Wasp nest: photo, structure, how and from what wasps build it

How wasps build a nest

To obtain such a thin, durable material for construction, the wasp lands on a wooden surface. A fence, roof, barn wall or any building, wood chips, sawdust or wood will do. The insect releases saliva, which softens the top layer of wood. Then it scrapes off the fibers with its powerful jaws. Having collected a sufficient amount of this peculiar building material, it flies to the place where the future nest will be.

this woody mass is additionally chewed, simultaneously moistened with saliva. The result is not just pieces of wood, but a viscous sticky mass. The insect “spits” it onto the edge of the nest and stretches it. The mass hardens quickly, and a thin, durable partition is obtained. Moreover, it can be as thick as paper or as thick cardboard.

The construction of the house begins from the middle, with individual cells. This part is the strongest, there is a uterus (queen) of wasps with eggs. To build the middle part, it is not paper that is used, but small slivers of wood that are held together with saliva.

Nest construction starts with 1 cell.

New ones are being built nearby.

While there are no worker wasps, the queen builds the nest herself.

Gradually the nest grows

There are more and more new cells.

This is roughly how the construction of a wasp's nest occurs.

The next layers of cells are built up around the middle. They are located horizontally, on several floors. Every 3-6 rows of wasp honeycombs are separated by small corridors. The interesting thing is that all the cells face downwards, in one direction. But wasp honeycombs are not the same: there are cells for larvae, storage rooms, and a room for the queen.

A special feature of the aspen house is that it is constantly being built on, and insects often take material for the outer layers from the middle. Unlike bees, they do not clean their home, but simply leave the polluted cells.

Construction material

Wasps are excellent builders, and they select the best material for their houses - wood. Everything that wasps make nests from (pieces of trees, stumps, wooden elements of various buildings) is pre-treated by the insects with their own saliva.

"Tree house"

After this treatment, the finest wood fibers are easily scraped off using the powerful jaws of the wasp. The collected material is sent to the wasp construction site, where it once again passes through the insect’s jaws and is moistened with a special sticky secretion.

The wasp deftly stretches the resulting mass into a thin plate, having previously attached it to the edge of one of the cells of the nest. It is noteworthy that the thickness of such a wall can vary from almost transparent to quite dense, reminiscent of cardboard in texture.

When does nest construction begin?

Construction of the hive begins in early spring. The young queen chooses a place, creates a base - a small leg, which she attaches in a secluded place. The first cells are set up around it, at first a small number. Then it lays eggs in them. After a month, the workers hatch and actively take on the further construction of the hive. After this, the queen is engaged only in raising offspring.

The number of worker insects in a wasp swarm is growing rapidly, so the hive is also built quickly. If the swarm is large, it can double in size in a few hours. But this depends on the needs of the swarm; sometimes the queen is content with a small size. Construction is progressing in stages.

1. After the first worker wasps hatch, they begin to gradually build new cells around the middle, where the queen lays eggs.
2. The wasp's home increases in depth and grows to the sides. Gradually takes the shape of a bowl. The hole remains at the bottom.
3. Around the end of June, insects begin to build around the second part of the sphere, repeating its shape.
4. Gradually, the internal cells are removed, and this material is used to build the outer sphere.
5. By the end of summer, construction ends. Young queens fly out and look for a secluded place for wintering.

This device creates a special climate inside. The wasp hive always maintains the same temperature and humidity.

External differences of insects

In most cases, comparisons of different insects begin by examining their appearance. It identifies certain features that are characteristic of a particular individual. Based on these characteristics, you can easily determine what species a creature belongs to.

Wasps

A wasp is a stinging insect of the order Hymenoptera. There are dozens of species of these creatures, which are divided into two broad categories: solitary and social wasps. The former prefer to live as hermits and rarely build nests for themselves. Social insects create families, the number of individuals in which can exceed 1,000.

Traits characteristic of most wasp species:

• size – from 2 to 5.5 cm;
• the body structure is distinguished by the presence of a waist;
• elongated body shape;
• the body is smooth and covered with many hairs;
• bright yellow-black color;
• striped posterior segment of the body;
• the presence of five eyes (2 lateral and 3 vertex);
• smooth and short sting.

Executioner wasp: bite and its consequences, where it lives and what the insect looks like, read more in this article.

Bees

The bee is a honey-bearing insect belonging to the suborder Stalked-bellied and the order Hymenoptera. More than 20,000 species of these creatures live in nature, which can be found on all continents except Antarctica.

Appearance Features:

• the size of individuals is from 2.1 to 39 mm;
• a shaggy body that does not have a pronounced transition from the chest to the abdomen;
• pale color with black and yellow stripes;
• the back and paws, covered with many hairs, are painted black;
• long proboscis (1.7 mm);
• short antennae consist of 12–13 segments;
• two pairs of wings (the front ones are longer than the back ones);
• the sting is smooth, with a small notch at the end.

