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.
Destruction of hornets can become an urgent task for summer residents whose “neighbors” are insects. Hornets, like some other representatives of this family, can cause a lot of trouble to humans. Exactly possible consequences Such cohabitation forces him to wage a continuous struggle against both hornets and wasps of other species.
Insect hunters
For the sake of truth, it is worth saying that the outcome of the struggle between a hornet and a spider is not always a foregone conclusion. The victims of wasps of this genus are often arachnids that obtain their food on the ground. For example, a wolf spider most often has no chance of surviving a confrontation with a hornet or even a smaller wasp. Sometimes only an excellent reaction helps some individuals escape from the poison and mandibles (jaws) of the striped hunter. Nevertheless, the predators themselves can easily end up “for lunch” with a cross spider or another spider that weaves a fairly strong web.
Are hornets dangerous for humans?
The reasons why a beekeeper has to exterminate hornets are understandable. Bees can suffer greatly from their terror. But why do gardeners who don’t have hives on their property try to get rid of huge wasps? Don't hornets kill pests?
Interesting! Bees have special tactics in their war against hornets. Since the bees cannot penetrate the hornet's shell with their stings, they wrap their bodies around the hornet and begin to heat it up. The hornet's carbon dioxide levels also increase. As a result, he overheats and suffocates.
The fact is that these insects in the imago stage are not carnivorous. The arthropods they kill serve as food for the larvae. The adults themselves eat nectar and the sweet pulp of fruits and berries. They can ruin even a rich harvest. Vineyards especially suffer from the “gastronomic preferences” of hornets and wasps. 
If a hornet and a person live nearby, then the risk of being stung by the latter increases by an order of magnitude. Pets can also suffer from insect bites. It cannot be said that a sting by a hornet or wasp is deadly. Severe consequences from the action of toxins occur only in people sensitive to them. However, painful inflammation after the sting injects venom under the skin is guaranteed to everyone stung. Children react especially strongly to the effects of toxins.
However, the sensations after the “bite” of a common hornet (hornet wasp) differ in more severe pain from the feeling of pain that remains after a bee sting. And unlike her, a wasp can sting in one place several times. The predator does not leave the smooth weapon of attack in the body of the victim.
It is necessary to clarify that the hornet wasp does not differ from its relatives in being excessively aggressive (this species is common in temperate latitudes of both the European and Asian parts of the Russian Federation). The giant hornet can pose a health threat (in Russia it lives only in the south of the Primorsky Territory). Fortunately, the chances of encountering individuals of the Asian giant hornet for most residents of the country are minimal.
Still, ordinary hornets are capable of “organizing” collective defense if the life of any of the inhabitants of the colony is in danger not far from it. In this case, all insects will fly out of the nest to protect it. A massive hornet attack can be life-threatening for humans (especially children) and domestic animals.
The risk of encountering aggressive behavior of wasps increases many times if their nest is located next to human habitation. A massive attack will begin as soon as one of the individuals, accidentally crushed or simply sensing danger, releases an alarm pheromone.
How to get rid of unwanted guests
So, it is clear what damage wasps can cause to an apiary, a garden, as well as to the inhabitants of a suburban area, but the fight against hornets should be carried out only if the proximity to them poses a real danger to crops, bees, humans and animals. Of course, if insects have built a nest in the attic, under a shed, on a tree in the garden, in a barn or bathhouse, you will have to get rid of it.
Destroying a nest
Unfortunately, there are no humane ways to combat wasps, but in order not to suffer in “combat operations”, a person needs to be properly prepared for them. Before destroying hornets, you must wear thick clothing, closed shoes, gloves, a scarf and a hat. Protect your eyes with tight-fitting goggles (even better, a gas mask or beekeeper’s net will protect your face from stings). In any case, you should not leave it open even small plot bodies.
The best time to destroy a nest is from dusk to dawn. While there is no sun, the inhabitants of the colony do not show any activity. By the way, using a flashlight for illumination is not recommended. How to deal with hornets in this case? Need to take it with you lighting fixture with a red filter. Insects do not react to its rays.
An effective remedy for wasps and hornets is an insecticide. They spray the nests with it, which are collected in 15-20 minutes. plastic bag. Then they are burned. Insects can be poisoned with Dichlorvos, Fufanon, Karbofos, etc. Sometimes night-time treatment of nests, including those built on tree branches, is carried out with boiling water.
It happens that wasps settle in tree hollows. Their colony can be destroyed by filling the bottom with insecticide and sealing the hole with tape, putty or putty.
