Keeping wasps away
Wasps: why they come and how to keep them at a distance
Wasps are most annoying in late summer: the colony is at its largest and the workers are looking for sugar. If you know what attracts them, you can make your patio and balcony a lot calmer.
Straight to the solution: Products against wasps.
What attracts wasps and where do they come from?
In spring and early summer wasps mainly look for protein, such as meat, cold cuts and insects, to feed their larvae. In return the larvae give off a sugary liquid that the adult wasps live on. In late summer there are hardly any larvae left, and the workers go looking for sugar themselves. That is why they land on cake, soft drinks and ripe fruit.
When are wasps around?
From spring to autumn. Only the young queens survive the winter. In spring each queen founds a new nest on her own, which grows until late summer. Then new queens and males emerge, and with the first frosts the old colony dies. A nest is never reused.
How fast do wasps breed?
In the course of one summer a single queen builds a colony of several thousand wasps, often 3,000 to 7,000 in the German wasp and the common wasp. Development from egg to worker takes about four weeks.
Are wasps dangerous?
Wasps sting when they feel that they or their nest are under threat. For most people a sting is painful but not dangerous. With an allergy, a sting can be life threatening: if you notice swelling in the throat, difficulty breathing or dizziness, call 999 immediately. Never remove a nest yourself; call in a pest controller.
How do you keep wasps at a distance?
- Cover food and drinks. Put a lid or a beer mat on your glass and drink through a straw.
- Keep rubbish sealed. Use a bin with a lid and do not put it right next to the patio.
- Fit window screens. That way wasps do not get into the house at all.
- Pick up fallen fruit. Fermenting fruit in the garden strongly attracts wasps.
- Stay calm. Do not swat at wasps or blow at them; the carbon dioxide in your breath makes them agitated.
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