Sometimes large insects similar in appearance appear at the dacha. external signs and habits with wasps. Most likely, the uninvited guests who began arranging their home somewhere in a corner under the ceiling or in a hollow tree turn out to be hornets.
They make a frightening impression, and the first impulse of the inhabitants of the dacha is the desire to completely destroy the buzzing brethren. In fact, this turns out to be not such an easy task, which can be solved if you take a closer look at the character and life cycle this colonial insect.
Hornets are usually called the largest species of wasps that adhere to a social way of life: the length of their body, taking into account the impressive sting may exceed 55 mm.
Hornets build cellular cellulose nests, for which they use rotted wood and young birch bark, mixing crushed bark with saliva.
Adults insects love sweets no less than bees, but the larvae prefer the bees themselves, flies and grasshoppers. European varieties are slightly smaller, their poison is weaker.
Nest development begins in late spring, when it gets warmer. In the first three to four weeks of formation, colonies are few in number and therefore most vulnerable. In the future, they will get stronger, breed offspring, set up nests and it will become much more difficult to cope with them.
Possible harm
It makes sense to fight striped aggressors in the country if they begin to pose a danger to people or steal honey bees from the owners of the site for their larvae.
The most compelling reasons to immediately begin clearing the area of hornets and destroying them are:
- The presence of children and animals of age on the site - curious, unceremonious kids will certainly be perceived by the hornet family as aggressors.
- The presence of honey bee hives nearby - if the hornets do not exterminate the bees, they will thoroughly ruin their lives.
- The small size of the area on which the dacha is located - it is better not to encounter territorial insects too often “nose to nose”.
- Allergy of any type in any of the owners - the reaction to hornet venom, even of the same species, can be unpredictable in people with different predispositions to intoxication.
In addition, there is an opinion that each subsequent successful attack of this insect increases intoxication, expressed by edema, fever, often suffocation or cardiac failure.
In addition to poison, hornets are famous for their extremely painful attacks, as well as their friendly defense of each family member. Not everyone is able to survive the pursuit of an attacking colony: for example, the Asian species of insect is indicated as the cause deaths of up to 40 people annually only according to data from Japanese statisticians.
Several Possible Reasons to Preserve Insects
It may seem paradoxical, but there are also several reasons to support the decision to peacefully coexist with hornets:
Large wasps are forced to move closer to humans due to the impoverishment of their natural habitat: deforestation. Old trees adding beauty personal plot, are ideal home for social insects, since they can provide a place for overwintering of a young female, food and nesting material all at once.
In the absence of trees, colonies prefer cracks in the siding of buildings, attics, corners of garages and basements, abandoned beehives and rooms that have not been used for a long time. It is worth preventing their settlement in such places - and no grueling fight against hornets will be needed.
In addition to the above, representatives of the wasp order are an important link in the ecosystem, due to which they are subject to protection in a number of European countries.
Stages of the fight against uninvited neighbors
If the need to combat hornets in the countryside is obvious, you should decide how this will happen. The simplest way out of the situation would be call special services pest control.
However, this is not always possible, so land owners resort to exterminating poisonous insects on their own. The gradual fight against hornets in the country includes at least three stages:
- search for a nest;
- total destruction of adult guard individuals;
- physical destruction of the storage of larvae and pupae.
Stage one
As a rule, it is most difficult to detect a hornet nest on a beekeeper's farm: the buzzing of bees masks the sound signals of the pest family, and the smell of honey attracts them from a great distance.
Usually one representative of the family is caught and marked with a bright beacon in the form of a colored strip of fabric.
At the same time, precautions are taken to ensure that the insect is not killed under any circumstances, since before the death of a member of the hornet family, an odor signal of danger is distributed, designed to raise the entire swarm to its defense. Disturbed insect will go directly to your home, giving away its location.
Stage two
After discovering a nest, they use a whole arsenal of means to choose from, designed to fight hornets - the usual insecticidal preparations to kill flying insects, widely used technical liquids such as car fuel or alcohol, as well as regular boiling water.
In addition, they use homemade traps from transparent plastic bottles with sweet bait, plastic bags, polyurethane foam, carbon dioxide fire extinguishers and even powerful vacuum cleaners.
The use of insecticides is advisable where the nest is located in hard to reach place, for example, under the ceiling: it is very quickly treated with the product, after which it is tightly sealed in plastic bag with insecticide, attaching it to the ceiling with adhesive tape. This requires considerable skill and quick reaction. Destroying flying insects in this way is a troublesome task.