It is easier to deal with hornets in the spring. During this period, insects are inactive, and their colonies are not so developed. If wasps have previously settled on the site, then finding their nests is not difficult.
Repelling hornets
Hive fumigator
There is one remedy for hornets that does not kill them, but only repels them. Any living creature is afraid of fire. The smell of smoke signals wasps that they need to escape from the approaching fiery elements. Some gardeners deceive the instinct developed by millions of generations of hornets by fumigating their nesting sites with smoke. Sometimes frightened insects change their “registration”. However, you should not guarantee a 100% fumigation result.
Device of traps
A hornet trap will help rid your area of unwanted “neighbors.” Similar designs can be placed in gardens or apiaries, even if there are no wasp nests there yet. Scout insects will fall into the traps. They will no longer share information about the new “grain place” with their relatives.
Sugar syrup, compotes or a honey solution are sometimes used as bait, but bees often fall into such traps. To prevent their death, it is better to prepare bait from fermented compote or jam. To attract hornets and wasps, you can use beer and mash. These insects readily flock to the smell of alcohol, and bees “disdain” it.
We must not forget about the “love of children” of wasps. If there is meat in the trap, insects, which are constantly in search of food for the larvae, will definitely fall into it. There is also an effective drug for killing wasps - Otos. Saturated with fragrances and insecticides, it attracts predatory insects into the trap. Otos is not dangerous for bees: they are indifferent to the bait. 
Trap with meat bait
How to remove hornets and wasps using a meat bait trap? The procedure is simple:
- To the bottom plastic bottle glue a film container or a similar smooth cylinder.
- Soapy water is poured into the container so that it does not reach about 4 cm from the top of the container. If the water level in the bottle is higher, the hornet will be able to get out of it. The soap solution must be made from laundry soap so that the liquid has no odor. An insect is more likely to drown in a soapy solution because its surface tension is weaker than that of clean water.
- Pieces of meat or fish are placed on the cylinder lid. Only fresh food should be used as bait: the wasp is not interested in rotten meat.
You need to drill several holes in the bottle. The smell of meat will spread throughout the area much faster. The wasp that flies to it will grab a larger piece. Overloaded, it will not be able to take off and will definitely fall into the water.
Traps with sweet bait
A “sweet” trap against hornets is made from plastic bottles with a capacity of 1.5-2 liters:
- cut off the cone from the container and unscrew the plug;
- a little bait is poured into the bottle;
- the inverted conical part is inserted into the cylinder.
The trap can be attached to the trunk with tape (in this case, the wind will not be able to overturn the lightweight container) or suspended from the branches using wire.
Insects, attracted by the smell of the bait, climb into the funnel. They will no longer be able to fly out of the trap: taking off or crawling along its walls, the hornets will hit the walls of the cone. To make the bait lethal to wasps, add a little borax or boric acid.
It is better to use transparent containers to make traps. The insects inside them become disoriented, and the hornets outside are more willing to climb into the bottle if they see their relatives there. 
From plastic containers You can make a slightly different design:
- a cone is cut from one of the bottles (0.33; 0.5; 1 or 1.5 l);
- in the body of the other, a cut is made with a cross;
- the cone without a lid is inserted into the cut with its narrow part.
Wasps will crawl into a kind of entrance. The lid from the neck of the trap is not removed. It is unscrewed only before filling the container with bait. Hornets trapped in a bottle will not be able to get out through the entrance: they will try to get out of the container only through the top. A larger container can be equipped with 2-3 tapholes. They, in addition to everything else, will help spread the smell of the bait faster. The entrances can be cut from dark plastic.
Another type of trap is a bottle closed with a cork with holes in the body drilled with a drill with a cross-section of no more than 8 mm. The hornet can climb into the container, but it will not be able to get out of it.
Traps are placed in close proximity to fruit crops.
Everyone knows that hornets are dangerous to humans, but you don’t always have to panic at the sight of one insect. It is necessary to understand when it is worth looking for means to combat the hornet, and when there is no reason to panic. Let's take a closer look at why the hornet is dangerous for humans and what methods can be used to exterminate it.
What a hornet looks like: description of the insect
The insect is an aggressive and large species of wasp up to 55 mm long. The hornet has a rather long sting (up to 6.5 mm), through which it secretes poison that is dangerous to humans.
Hornets live in families, building a nest from a substance they obtain by chewing rotten wood. Nests are built in calm, quiet places: in attics, attics, sheds, hollows, under overhanging parts of the roof, on trees, fences. Sometimes nests are made in the ground. Most adults appear towards the end of summer or beginning of autumn.
