you cannot kill it, because a whole swarm will fly out.
When using an insecticide, you should remember that it will take a few minutes to take effect; spraying inside the nest can only anger the swarm. Therefore, it is advisable to use the product outside or use a plastic bag. It pounces on the nest and quickly ties it, blocking the exit.

If a swarm of wasps accidentally flew into your dacha, you need to get rid of the invasion, use smoke bombs, set fire to rubber, and build a fire. If the insects do not threaten to bite, you can leave them alone; after a while they will fly away on their own.

Having decided how to get rid of earthen wasps, you need to take care of your own protection. You should be careful while working, because a disturbed swarm can severely bite a person. Recommended safety measures include:

Wear protective suit. The best option is beekeeper's clothing, but casual clothing is also suitable. It should be sewn from thick fabric. Long sleeves, a cap on your head and a net on your face are required. Put gloves on your hands.
While working, do not make noise or make sudden movements. These actions provoke an attack by insects.
You should take care of shelter in advance in case of an attack. If a residential building is built close to the nest, it is worth closing all the windows.
It is better to destroy earthen wasps in the evening. At this time of day they gather in the nest and prepare for sleep. You can catch the entire swarm in one place and with minimal activity.

In a situation where the insect nest is located in a remote corner and does not pose a serious danger, it is better not to disturb it. In the fall, its inhabitants will scatter and die.

Ground wasps appeared on the site. How to get rid of them and not get hurt? This problem probably worries many owners of summer cottages. A few bites are not dangerous for a healthy person. However, if you suffer from allergies, then you should carefully consider not only the method of control, but also the outfit you will wear.

Clothing should be made of thick fabric, preferably with a hood. It is better to wear thick rubber or leather gloves on your hands. You can use a mosquito net to protect your face. The sleeves and bottom of your trousers should be tied with an elastic band or rope to prevent wasps from crawling under your clothes.

How to remove earthen wasps using folk remedies

If it is not possible to purchase insecticides, you can use traditional methods. To do this, use self-prepared traps. A simple and effective method for preparing wasp bait:

You will need a large plastic bottle.
It needs to be cut into 2 unequal parts, the bottom and walls of the bottle should be higher than the section with the neck.
A sweet and odorous substance is poured into the lower part, which attracts wasps.
The top of the bottle is inserted into the bottom, forming a funnel. Once inside, the wasp has no way of getting out.

Important! It is better to use fermented jam or jam as bait. Ordinary sweet water hardly attracts insects.

Wasps are dangerous insects with an aggressive nature that often settle in the area. Their painful bites can cause allergies and lead to hospitalization. Therefore, the extermination of wasps must be carried out using radical methods, getting rid of the entire swarm. Destruction must begin with the nest in which the queen lives.

However, if the swarm is located at the boundaries of areas and is small in size, then you can ignore the insects. They will actively hunt many crop-eating parasites. But do not forget that wasps feed on fruit juices, so if there are a large number of apple or pear trees in your dacha, you will definitely have to get rid of the hive. How to do this is described above. Any gardener will choose the best option for himself and easily win the war against striped enemies.

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