Again and again there are unpleasant encounters between earth wasps and garden owners. We explain how to recognize earth wasps and how to deal with their nests.
There's something moving underground, you're still thinking, just before the black and yellow body of an earth wasp has dug itself out. It's good that you discovered this in time, because a ground wasp sting can have serious consequences. Our large article on the subject explains whether earth wasps are really dangerous and how you can safely remove an earth wasp nest.
Introductory information about earth wasps
Actually, the name already reveals what earth wasps are exactly. Unlike paper wasps, for example, earth wasps nest inside the soil. What initially sounds like a side note is in reality anything but funny, because a ground wasp nest in the ground always means that children, for example, can accidentally step into it.
Mead wasps generally include wasps that nest in the ground. The German wasp does this, as does the common wasp. However, it is advisable to take a very close look at a find, because bumblebees, bees and various types of wasps also crawl underground from time to time, but do not build a nest there and are generally rather peaceful. However, because wasps feed on everything that is sweet, they are often found next to terraces and in the garden, where unpleasant encounters can then occur under certain circumstances. But how does a ground wasp nest actually form and what should you do if ground wasps settle in your own garden?
Where earth wasps build an earth wasp nest
It's interesting how earth wasps build their nests. So the little animals look for a suitable place for a few weeks and can often be observed there. So if you react early and cleanly close typical holes in the ground again and again, you automatically reduce the risk of an earth wasp nest forming in the first place. The earth wasps usually build their nests in existing mouse holes or niches in the ground, which are located in more shady or sheltered places in the garden. Typical locations are therefore areas of earth behind the house or garden house or also within the flower beds, which are rarely dug upand therefore appear particularly tempting. In general, the location in the garden is more than practical for ground wasps, especially if there are many flowers and a piece of cake or a few crumbs of it are often left on the terrace.
Once the terrestrial wasp nest is built, everything suddenly happens very quickly. The earth wasps are extremely hard-working and as soon as the right location has been found, they build their nest extremely quickly. Normally around 5,000 earth wasps live there, but there are also extreme cases where an earth wasp nest with up to 50,000 wasps was found. If the earth wasp nest is complete, it will therefore be quite difficult to remove it easily and, above all, safely. However, this is not at all in the interests of nature. But isn't such a ground wasp nest a serious danger? Are earth wasps dangerous?
Are ground wasps dangerous?
Once the earthwasps have built their nest, it is often very difficult to counteract them. Like all wasps, they have a sharp sting, the consequences of which everyone has probably been able to get to know. If the earth wasp stings, it does so by extending its stinger, letting it penetrate the skin and holding on with its legs in order to introduce the barbs on the stinger into the victim with jerky movements. In addition, poison is fed through the sting through a central channel, which emerges at the end and is injected into the body of the stung person. Unlike bees, for example, earth wasps can pull their sting out again on their own. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean he won't just get stuck with a ground wasp sting from time to time.
Different factors now determine whether earth wasps are dangerous. The poison in the sting initially triggers an inflammatory reaction in the body, so the affected area quickly turns red and usually swells significantly. This is not particularly dangerous at first, but often causes corresponding pain. Whether earth wasps are dangerous depends primarily on your own body. About three percent of the people in Germany are allergic to the toxins and every year there are probably one or two deaths after a wasp sting. If the earth wasp sting not only swells a bit, but literally spreads out so that, for example, almost the entire arm becomes swollen after the actual sting, this is probably an allergic reaction. Also other symptoms, such as a directTingling, a stinging in the mouth or a felt heartbeat indicate such a reaction. In such a case, please call your family doctor or, even better, go to the nearest hospital immediately. Such things are really not to be trifled with! Just as little, by the way, as with a ground wasp sting in the mouth area. Since the mucous membranes here often react extremely, a ground wasp sting in this area is a big risk even for people without allergies.
So whether wasps are dangerous depends mainly on the reaction to a sting and whether you already know how you will react to the poison. On their own, neither bees nor wasps will just attack unless you approach them too closely or launch an attack. So if you keep your distance, you're usually pretty safe, so ground wasps would only be dangerous if they thought they had to seriously defend themselves.
Locate and observe earth wasp nests
As already mentioned, it is advisable to proceed with a certain amount of caution early on, namely when it is slowly getting warmer and the first rays of sunshine and ground wasps appear on the scene. Holes in the ground should be closed, flower beds tended and often dug up so that no spots for ground wasps can develop in the first place. If that doesn't help, by June at the latest it will be clearly visible where the earth wasps have successfully settled. From June it can be assumed that the earth wasp nest has reached a corresponding size and the earth wasps are therefore clearly visible flying around in these special places. If you already know where the ground wasp nest is, you should first observe it very carefully and, if possible, avoid it as far as possible.