Did you know? Many find it difficult to distinguish a hornet from a wasp, although their differences are obvious. The body size of a hornet is twice that of a wasp. At the base of the abdomen and on the back of the hornet, the brown spot(a wasp cannot boast of this).
How dangerous is a hornet?
On suburban areas Hornets are extremely dangerous if there is an apiary nearby. They feed on other insects, quickly master the road to the hives and ultimately destroy bee colonies and ruin the hives.
Many people are interested in the question of whether a hornet stings a person. It rarely attacks people, only when there is a direct threat to the insect itself or its home. But hornets sting not just once, but repeatedly, as long as the poison lasts. In most cases, the victim ends up with extensive swelling and an inflamed bite site. But if the poison causes an allergic reaction, the consequences can be dire. According to statistics, in 10-15% of cases the body receives severe poisoning, which is accompanied by numerous hemorrhages, rapid heartbeat, and headaches.
Moreover, if the bite is repeated, the antibodies produced may not work, in which case the poison will cause an even greater allergic reaction in the body. So, if a hornet nest appears on your property, it is advisable to get rid of it, especially if you have small children living with you.
Did you know? Japan is home to giant hornets, whose bites kill an average of 40 people every year. The same number of people bitten end up in intensive care with swelling of internal organs. The largest insects of this species live in Thailand and China.
How to get rid of hornets using drugs
When it comes to the question of how to deal with hornets, they often resort to insecticidal products, which are sold in any gardening supply stores. The choice of these drugs is huge. Many of them allow you to fight several types of insects simultaneously. Therefore, focus on newer drugs. Among the existing products on the market, we can recommend the following.
Relatively safe and inexpensive drug, which is based on karbofos(organophosphorus insecticide). It is also used to combat bedbugs, Colorado potato beetles, and cockroaches. Sold concentrated in powder or liquid form.
Tetrix
Dutch professional drug, which is usually sold only in bulk to specialized services. Buy it effective remedy For personal use it is not at all easy.
Chlorpyrifos
The product on the basis of which a whole range of insect repellent drugs is produced: Phosban, Dursban, Xulat, Agran, Get, etc. Adhering to the required concentration, these drugs can also be used in the fight against the yellow hornet.
One of the most popular products are preparations based on dichlorvos. But for the proper effect, you need to spray them directly on the nest. However, it will not be possible to kill insects right away. Usually the product is sprayed into a plastic bag, which is quickly put on the nest, tying it at the top.
Important! Often, for safety reasons, it is recommended to pre-fumigate the nest with special stains or smoke, which slow down the reaction of insects. But this does not guarantee the desired effect.
By selecting suitable way How to destroy a hornet nest, you need to start the procedures only in special beekeeper clothing, which covers the neck, face, hands, leaving no open areas on the body. Planned procedures must be carried out in dark time days. At this time, all insects are inside the nest and are inactive.
How to use a wasp and hornet trap
Some gardeners fight this insect by placing special traps for it. True, they will only catch individual working individuals, and the nest itself, where insects live and breed, will remain untouched. Therefore, the trap can be used only in those areas where a large wasp has not built a home for itself. Make sure that there is no apiary nearby, otherwise honey bees will get caught in the trap.
Important! Before you start fighting hornets, you need to understand what benefits they bring to your garden. A family from one nest is capable of clearing a nearby area of harmful insects (caterpillars, butterflies, bedbugs, beetles) by approximately several hundred individuals per day. Therefore, if hornets do not pose a danger to people or apiaries, there is no need to start fighting them.
Buying a trap
To combat hornets, you can buy ready-made traps and hang them in places where hornets live. In special stores you can purchase special reusable plastic jars with several tiers and holes for insects to penetrate. The structure is designed in such a way that they can no longer crawl back out. As a rule, they are sold as a set special means for bait.
There are traps with a soft plastic body that are designed to catch small numbers of insects. In this case, you can buy several similar containers and hang them around the perimeter of the dangerous area.
Special adhesive sheets are also available on the market. They are hung where hornets appear most often. Insects land on them, stick, and since they cannot come off, they die. This trap is used only once.
How to make a trap yourself
You can make a trap yourself from an ordinary 1.5–2 liter plastic bottle. It must be cut in the middle, the upper part without a lid must be turned over and inserted into the lower part, filled with bait. A mixture of beer with sugar or honey is used as bait, to the scent of which the hornets fly. Once they get inside, they can no longer get out and die there after a few days. Such traps begin to be hung in mid-spring. At this time, the first scout hornets appear. If there are a lot of insects, but there is no nest on the site, you can hang several similar traps around it.