Polyurethane foam quickly seals all openings in the hornets' home, depriving them of air, after which the bag with the nest is quickly tied to avoid an assault by the soldier hornets.
It is important to treat the entire nest with a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, and then place a container to collect falling insects. The most gentle way to deal with dangerous “neighbors” is considered usage powerful vacuum cleaner Soviet-style without nozzles, but with a long flexible hose.
It will take a lot of courage to catch the hornets flying out of the nest, but if you don’t crush any of them, there will be no attack. Insects disoriented in this way are shaken out into a strong bag and moved away from the summer cottage.
Stage three
A large nest is dumped into a pre-prepared nest using a shovel. plastic bag with a little water or a thick fabric bag.
Then the bag tied up and burned or treat its contents with poison. Insects that are not caught in the trap are destroyed with poisons or carbon dioxide from a fire extinguisher.
The socket mounting location is needed treat with a pesticide- diesel fuel or other foul-smelling substance. It is better to do all this in the dark, when the insects return from flying to the home.
Popular means
Whatever method of exterminating hornets in the house is chosen, you must remember to take precautions using thick protective clothing and a mask.
Many people mistakenly believe that hornets fall asleep at dusk. The rhythm of life of these animals involves round-the-clock activity.
Nevertheless, it is best to make attempts to destroy them at dusk: at this time, a person may not yet use additional light sources that provoke insect aggression.
It is worth noting that the choice of insecticides must be approached carefully, since a series of unsuccessful attempts may result in large insects gain some stability and even develop conditioned reflex preemptive attack.
Flammable liquids are attractive due to their deceptive ease of use and availability in everyday life. However, there are some nuances here: due to regulations fire safety It is unacceptable to use them indoors(especially if the subsequent burning of the nest with all its contents is expected), and their fumes are caustic and can cause considerable harm to the owners of the dacha themselves.
Appearance warning
As in any war, in battles with hornets, preventive adjustment of relationships is most effective. In the cold season, when the fertilized female is fast asleep in a shelter, you can try to eliminate the reasons that prompt her to seek proximity to people.
For this purpose it is necessary carry out timely repairs everyone outbuildings, without waiting for them to become dilapidated, destroy the trunks of old trees near the house, as well as coat the cracks in wooden and brick walls insulating putties and solutions.
Such measures will the best alternative how to deal with hornets in the country at the height of summer season. Some naturalists advise make an imitation started construction of a nest of such insects and place it in the spring in the place of intended nesting. Hornets will not occupy someone else's territory.
With the onset of warm sunny days, annoying stinging insects begin to fly in the garden at the dacha. Some of them like to build nests in suburban buildings. Hornets especially frighten people because of their large size. In case of danger, they pose a threat to people, so many are concerned with the question: how to get rid of hornets, what methods of control are the most effective?
Hornets are a type of wasp, only larger in size. In search of food they love settle near summer cottages . They build their nests in country houses. Most often, nests are built under the roof of a barn or house. These insects are predators and by eating various insects, they bring benefits agriculture. Thus, the hornets also save the harvest of summer residents.
Hornets can cause harm to owners who have bees. Insects smell honey at a distance of 3–4 km. Even the smallest swarm is able to devastate bee colonies when it goes in search of food, close to bee hive. Beekeepers must respond to predators in a timely manner so that they cannot harm the farm.
These insects become aggressive in moments of danger. Hornets should not be allowed to breed entire colonies near their homes. When there are too many insects, large wasps in an aggressive state can threaten human life. They become especially dangerous if people are close to their nests, believing that something is threatening their home.
Surely, many owners of summer cottages had to discover such large and dangerous insects like hornets. With the arrival of spring, these giant wasps begin to build nests for themselves in a comfortable and protected place. How to remove a hornet nest is a rather dangerous and difficult task.
It is most effective and easy to exterminate these “guests” in the spring, when their houses are just built. If you are late with this, be prepared for an attack. Hornets can attack more than once, because the entire swarm stands up for one offended insect. In our article, we will tell you how to remove hornets from your dacha so that they do not harm you and your loved ones, and outdoor recreation only brings pleasure.
Methods of dealing with hornets
In the fight against these insects, people use two methods: either destroy the nest or destroy the hornets directly. As practice shows, the second method is the most effective, because by the end of the season many more individuals will already emerge from the nest than you will be able to kill over the summer, no matter how hard you try. But in any case, you need to know:
- where is their nest located?