Notes on dealing with earth wasps
No matter whether wasps or earth wasps, the animals should never be roughly attacked, hit or even startled. Basically, earth wasps are rather harmless creatures that will defend themselves, but will not attack you without reason. So just don't get too close to the earth wasp nest, then you should be safe from the little animals. On the other hand, if you injure the earth wasps or threaten them in some other way, they release odorous substances at lightning speed, which in turn attract all other earth wasps in the vicinity. This is exactly what makes dealing with earth wasps so dangerous and that is exactly why it is important never to actively threaten the animals, but always to meet them with the necessary and passive calm.
The second note concerns a legal aspect. Wasps, bees and bumblebees are considered in Germanyprotected. First of all, this means that you are already making yourself a criminal offense if you try to kill the earth wasps. The Federal Nature Conservation Act stipulates that wild animals may not be killed without a good reason. Wasp nests, including a ground wasp nest, are also protected. The nests should therefore neither be destroyed nor intentionally damaged, which is why professionals should always relocate the earth wasp nest. The pen alties imposed in such cases can easily run into five figures.
Have removal of earthworm nest
According to paragraph 39 paragraph 14 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, earth wasps should not be unnecessarily disturbed in their development. So if the ground wasp nest is far back in the garden, most professionals will probably advise you to simply leave the ground wasps alone and wait until the wasp colony clears up on its own after the summer. However, if there is a ground wasp nest right next to the terrace or where your children play every day, you should definitely hire someone to relocate the ground wasps. This is usually a pest control or wasp emergency service. However, these are often not that easy to find, quite expensive and not available in some places. If you have a beekeeper in town (which is more and more often the case), you can also ask them politely if they will take over the resettlement of the earth wasps for you. Sometimes the fire brigade also helps.
Strictly speaking, the fire brigade only comes into action in a wasp or earth wasp nest if it is a public space or there is an acute emergency or direct danger. A danger would be that children are in the house, move freely and the earth wasp nest can be found directly in the garden. In reality, however, the fire brigade decides for itself what is really an emergency and what is not. The first call should still be to the fire brigade, who will then, if in doubt, forward you to an expert if they cannot take care of the earth wasps themselves.
Remove earth wasps yourself
If you are particularly courageous, you can of course lend a hand yourself. However, this can be extremely dangerous and therefore not recommended. In addition, it can result in a high fine, as our instructions above have already made clear. So we would advise against a distance. It's better to call a professional who can professionally remove the earth wasp nest and is also good with earth wasps in generalknows.
Removing an aerobatic nest is always a double-edged sword. Many report that the insects are stunned with a foam gel in order to finally drive them out of the garden. However, anyone who kills the earth wasps in the process is of course liable to prosecution again.
A wasp spray also helps to keep ground wasps away from the patio area and to deter them accordingly. The WaspEX wasp spray is even ecologically safe to use and is based, among other things, on basil oil, which has little to do with chemicals and is therefore particularly gentle to drive away ground wasps.
An alternative to the above-mentioned products can be to not only plant flowers in your own garden or simply to sow a few herbs in the area of the house. But sometimes it is enough to put a small pot with fresh basil on the garden table to keep the earth wasps out of this area. By the way, basil also helps against many other types of insects, not only against earth wasps, so it's always worth putting a few pots of it on the terrace.
Just distract earth wasps
Because the topic of removing earth wasps is legally very problematic and we, as nature lovers, cannot be responsible for someone forcibly removing earth wasps, we would like to show you an alternative way of combating earth wasps. So it makes sense not to kill or catch the wasps at all, but simply to distract them. This is also recommended because earth wasps are not particularly aggressive. If you don't threaten them or get too close to their nest, you usually don't take any big risks.
Mead wasps can be distracted with so-called distraction feeding. Overripe grapes are particularly good. If such sweet clusters are placed no more than ten meters from the earth wasp nest, they will lure the earth wasps out and distract them accordingly. A distraction feeding that ends neither fatally nor brutally, but simply works with a deflection. In this way, earth wasps can easily be lured into the back part of the garden so that the family, on the terrace in the front part, can be left alone from the earth wasps. This usually works surprisingly well, at least if the garden is of an appropriate size.
Final Word: Earth wasps are a part of nature
There are all kinds of creatures in nature and they are all very important for our ecosystem. Straighten ground waspsare an important factor in this and should not simply be destroyed without thinking. Hopefully we have helped you to solve the problem with our tips on the subject of earth wasps. However, since ground wasps are usually quite peaceful anyway when they are not being actively attacked, you should simply accept them as roommates in your garden and clearly inform children about possible dangers. If you are still uncomfortable with having a terrestrial wasp nest in the garden, distraction feeding, a pot of fresh basil or, in an emergency, the fire brigade will help, who will safely remove the terrestrial wasp nest or refer you to a specialist. But let's be honest: bees, wasps, bumblebees - they are simply part of the summer and living with them is always better than just destroying them. Especially since the right planting and control can ensure that the earth wasps feel rather uncomfortable, at least in the area of the house.