Yellow wasps (of the genus Vespula) are the ones that most often come into conflict with humans. Unlike bees and hornets, these insects are socially active, aggressive food gatherers that can become quite pugnacious when disturbed. They are considered beneficial insects, but sometimes it is necessary to face them permanently and destroy their nests.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Kill Only One Specimen
Step 1. Verify that it is not a honey bee
It can be hard to tell when a creature is buzzing around you, but it's crucial to recognize the difference. The yellow wasps are indeed wasps and among the most aggressive varieties. Unlike other common wasps, these have the same yellow and black streak pattern as honey bees. Their body is thinner than that of bees, they are less rounded, hairy and their wings are as long as the body.
- It is extremely important not to kill honey bees, as they play a vital role in the ecosystem and are not too aggressive towards humans. To understand their importance, know that they are believed to be responsible for one in three bites of food we eat.
- Bees die after stinging once and are usually not aggressive towards people; they tend to be docile, they only sting to defend themselves and warn their hive. Otherwise, wasps can sting countless times and do not hesitate to do so.
Step 2. Open the doors and windows if you are indoors
The goal is to eliminate the threat and sometimes it may be enough to provide the wasp with an escape route. However, it is not recommended to encourage her to exit, as your efforts could increase the unnecessary risk of being stung.
Either way, avoid opening the door or window if you know for sure it is next to its nest
Step 3. Abandon any food that wasps are interested in
Attempting to retrieve food and drink can make them nervous; then leave whatever the insect has landed on. Quickly cover all other foods and drinks and move them away from the area where the wasp is.
Step 4. Stay calm if the insect lands on your body
By making sudden movements, you only increase the chances of getting stung. If it rests on your body, avoid acting suddenly; the best thing is to wait for it to fly away of its own accord; if this technique doesn't work, however, move slowly and gently to remove it.
Step 5. Avoid opposing it
A rolled-up newspaper or fly swatter could possibly kill the insect, but such a confrontation could also lead to bites; if you hit her without killing her, you cause her to react and sting you further.
- Likewise, it is not recommended to spray any type of insecticide against a single specimen; when used indoors, this product creates a mess and can be harmful to those in the vicinity.
- Killing a wasp (or instigating it to sting) can only arouse more aggression from its mates. The poison of these insects contains a kind of "alarm poison" that attracts other wasps, which in turn identify you as a target.
Step 6. Lure and trap the wasp with food
This insect often comes into conflict with people for food; you can see him buzzing around the garbage can and he is particularly fond of fruit, meat and sugary drinks. You can use this feature to your advantage: if it hasn't yet landed on a piece of food that you left exposed, try to entice it to do so.
Place some food in a resealable jar or soft drink bottle with a screw cap. Once the wasp has settled on the food, close the container to trap it inside and throw it away (or release it when you are in an appropriate space)
Step 7. Create a more sophisticated soapy trap
Fill a bottle or bucket with soapy water and hang a small piece of protein food (canned meat is fine) on a string suspended 3 to 5 cm from the surface of the water. When the wasp grabs the morsel, it falls into the soapy water and drowns.
You can put a knitted net over the bucket if you are concerned that other animals will eat the bite
Method 2 of 2: Tackling a Nest
Step 1. Make sure you are not allergic
It is advisable to rule out any allergies to wasp venom that are still unknown, before finding yourself in a situation where - if things go wrong - there is a possibility of being stung several times. If you are unsure whether you are allergic or not, make an appointment with your doctor to get tested.
Wasp stings can even be deadly, depending on the severity of the allergy a person suffers from. The poison can trigger anaphylactic shock within minutes, causing swelling, fainting and difficulty breathing
Step 2. Locate the nest location
Yellow wasps create nests in cavities; they can build them in the ground, in the gutters of the houses, under the arcades and sometimes even in the cavities between the walls. The best way to approach the nest depends on where it is.
If you haven't located the nest location, you may need to lure the yellow wasp with a treat and follow its flight until it returns to the colony. These insects move fairly directly when entering or leaving their shelter and do not tend to wander or swoop. Any morsel of meat, jam, tuna, canned cat food or a can of soda is a great bait
Step 3. Assess the size of the infestation
The smaller nests can be managed and destroyed with a quick spray of insecticide, then moving away immediately; for larger ones it is necessary to take more precautions. In addition, the sites that wereps choose to nest are usually quite difficult to reach and handle. If you feel discomfort, feel intimidated, or if at any time you feel unsure about dealing with the nest, you should call a professional exterminator to take care of the problem.
- Usually, nests are first built by a female in spring and grow throughout the year before finally being abandoned. In regions with a warmer climate with few frosts, such as those of southern Italy, the nests can survive from year to year and grow to the point of becoming extremely large and populated; however, this is a rather rare occurrence.
