Earth wasps are called many species of wasps that have chosen cracks in the ground as their place of residence. Their subspecies include road, sand and burrowing. A characteristic feature of behavior is that they are not engaged in building nests, living separately on the surface. They can dig holes in search of a victim, which they paralyze, then lay eggs. The dwelling is founded in cracks in the ground, old stumps, burrows, embankments and thickets of grass. Popular rumor classifies among earthen and ordinary paper wasps that have chosen an atypical place for their nest.

What earthen wasps look like

In appearance, earthen insects are almost indistinguishable from their usual counterparts that form hives under roofs, in attics, balconies and verandas, or among tree branches. It is a bright striped color. Throughout the body, black and yellow lines successively diverge. The wings are thin, almost transparent. The insect's head is small, triangular in shape.

What earthen wasps look like

At the end of the body there is a sting, which is a continuation of the gland that secretes poison. This weapon is used by insects in the process of foraging or hunting. Swarm wasps also use it to hold the insect in place where they will lay their eggs. If necessary, insects can sting a person to protect the nest, which sometimes leads to allergic reactions. Therefore, the fight against earthen wasps is a matter of principle for many summer residents.

Nest type

The nest in the soil is practically no different from those that are made in other places. Insects use wood to form honeycombs. They take building fibers from the bark of trees, boards of wooden fences and outbuildings. The glands in the head area of ​​the insect secrete a substance that softens the wood. Then, with the help of powerful mandibles, they scrape off its fibers and transfer them to the nesting site. There, they digest the resulting substance with the help of saliva, obtaining a sticky mass with a sufficient degree of flexibility.

Note! The nest is formed from a plurality of hexagonal honeycombs arranged in several rows. The layers of the hive on the surface are very fragile. The material is similar in shape and thickness to toilet paper. In earthen wasps, the average size of the hive can reach the volume of a large apple. In a huge striped family, the size of the nest can exceed half a meter. Usually the hive is shaped like a ball.

Lifestyle

In the middle of summer, the number of insects in one hive can reach tens of thousands. In the family, each insect performs its predetermined functions: it builds, hunts, looks after the larvae. The only individual that produces offspring is the uterus, which is protected by all wasps.

Insect food consists of flower nectar, juice of vegetables and fruits, honey stolen from apiaries and hives of wild bees. Larvae require a large amount of protein to grow, so worker wasps kill insects or flock to the smell of meat and fish while cutting outside.

Wasp activity strongly increases by the end of summer. They can penetrate buildings, whirl around the site intensively, interfering with work, and when approaching their habitat, they violently attack. If a person is attacked by a whole swarm, then the resulting herbs can lead to anaphylactic shock.

The lifestyle of earth wasps

Danger of being bitten

Any insects bite strongly. The bites are accompanied by severe cutting pain. Edema appears, reddening and swelling over time. The temperature rises dramatically at the site of the bite. Itching may appear over time. If the bite has occurred in strongly innervated areas of the body - ears, lips, fingers, then the itching will be very strong.

With a healthy body, the edema disappears in a week. The bruise can last up to 10 days. To quickly get rid of the pain syndrome, folk remedies are used: compresses or lotions, pastes with the inclusion of soda and laundry soap.

Important! The poison can cause allergic reactions in varying degrees of intensity. The lesion may enlarge significantly if the swelling exceeds 1 cm in diameter. Then the use of antihistamines will be required.

Ground wasps feed on many parasitic insects, therefore, with a small size of the hive and distance from the dacha, you can leave them alone. However, if children or allergy sufferers are often on the site, the destruction of the hive becomes simply necessary. Otherwise, at the end of summer, the swarm will not allow to harvest normally.

How to get rid of ground wasps

To get rid of ground wasps, you can use insecticides or burn out the nest completely. Measures for etching striped parasites from the site are carried out only at night or in the early morning. At night, insects return to the nest to spend the night. In the early morning, when the working insects have not yet flown away in search of food, removing the nest will also be effective.

How to get rid of ground wasps

How to deal with earth wasps:

  • The insect nest can be burned. To do this, you need to douse it with kerosene, gasoline or flammable oils and set it on fire.
  • The insect hive is flooded with hot water. The peculiarity of the physiology of insects is that they quickly die from high temperatures. The activity may need to be repeated the next day.
  • If the wasps leave the nest in the fall, you can try to dig it up and destroy it using any available method. This is necessary so that in the new year the swarm does not return to its old habitat, since this is typical for them.
  • You can drive a wedge into the socket. Any hardwood stake or scrap will do. The inside of the hive is badly damaged, and the insects will have to look for another habitat, since they will not repair the old house. However, it is highly likely that they will settle nearby.