Hornets

Hornets are a genus of large insects from the family of Foldoptera wasps. They live in the northern hemisphere, but are also present in small quantities in the southern hemisphere. On the European continent, only the common hornet is found, which has been able to adapt to harsh environmental conditions.

External differences:

• body length – up to 55 mm;
• color – black and yellow stripes (sometimes there are orange or brown individuals);
• wide crown of the head;
• the abdominal cavity at the back of the waist is slightly rounded;
• two pairs of long wings are located along the back;
• three regular and 2 compound eyes;
• the jaws are colored black, orange or brown;
• the sting is smooth and hollow inside.

bumblebees

A bumblebee is an insect from the family of True bees. Biologists know more than 30 species of these creatures. The ability to adapt to new environmental conditions allows bumblebees to thrive on all continents except Antarctica. They live not only on flat terrain, but also in the mountains.

The main differences between the bumblebee and other hymenopteran insects:

• bright color consisting of red and brown stripes;
• the body is covered with a large number of long hairs;
• size from 7 to 28 mm;
• shiny hind tibia;
• the abdomen is not tucked at the apex;
• presence of the sixth abdominal sternite;
• small transparent wings;
• short hollow sting.

Interesting! Bumblebees have a unique ability to regulate their body temperature. This helps them tolerate cold well and cope with extreme heat.

Where do wasps nest?

When the queen is looking for a suitable place for her future home in the spring, she makes sure there is food and building material nearby. Most often, wasp nests can be found in the following places:

• on the branches of trees or bushes;
• in attics;
• under the roof of bathhouses, sheds, garages;
• in the corner of the balcony;
• cracks between bricks, logs;
• under window sills, cornices, drain gutters;
• in a hollow tree or in an old stump;
• abandoned birdhouses or bird nests.

Please note that these insects like to settle close to humans. They are attracted by the smell of food and many dry crevices. Wasps can chew through wooden floors and even cement. But sometimes the uterus does not find a suitable place. Then she can make a house even underground.

From unusual places: an old Chevrolet turned into a giant nest of wasps. With such an anti-theft feature, you don’t even have to close the doors.

What does a wasp's nest look like inside?

The size of a wasp hive may vary, but the shape is always the same. They resemble an egg with a hole at the narrow end. Moreover, they are almost always located so that the exit is directed downward. Sometimes the dwelling is placed horizontally, then the hole is directed to the side. If the queen has made a home in the ground, the exit will look up.

If you're wondering what the inside of a wasp's nest looks like, you can see the photos at the end of the article. Or, you can find the abandoned one and cut it up. But first it is important to make sure that the insects have really left it.

Usually the hive is no larger than a large apple. But some can grow to the size of a ball or even larger. There are giant ones - more than a meter in diameter.

Traditional methods

One of the popular methods is to repel pests with the help of unpleasant odors: the aroma of pine needles, garlic, horseradish. They can be used in their natural form, in the form of flavorings. Mosquito repellents also repel them. If you set a spiral on fire and leave it near their home, the smell will be unpleasant to them and they will fly away.

You can consider the option of removing a wasp hive using a dummy. Artificial nests that look like real ones are available in specialized stores. It is best to hang them next to a wasp hive; its inhabitants will leave their home themselves - they do not like proximity to their other relatives.

A solution of liquid soap, shampoo and water may help. This substance needs to be placed in a spray bottle and sprayed on these insects. The soap will begin to envelop them, preventing the ability to fly, and will lead to the death of this individual.

They do not like the smell of kerosene, gasoline and other petroleum derivatives. You can spray their home with these products and they will leave it in a short time. You can use smoke bombs, but this method is suitable for use outside enclosed spaces, in street conditions.

If it is necessary to destroy earth wasps living in burrows, cover their housing with earth, fill it with poisons, and fill it with cement mortar. After removing their hive, be sure to treat the area with potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide, which will discourage other wasps from building new housing in this area.

How many wasps in one hive

Wasp hives come in small and large sizes and can accommodate different numbers of insects. Sometimes the queen wasp makes a small nest, about the size of an apple. A small swarm of wasps grows slowly, so there are few insects. But some nests can be home to hundreds of thousands of wasps. The largest hives can contain up to a million individuals.

The swarm grows mainly due to worker wasps. There are most of them, they concentrate around the uterus and continue construction. There is a strict matriarchy in the wasp colony. There are much fewer males than females; males do not have a stinger, but have very long antennae.

As for giant colonies, here's another video for you: a huge nest in a barn

Correction: in the video they destroy a nest of hornets, but they are related to wasps. To destroy such large colonies, it is better to involve specialists and do without amateur efforts.

How long do wasps live in a nest?