- be sure to have a mosquito net, thick clothing and gloves, as these things will serve better protection against stings and poison;
- if you use chemicals, purchase poisons only for wasps, because hornets are the largest representatives of this genus.
Chemical methods of controlling hornets
- If you don’t have a remedy against wasps, you can use dichlorvos in a can. Whatever type of sprayer you use, be sure to have clay or plasticine with you. This is necessary in order to cover up the cracks and the entrance through which poison was injected into the nest.
- The method of fumigating the gray crack or hollow where they have settled is quite successful. You can also place watermelon rinds or other sweets near the nest, seasoning them with a remedy (but you need to make sure that rabbits or bees don’t eat such a “treat”).
- If you are lucky enough to find a nest in the spring, when there is only a female and a few soldiers there, then you will cope with such a task as removing a hornet nest in no time. You just need to pick it with a stick into some container and place a damp cloth there ammonia. There will be no one left alive.
Like these ones useful tips will help you in the fight against both hornets and wasps. This way you can protect yourself and your family from harmful and dangerous insects.
Hornets and wasps are very “ambiguous” neighbors of humans. On the one hand, with their presence at the dacha they prevent its owner from relaxing, forcing him to constantly be on alert for the possibility of getting bitten. On the other hand, being natural predators, they are capable of significant quantities destroy harmful agricultural insects.
Thus, residents of just one daily bring up to several hundred different caterpillars, bugs and butterflies into their homes, thereby helping gardeners and gardeners fight for the harvest. Therefore, before getting rid of hornets or wasps, you should make sure that there is no possibility of peaceful coexistence with them on the site.
However, there are times when the need to get rid of a hornet nest arises, as they say, here and now. If, for example, the home of these insects appears not far from an apiary, then they will definitely hunt bees, and when the colony grows, they will actively destroy their hives.
It is logical that beekeepers are unlikely to put up with this state of affairs and will eventually begin to actively exterminate predators, protecting bee hives.
At the same time, knowing what hornets are afraid of, destroying them is not so difficult.
On a note
Hornet or wasp? For many ordinary people, it is a problem to distinguish these two insects from each other. In fact, it is quite simple: the wasp has a body length of approximately 1-1.5 cm, while up to 3 cm. In addition, the hornet has a clearly visible characteristic brown spot on the back and at the base of the abdomen, but the paper wasp has no Brown no coloring.
Despite all the advantages of exterminating harmful insects, hornets in the country can also have a significant disadvantage - their proximity poses a serious threat to the health of children and adults. One or two large wasps that accidentally flew into the area are not yet so dangerous, but now they have settled on permanent place family residence can cause serious consequences.
In the event of an attack on a person by ordinary wasps, serious damage is observed only occasionally; their bites are simply painful. If a hornet is taken for the “deed,” then the consequences of meeting it can be truly terrible.
How dangerous are hornets and wasps?
So, why is the hornet dangerous for humans? First of all, because its bite often causes an acute allergic reaction. In the vast majority of manifestations, it is limited only to severe inflammation and swelling at the site of the bite, but in approximately 10-15% of cases, the sting causes severe poisoning of the body, accompanied by headaches, rapid heartbeat and numerous hemorrhages.
Such symptoms are usually characteristic of people who have increased sensitivity to insect bites. However, in nature there are also types of hornets, encounters with which lead to dire consequences even in people who previously seemed to be non-allergic.
If a hornet stings in the chest and neck area, the victim may develop swelling of the bronchi or lungs, which can lead to suffocation. Sometimes the allergic reaction that occurs develops into anaphylactic shock, in which, without urgent medical attention, a person may simply die. And finally, in the case when a person is bitten by several hornets at once, deaths are recorded as a consequence renal failure and necrosis of internal organs.
On a note
In Japan, about 40 people die every year from local giant hornet bites. Approximately the same number of victims end up in intensive care with swelling of internal organs after a simultaneous attack by several insects. The situation is similar in China and Thailand, because local hornets are among the largest and most dangerous among all representatives of their genus.
Speaking about the most serious consequences after hornet bites, we cannot fail to mention wasps. The bites of these insects, of course, are less dangerous, but they, in turn, can lead to serious poisoning if a person has an acute allergic reaction to their poison.
Obviously, if at least one family member is known to be sensitive to insect bites, it is worth getting rid of hornets or wasps when they appear in the country as soon as possible.