- If the nest looks quite large and spiral-shaped, you are probably dealing with hornets. If it resembles the whitish-colored bees' nest, it may belong to the Polistes dominula species, a less aggressive yellow wasp variety.
Step 4. Choose the right season
Yellow wasps are more reluctant to fly when temperatures drop below 10 ° C; consequently, they are less active in winter, they become stronger in late spring and summer, when they have to feed the young, but they become very active and aggressive towards people in the autumn season, when it becomes more difficult to find food. The best time of year to destroy the nest is late spring or early summer, when the queen's new newborn colony settles there.
- These insects are also much more active during the day; although visibility is lower at night, destroying the nest at this time means dealing with less active wasps.
- If you don't live in a region where the climate is warm all year round, the colony likely dies during the winter. If it is already late fall, it would be wise to wait for the yellow wasps to die - remember they are much more aggressive this season.
Step 5. Cover yourself appropriately
If you decide to tackle the nest yourself, you need to avoid exposing the skin as much as possible. Wear long-sleeved dresses, pants, long socks, and put on a cap to cover your ears. Dress in layers and don't forget to put on boots and gloves. Also protect your nose and mouth with a scarf; finally, get some safety glasses, which you can buy cheaply at all "do-it-yourself" shops.
- Although they are quite annoying to humans, yellow wasps still play an important role in nature; they pollinate flowers and prey on flies, caterpillars, spiders and parasites that infest the flora. For this reason, you should avoid wearing bright colors, as you may be mistaken for flowers.
- Cover a flashlight with red film or use a light bulb of this color. Yellow wasps do not perceive red, so they are not alarmed by the light of your flashlight if you approach the nest at night (as you should). If you don't have cellophane of this color, be careful to point the light away from the nest when approaching at night.
Step 6. Attack the colony
Synthetic insecticides to kill wasps work quickly and you can apply them by spraying them directly on the nest. However, keep in mind that they contain dangerous chemicals that require extreme caution near food, pets and humans. Alternatively, you can use organic insecticides based on biodegradable oils and acids that are safe for other living things. Both options are available in spray or powder form.
- Aerosol products are often suitable for spraying up to a distance of 6 m; use this to your advantage and spray the substance on the nest while staying on the ground if possible. If you have to climb a ladder, you greatly reduce your mobility and the situation could become dangerous if you are attacked by wasps while you are climbing.
- If the nest is on the ground, cover it with sand or other material immediately after spraying the insecticide.
- When the nest is outdoors, spray the aerosol directly following the directions on the package. Instead, the powder is distributed more effectively using a cooking pipette.
- Another possible alternative is to pour boiling soapy water directly onto the nest for quick action. Thoroughly mix 80ml of detergent in 4L of water and spray the mixture on the nest using a spray bottle; this procedure must be repeated several times a day for several days.
- Prepare a safe route out of the nest in advance (preferably back to the house). Once you have sprayed the product, you shouldn't delay more than 10-15 seconds before taking cover.
Step 7. Wait a week to check if the surgery was effective
If you have spread chemicals on the nest, you should generally leave it undisturbed during this time. You can't know for sure if all the wasps were inside the nest when you did the treatment; you must therefore wait for the specimens that were out to re-enter the nest and contaminate themselves with the chemical substance you applied.
Step 8. Get rid of the nest
It is important to handle it correctly, after making sure that there are no more insects inside. Even just by tapping or handling the nest, you can expose dogs or other neighboring animals to the chemicals present; if you have sprayed the nest with an insecticide, remove it from the nest with a shovel or broom and immediately put it in a bag.
- If for any reason you prefer to leave the nest in place, that's fine; it is very rare that yellow wasps return to populate an abandoned one.
- Some people wish to leave the nests hanging, attracted by their intricate and natural aesthetic. Although yellow wasps are not as charming and exotic insects as others, still feel free to leave the nest on display. Any eggs present cannot hatch and survive without nourishment and appropriate care by the adult specimens; therefore, if during the week of waiting and checking the nest has been inert, you can feel calm.
Advice
The best way to prevent yellow wasps from bothering you outdoors is to keep garbage cans closed and store food airtight
Warnings
- Those who are highly allergic to wasp stings often carry an EpiPen with them to avoid anaphylactic shock. If someone with you is stung by a wasp and has difficulty breathing, ask them if they have this epinephrine auto-injector with them and if they are allergic to wasp venom. in this case, timely medical intervention is required.
- Before applying insecticide to ground surfaces, read the instruction label carefully to make sure the product is safe for soil and water.