The life of a wasp swarm in the hive continues all summer. Starting from spring, when the queen begins construction, and almost until the end of summer, the growth of the family continues. By July the number of individuals increases. By the beginning of autumn, the activity of insects decreases, they weaken and die more and more often. By the onset of cold weather, several young queens remain and find a place to winter.

To get a more complete picture, I recommend reading the article about wintering wasps

This order of life of a wasp swarm continues constantly. In autumn, the wasp's nest becomes empty. And the next year the uterus begins building a new one.

Precautions and Recommendations

Whatever decision you choose regarding how to remove a wasp nest, you should remember precautions. If the question is how to remove these pests in the spring, when the colony is still small and consists of several individuals, this will be easier to do than in the summer, when their colony numbers several thousand.

In the fall, when cold weather sets in, these insects leave their home; you can safely throw it out - it will be empty. Handle dead wasps with care too. Their sting, even after death, remains capable of piercing human skin. Wear protective clothing that is not tight to the body, protect the face, skin of the hands, feet - then proceed to action. Treat the location of the cocoon with poison - this is a warning against the return of surviving wasps.

Wasp nests in the ground

This article would not be complete without earth wasps. Yes, there are such people. They settle in old mole holes or dig their own. Fortunately, they have a talent for this. Finding an underground nest is more difficult than usual, but inside it is exactly the same - paper and cells for food or larvae. There is no honey there either. But there is this video about underground flyers:

God forbid you step on something like this. You will run very fast.

There is a separate article about wasp honey, but looking ahead, I will say right away that they are lousy honey makers. More precisely, none at all.

How to find a wasp's nest

Wasps can be useful for the garden and garden, as they destroy small insect pests and pollinate plants. Therefore, if their proximity does not cause disturbance, it is better not to touch them (the case is very rare, almost unreal). But these insects can be very aggressive, often attacking a person for no apparent reason.

If you notice a lot of wasps near your house, it is better to look for their habitat and destroy them. This is especially important if the family has small children or allergies.

They are attracted by the smells of food, but these insects do not fly further than 100 meters from the nest. Therefore, it must be found. To do this, inspect all secluded places, especially under the roof, eaves, and window sills. They like to settle in places where people rarely visit, where there are a lot of things. You need to look for them in sheds and garages.

If you can’t figure out where they live, you can try to lure them out. Workers carry food for the larvae. Therefore, you can put a strong-smelling bait in a visible place. Something sweet or a piece of smoked fish is best. You need to watch it: insects will fly from the bait to the nest. The paths of their movement will help to calculate the location of the hive. These comrades managed to find and destroy the hive. Quite an interesting video in which nomadic marabunta ants found and are destroying a wasp hive. This whole swinging rope is interlocking ants. This is how the bridge turned out. If you look closely, you will see how they drag larvae and eggs from the nest. The wasps themselves, as I understand it, have already been driven away or destroyed.

Well, to conclude our story, a few photographs of huge wasp nests.

Mechanical disposal

How to remove a beehive from a balcony? What to do if wasps have built a nest under the roof? To do this, there are several effective methods that can be used to quickly destroy a wasp nest and remove them from the house. Prevent these insects from coming back. First, you can protect yourself from the harm they can cause.

Hands can be protected with long rubber gloves, and clothing should be tight and as closed as possible. You can protect your face with a special beekeeping hat with a mesh, or come up with your own homemade version.

You need to choose the right time of day - it would be ideal to go on such a “hunt” in the evening, at night, when they are least active.

If it is noticed that wasps make their home in the spring, early summer, then it is not recommended to debug their destruction until later, when their colony becomes numerous and it will be difficult to find out how many wasps are in the nest.

Fire

Fire should only be used as a last resort. Everything is done quickly and efficiently. Wear protective clothing, wait until dark, take a bucket, kindle, matches, and approach the nest from a safe distance. When you are completely sure that these insects are sleeping, you can begin to neutralize this colony.

To carry out everything safely, you can take an unnecessary rag, throw it over the cocoon, throw it into a bucket, quickly set it on fire, and then move some distance away, since some individuals can fly out and behave aggressively.

Water

They remove the wasp nest using water, mainly on the balcony. There are two ways to do this: the first method requires boiling water, the other you can simply put plain water in a bucket. You can throw a plastic bag over it and destroy the hive in water by immersing it completely, while pressing it down with something heavy so that it does not float up and the wasps do not get out.

Everything should be done quickly. You cannot leave these insects in the bag for a long time - they can chew through the polyethylene and get out. It is best to remove this bucket from the house immediately.

Traps

How to destroy a wasp nest under the roof? This is very difficult to do with the help of fire, water, access to it is difficult. Then you can destroy the wasp hive using special traps. There are such options on sale, or you can make them yourself. Using this method, you can lure them out of the hive and destroy them by falling into a prepared trap.