Did you know? When starting to destroy hornets on your site, you need to approach this wisely. Due to excessive vigilance and thoughtless fight against these insects, their numbers have decreased significantly. In some regions, hornets are even listed in the Red Book. There are fines for their destruction.
Destruction of hornets using improvised means
Insects are also fought in other, less complex ways.
Boric acid
Boric acid or fly agaric decoction can be used both in traps and simply in tin cans, placed around the site. To prepare the decoction, take a tablespoon of boric acid or three fly agaric caps, pour a glass of water over them and boil. Add 10 g of honey to the cooled mixture and pour into jars.
Poisoned Meat
Since the insect is essentially a predator, it can easily be caught for meat. To begin with, prepare minced meat from suitable meat to lure the hornets. They place it in cans around the site, in boxes or empty hives with open entrances. Make sure that domestic animals do not have access to this meat.
Neighborhood and next to a person has a very ambiguous character. Natural predators are capable of not only destroying harmful insects, but helping hobbyists gardening work fight them, but also pose a serious threat to human health. After all, the consequences can be both redness and swelling of the damaged area of the skin, as well as serious complications such as bronchial congestion, suffocation, rapid heartbeat and numerous hemorrhages. The lack of timely medical care for the victim during the development of anaphylactic shock can even lead to death. Insect bites are especially dangerous for children and people with allergies. Therefore, it would be useful to know how to get rid of hornets.
Should it be destroyed?
Before getting rid of it, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Not everyone knows that representatives of just one family can destroy up to five thousand harmful insects that pose a serious threat to garden crops. The thing is that these hymenoptera use caterpillars, bugs, butterflies and other pests as food. Insect predators attack humans only in exceptional cases, feeling a threat to themselves.
On a note!
However, you don’t have to choose at all if representatives of this species are found in the attic under the roof, in the wall of the house or in the apiary. In this case, the insects are capable of attacking the inhabitants of the house, and the bees will not be happy either. A swarm of adults can quickly destroy bee hives in an apiary. Therefore, in such situations, fighting hornets is simply necessary.
How to remove hornets from an apartment
Most often, the attention of hymenoptera is attracted to the aroma of ripe fruits, vegetables or various delicacies in the house. Having flown into the human abode, the insect can no longer find a way back. And to kick him out of the room, you don’t have to run around with a newspaper in your hand. You should not try to kill the hornet by making sudden movements with your hands. Such behavior of the offender will be regarded as an attack, and then an insect attack cannot be avoided.
If there is only one randomly flying specimen in the house, then it is enough to arm yourself with an ordinary glass jar. It is carefully covered with " uninvited guest"Using the lid, close the container. The trap is opened only on the street. In a similar way, you can use a matchbox or work gloves made of thick fabric.
If hymenoptera are a regular occurrence in the house, then you need to find nests where a population of fearsome insects lives. They usually prefer quiet places: attics or barns. Hymenoptera housing can also be placed on a tree standing next to the house or under a canopy. If the nest is in an accessible place, then you can get rid of hornets at home using the following methods.
Chemicals
Hornets can be killed using insecticides. Just put it on the socket plastic bag, having previously sprayed its inner surface with a toxic substance. Hornets are especially afraid of Dichlorvos, Tetrix, Get, Karbofos, Raptor or Sinuzan. Preparations for agricultural pests such as Parus or Aktara are no less effective.
Using hornet poison, you need to arm yourself with tape and glue the edges of the bag to the surface of the ceiling. If pests have settled in a wall partition, they can be removed from the wall in a similar way, using any insecticide designed to kill bedbugs and cockroaches.
If the pest nest is on a tree, then the polyethylene trap must be secured to the branch so that the toxic composition does not erode.
Folk remedies
However, it is still more advisable to use folk remedies from hornets rather than pesticides:
- Red capsicum effectively repels hornets from your home. It is enough to hang it next to the nest to drive insects away from the area.
- Boric acid is another effective remedy for hornets and wasps. 1 tbsp. l. the product is mixed with 3 crushed fly agaric mushrooms, after which the composition is poured with water (200 g) and boiled for 3 minutes. As bait, add 1 tbsp to the resulting mixture. l. honey This kind of poison for wasps and hornets is poured into small containers, which are placed in places where pests accumulate.