The video below shows hornets in the country when placing their nest:
Let us immediately note that you need to get rid of a hornet nest very carefully (we will discuss this in more detail below).
Destruction of wasps in an apartment and house: a few simple tips
Hornets most often appear in the house because they are attracted by a sweet smell. Having flown into a person’s home, they can no longer find a way back. Chasing a hornet or wasp around the apartment with a broom or rolled up newspaper is dangerous - an angry insect can sting.
In this case, how to drive a hornet or wasp out of the house? It turns out it's not so difficult.
Easiest to catch uninvited guest, using a half-liter glass jar, and to be more specific, simply cover the insect with it. When the wasp or hornet starts flying around the jar, the improvised trap must be torn off the wall or window and covered with a plastic lid.
A similar one is “made” from matchbox. If the house has very dense construction or leather gloves, then they can also be used - even a hornet cannot pierce such a thick fabric with its sting.
If you don’t have any of the devices described above at hand, and the presence of an insect in the house is very annoying, then you can also use a sheet of newspaper folded several times to catch it.
After catching the insect, you should not kill it, you just need to throw it out the window.
How to destroy a nest of wasps or hornets
If hornets in a country house or apiary become very frequent guests, this means only one thing - their nest is located somewhere nearby. Finding such a home is the first step to defeating insects.
As a rule, all wasps prefer to place their nests in quiet places - closed sheds, attics, in tree branches, under sheds. If the nest is hanging open, there are several ways to destroy it. Let's look at the algorithm of necessary actions in detail.
Worth paying Special attention the fact that the latter method requires compliance with strict fire safety measures. Under no circumstances should it be used indoors, but even if the hornets are sitting on a pear or any other valuable tree, you need to spray the flammable product strictly on the nest, so that when you set it on fire, you don’t catch fire and burn the tree.
It is more difficult to drive hornets out of a birch or other tree in the hollow of which they have made a nest.
In this case, concentrated solution is poured into the hole. insecticide such as Karbofos or Executioner, after which the entrance to it is carefully covered with putty or sealed with tape.
And finally, the easiest way to deal with wasps that have settled in an earthen hole. In this case, 3-4 liters of boiling water are poured into the hole and the hole is covered with a stone.
Safety regulations
All procedures for the destruction of wasp and hornet nests must be carried out in dark time days when insects are least active and are in or near the nest. But even in this case it is necessary to strictly observe basic rules safety precautions in order to ultimately remain safe and sound.
To get rid of hornets, you should wear a beekeeper's mask that covers the entire face and neck, long sleeves and gloves. Thus, the main principle in choosing clothes for such a purpose is the complete absence of open areas of the body.
Raising the issue of safety, it is also worth saying that treating the nest with smoke or special stains to reduce insect activity cannot be a panacea for getting rid of wasps. The thing is that you cannot know for sure how a hornet or wasp will behave when smoked, which means that this method of disposal is fraught with insect attack.
Based on all of the above, the key to effectiveness in destroying unwanted winged neighbors will be pre-planned actions and high speed of execution of this procedure.
Traps against wasps and hornets as a preventive measure
If wasps or hornets do not yet live at the dacha, but fly into the area for the purpose of exploring the territory, they can be caught with special traps. The easiest way to prevent the establishment of these insects in the garden is by catching the first individual individuals that enter the area.
A trap for wasps and hornets is made from an ordinary plastic bottle, which is first cut in the middle. Next, its upper half with the lid unscrewed is turned over and inserted into the lower part. After these simple steps, the trap is filled with a mixture of beer and honey, and the insects attracted by this “aroma” can no longer get out of the funnel.
You can hang traps on the site from about mid-spring, when the first scouts begin to fly. In general, the use of these special devices is advisable only when the wasp nest is located far from the site, because it will still not be possible to catch all family members with their help.
Thus, the traps are great way catching individual insects. Even if with their help it is not possible to get rid of a large aspen family, they will perfectly protect your site from a theoretically possible unwanted neighborhood.
If insects do sting: first aid
Despite all protective measures, sometimes hornets still sting. If this happens, you should do the following:
- apply a cold compress or soaked sugar to the bite site - this will prevent the poison from quickly spreading through the tissues;
- take Diphenhydramine or Suprastin (to reduce the severity of the allergic reaction);
- wash the wound with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (for disinfection);
- drink a liter of water and drink as much as possible in the future (to reduce the concentration of toxins in the blood and accelerated elimination them with urine).