What to do if wasps have built a nest under the roof - use this ideal option. It won't be hard to do it yourself:

• To do this, prepare a clean plastic bottle.
• Its neck needs to be cut off along with a small part of the bottle, placing it in it with the back side.
• To prevent the neck from falling inward, you can secure it to the bottle with tape.
• Wipe the walls of the trap with sunflower oil so that individual individuals cannot get out.

It is necessary to place bait in this trap, which will attract wasps to it by the smell carried around. In early spring, it can be prepared from meat waste and offal, but it is worth remembering that such a “delicacy” has an unpleasant odor. In summer and autumn, you can pour sweet syrup into a bottle, which attracts wasps into it.

Don't use honey - it will attract bees. The bait in the trap must be changed regularly, washed, filled, and filled with new bait. As they decompose, dead individuals release an odor that repels the living.

It is worth remembering that catching all the individuals is difficult, time-consuming, and unsafe, but if you manage to lure the queen into this trap, then it will be easier to destroy the colony, and removing a wasp nest on the balcony will be much easier.

It can only be lured in early spring - it is not so active or aggressive. There are special traps on sale that have poisonous bait. It needs to be changed as it becomes filled with insects. Due to the chemicals it contains, it must be hung away from your own home.

Vacuum cleaner

There is a simple option - remove the hive using a vacuum cleaner. This can only be done if the vacuum cleaner is a washing model. Pour soapy water into the reservoir, make sure that the hose is long enough and the grille is shallow, which will prevent insects from flying out.

Carefully bring the end of the hose to the hole in the socket and turn it on. If they get into water with soap, it will be difficult for them to get out and they will die there. Before you remove a wasp's nest in your dacha, be sure to make sure that no one is left there, all its inhabitants have died.

Wasp nests photo

In reality, there is no treasure or honey inside. Nothing interesting at all. It is better to destroy such finds late in the evening, so that all the inhabitants of the nest are already at home. How to do this correctly, with the help of what chemicals and devices, read the article: How to get rid of wasps in the house

That's all for me. Look at the photos of wasp nests and, probably, it will be better for you not to find anything like this at your dacha.

A small nest, the size of a tennis ball, but its inhabitants are capable of causing a stir.

If you don’t notice it, it will gradually grow and there will be more wasps in it

It’s better not to go into a wasp’s nest with your bare hands, who knows how many there are there.

Visit your dacha more often, check and destroy any wasp nests you find, otherwise you might be in for a surprise like this

Another huge wasp nest. Not the most pleasant find either.

But someone once found such a nest of wasps in their barn.

Inside the wasp hive there are all sorts of husks, remains of honeycombs and paper. Burns fast and fun.

The creepiest wasp nest I've ever seen. I hope that the author of the photo cut out this face before taking a photo of it.

Chemical disposal

If you find a colony of wasps in your garden or you need to remove them from the attic, and other gentle methods are not so effective, then you can use drastic methods - use various chemicals. No matter how many wasps there are in the colony, whether there are a few or several thousand, it is necessary to remove their home in order to protect yourself and your family from their bites.

When using substances that are dangerous not only to insects, but also affect human well-being, it is necessary to take some safety measures. You need special clothing, rubber gloves, a respirator, and a gauze bandage. If the cocoon is located indoors, ventilate it after processing. Do not forget that no matter what method is chosen to safely remove the hive from the house, all actions to neutralize it must be carried out late in the evening or at night.

Lures

What bait should be made from to poison all the inhabitants of the wasp hive? When making a trap, you can add a solution of boric acid to aromatic, sweet baits at the rate of 10 grams per liter. Even if she tries this mixture, gets out of the trap and flies away, she will not live for a long time. Poison for these types of traps is commercially available. It does not have a strong odor and can be sold in the form of gels or powder.

Drugs

How to quickly remove a wasp nest from the attic? This can only be done after the complete destruction of its inhabitants. You can force them to leave their home, or you can use drugs that will lead to the death of the entire family. They are sold in various forms: liquid and powder.

How to effectively remove a wasp hive in your garden? To do this, dilute the drug with water in the proportions as indicated in the instructions and place this solution in a special sprayer (used for spraying trees) and, following safety precautions, apply the product to the cocoon.

Sprays and aerosols

When fighting a hive, you can use special sprays, aerosols, which can be found in stores that sell chemicals for pest control. Having purchased such a drug, go to the hive, insert the sprayer into the hole from which the wasps fly out, and begin to inject the chemical inside.

Some individuals can get out. They should be sprayed, not forgetting about a safe distance and protective equipment.

Liquids

How to get rid of a wasp hive yourself? This will not be difficult if you use special chemical liquids that are sold in concentrated form and require dilution with water. Even if there is a wasp nest on the balcony, you can apply it using sprayers. Such poisons can be potent and dangerous to the health of others. After applying them, you need to ventilate the room.