- Peppermint lotion on alcohol based- Another one effective way repelling insects. Hornets will not build a nest if mint, lemon balm or geranium are planted on the site.
- Water trap. A bucket filled with water is brought to the nest so that all its inhabitants get wet and soon die. For achievement maximum effect The bucket of water is supported with a stepladder or wooden plank.
- You can fight hornets in an apiary using the method described above, however, using boiling water. A large amount of boiling water is poured over the nest from all sides, which is usually quite enough to obtain the desired result.
- Polyurethane foam. To destroy a hornet in the attic, or rather its entire “lair,” it is important to fill all the exits in the nest polyurethane foam. This procedure should be carried out at night, when all the inhabitants are in the cocoon. And it is preferable to do this together, simultaneously filling all the holes. Insects without access to light and oxygen will soon die, after which the nest can be removed from the ceiling and disposed of.
- Carbon dioxide is no less effective on insects. The nest is carefully treated with foam from a fire extinguisher, as a result of which its inhabitants quickly die. A hive that has no signs of life is knocked down and disposed of.
- Petrol. Another one of the most effective ways The best way to combat hornets in a summer cottage is to spray the nest with gasoline or another flammable substance. After which the insect shelter is set on fire. However, this method is unacceptable if the nest is located indoors or at a high altitude.
Traps
The method of removing hornets using traps is especially popular among summer residents. They are made from an ordinary plastic bottle. The upper part of the container is cut off and placed neck down in the lower half. As bait, beer, kvass or jam is poured onto the bottom of such a structure. Insects that have climbed onto the smell of the treat will no longer be able to get out of the trap.
On a note!
You can get rid of only a small number of insects in this way. If there is a whole family on the site headed by the queen, then this method is not acceptable.
Ultrasound
One of the newest developments in insect control is ultrasonic repeller wasps and hornets. The effect on individuals occurs through ultrasound, which is inaudible to the human ear. But for wasps and hornets these fluctuations are very noticeable, which forces the insects to go in search of more favorable conditions.
How to get rid of hornets under the roof of a house
You can get rid of uninvited neighbors who have settled under the roof of the house if you try to remove the hive during the cold season. During the winter, all individuals living in the hives die with the exception of the queen and her brood, which do not yet pose a threat to humans. It is enough to clean the nest from the surface, wrap it in polyethylene and dispose of it.
Plates
Repellent plates designed to combat mosquitoes and flies will help remove hornets from under the roof. They are cut into small strips and placed in metal container, after which they set it on fire. When insecticidal elements smolder, smoke will be released, which has a negative effect on the individuals living in the nest. To achieve maximum effect, the destruction of hornets in this way should be carried out daily for several days.
You can kill a hornet nest using any of the methods described above. However, to avoid getting bitten prerequisite To carry out such a procedure, you need to have a mosquito net, gloves and thick clothing.
Smoke bombs
If the insects have chosen a place to live under the floor and it is not possible to get to the nest, you can poison the hornets at home using a smoke bomb. An example of this is a smoke bomb from wasps and hornets. Quiet Evening. During its action, a toxic substance (permethrin) is released into the air, which has a negative effect on insects. However, after combustion in air a long period There is a strong pyrotechnic smell in the air, and therefore, before using the product, it is necessary to remove bedding and belongings from the room or pack them in thick bags.
To prevent the hornets from returning
Knowing how to get rid of hornets in the country, many people are perplexed why the insects appeared in the same place again. Situations when “undesirable neighbors” return again arise quite often due to the fact that the area was quite favorable for insects to live. To avoid such consequences, it is necessary to change the area in some way: cut off a branch or open the surface of the wall on which the hive was located with a layer of paint. If the hornets have built their nest in some cavity, then it is enough to seal the hole that they have chosen.
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 it is up to 3 cm. In addition, the hornet has a clearly visible characteristic brown spot on its back and at the base of its abdomen, but no paper wasp 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.
The easiest way to catch an uninvited guest is to use a half-liter glass jar, and to be more specific, simply cover the insect with it. When the wasp or hornet begins to fly 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 that the latter method requires strict measures fire safety. 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 destroying wasp and hornet nests must be carried out in the dark, 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 whole point 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 attack by insects.
Based on all of the above, the key to effectiveness in destroying unwanted winged neighbors will be pre-planned actions and high speed of this procedure.
Traps against wasps and hornets as a preventive measure
If wasps or hornets do not yet live in the country, but fly into the area to explore 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 your dacha. 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