How to destroy a hornet's nest in the ground

Important!To destroy a hornet's nest in the ground, you must definitely wear the appropriate equipment. Wasps will do their best to prevent the destruction of the hive with the queen and larvae.

Precautionary measures

Before starting the procedures for removing the nest, you need to wear tight clothing. Ideally, this should be a special suit for working with bees. If not, you can replace it with a thick cloak with long mittens and tight cuffs. You should definitely provide tight pants or jeans, closed shoes and a hat for the beekeeper. If the latter is not available, then a gas mask or a cap with a mosquito net will do.

How to destroy a hornet's nest in the ground

When using insecticides, it is imperative to use filtration means - respirators. If the hive is located near the country house, you need to close all the windows and doors in it. If household members spend the night in the country, it is better to send them for a walk.

Note! When approaching the nest, you need to move calmly, gradually and without sudden movements. It is forbidden to make loud noise, as it can cause unnecessary aggression in striped animals. In this case, it is advisable to prepare an escape route in advance.

Before starting to get rid of, pay attention to how the wasps behave. If they swarm around the nest, then it is better to postpone the event to a later time. If the insects attacked, you need to smoothly retreat into the room and sit out for several hours, and then again try to destroy the nest.

Burning the nest

It will take a lot of flammable liquid to burn the nest. It can be kerosene, gasoline or flammable oils.This should be done when all insects have returned to the hole or have not yet left it. Otherwise, the flocked swarm will attack everyone it sees.

Note! To protect yourself from an attack while flooding with gasoline, you should definitely take precautions.

The amount of fuel needed to fill the burrow depends on the size of the hive. However, even relatively small nests will require at least 1 liter. The honeycomb walls are essentially made of paper, so they will burn well.

Flooding the nest

how to get rid of a wasp nest in the ground? This will require at least 1 bucket of boiling water. The method is less effective than incineration because the procedure may need to be repeated. After pouring liquid inside the hole, it is imperative to cover the entrance with a flat board and secure it with a stone of sufficient size or brick. Otherwise, an aggressive swarm will fly out to punish the offender. Water is poured into the hive at an average rate, over the entire above-ground surface of the honeycomb. The paper walls easily allow boiling water to pass through, and insects instantly die on the spot from high temperatures.

Flooding the nest

How to destroy a wasp nest in the ground with insecticides

How to deal with wasps in the ground? To etch insects from the site, boric acid or insecticides with a wide spectrum of action are used. This is done by the following methods:

  • Over the entire surface of the site, especially around the nest, gel baits are laid out.
  • Boric acid is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, stirred until a complete solution and add 1 tbsp. spoon into the bait for earthen wasps. It can be any sugar-containing product - jam, honey, natural juices. Poison can also be added to finely chopped pieces of fruit, vegetables, or meat. In this case, it is better to pour boric acid in powder form.
  • The hive is poured with drugs against insects, it is protected from air penetration, and baits are placed around the hive. To poison all wasps, substances without a strong odor are suitable, since those with a scent can frighten off the swarm. The effective means include the delta zone, get, and many others. Powder dusts can be used - baygot, trianon, super fas.

Interesting!Poisonous substances enter the insect's body through the intestinal tract, causing a failure of the nervous system and, as a result, death. Roy will die within a week. The effectiveness of the method also lies in the fact that the working wasps will feed the uterus with poison. The hatched larvae also feed on poisoned food and die.

How to remove earthworms with folk remedies

If it is not possible to purchase insecticides, alternative methods can be used. To do this, use self-prepared traps. A simple and effective method for preparing wasp bait:

  • A large capacity plastic bottle is required.
  • It must be cut into 2 unequal parts, the bottom and walls of the bottle must be higher than the cut with the neck.
  • A sweet and odorous substance is poured into the lower part, attracting wasps.
  • The top of the bottle is inserted into the bottom to form a funnel. Once a wasp gets inside, there is no way to get out.

Important! It is better to use fermented jam or jam as bait. Plain sweet water hardly attracts insects.

Wasps are dangerous insects with an aggressive character that often settle on the site. Their painful bites can cause allergies and lead to hospitalization. Therefore, the extermination of wasps must be carried out by radical methods, getting rid of the entire swarm. Destruction must begin with the nest in which the uterus lives.

However, if the swarm is located at the borders of the sites and is small in size, then insects can be ignored. They will actively hunt many parasites that devour the crop. But do not forget that wasps feed on fruit juices, so if there are a lot of apple or pear trees in the country, you will have to get rid of the hive. And how to do this is described above. Any gardener will select the best option for himself and easily win the war against the striped enemies.