If alarming symptoms begin to appear after the bite - pain in the head, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, angioedema - you should immediately call an ambulance. Delay in this case is fraught with loss of consciousness and even death.
Above we talked about how to get rid of hornets and wasps if they have settled in the country. If the nest is spotted in wildlife, it should be carefully avoided and left alone.
These insects, however, like all others, are very necessary for natural biocenoses; they occupy their strictly defined niche, therefore, in no case should they be destroyed without reason.
An effective wasp trap using improvised means
Externally, hornets look like huge wasps (in fact, they belong to this type), the appearance of individual individuals or entire families near the house or on summer cottage should be alarming. Firstly, giant wasps destroy apiaries, attacking peaceful bees, and secondly, they aggressively defend their possessions.
The bite of a small hornet is not only much more painful than the bite of the same wasp, but it is also much more dangerous: severe headaches, swelling, allergic reactions, malfunction of the cardiovascular system - this is an incomplete list of complications.
Habitat features. Hornets choose a warm and quiet place to live: an attic, an attic, a niche under a roof, a balcony, above a porch, a hollow or a dense tree crown. The nest is a large (up to 70 cm in height) spherical structure made of chewed bark, looking like wet cardboard.
If you notice only one hornet in a house or area (not to mention a group of individuals), do not try to drive it away with a fly swatter or newspaper, as this will only provoke and anger the insect, provoking an attack. Radical measures need to be taken.
If action is not taken in time, the nest can grow to incredible sizes and become a threat to the family. Methods of dealing with hornets
1. Single individuals often appear in an apartment or house, where they are attracted by the smell of sweet food. In this case, a simple trap will help get rid of the hornets.
For construction simplest design cut plastic bottle(volume 1.5-2 liters) across. Pour bait onto the bottom: honey, jam or beer. Insert the upper part into the lower part with the neck down (remove the lid first) - the “trap” is ready! Once inside the bottle for food, the hornets will not be able to get back out. Once all the insects are trapped, pour inside hot water or burn the bottle.
The simplest trap from a bottle 2. Poisonous baits work no less effectively. Place watermelon rinds near the place favored by hornets or place a container with pieces of any raw meat. Renew the bait for several days so that the insects get used to the “feeder”. After that, you can safely add insecticides designed to kill hornets to your food (follow the instructions). Be sure to ensure that pets or children are not interested in the bait!
How to destroy a hornet nest
Precautionary measures
- Plan to destroy the nests in the late evening, when the hornets are not as active as during the day, and therefore less dangerous and aggressive.
- Wear thick clothing with long legs and sleeves, a hat-mask with a net to protect your face and neck, gloves, and comfortable shoes. If you plan to work with poisons, do not forget about a respirator.
- If you do get bitten by a hornet, do not hesitate - take an antihistamine and consult a doctor.
Methods and remedies against nests
1. To eliminate a hornet nest under the ceiling or in the attic, fill a bucket with water (about 2/3 full). Carefully “put” the bucket onto the nest from below so that the “house” is completely immersed in the liquid. Then prop the container up with something like a stepladder or tripod and leave it for several hours.
2. Use a spray bottle to spray big piece polyethylene film insecticide (“Dobrohim FOS”, “Cucaracha”, “Taran”, “Karbofos”, “Masterlak”, “Tsifoks”, Get). Wrap the nest with film, leaving no openings for the hornets. Secure with tape to be secure. The duration of action of a particular product is indicated on the packaging or in the instructions.
Buy poisons designed specifically for hornets! Mosquito, tick, and flea repellents will not help. After flooding or poisoning, carefully remove the nest, place in a sealed bag, bury or burn.
The only way to eliminate a nest in the attic is with water or poisons 3. The easiest way to fill a nest that is in the ground is to fill it with boiling water, used machine oil (a less environmentally friendly method) or burn it by dousing it with kerosene or gasoline. Make sure there are no flammable substances nearby. And of course, refrain from this method if the hornets have settled near the house or outbuildings.
4. Insecticides and polyurethane foam will help destroy hornets that have settled in a hollow tree. Treat the hollow with poison from a spray bottle, fill the hole with foam or putty.
Prevention. To prevent the appearance of hornets in your home, promptly pay attention to cracks in the walls and roof. In the spring, when insects are just beginning to breed, a very small nest in which the queen lives can be seen in the corner of the attic or under the roof.
Hang bunches of hot red pepper near the likely places where insects “settle”, the bitter smell of which scares off uninvited guests.