A wasp nest can be problematic in and around the house. To keep the annoying and dangerous predatory insects at bay, there are a few options - with varying degrees of effectiveness. Is plugging the entry holes a sensible option?
Should you close the entrance hole of a wasp nest?
Closing the entrance holes of a wasp nest is not a recommended procedure as it constitutes animal cruelty, causes stress to the animals and can lead to increased aggressiveness. This can also encourage wasps to chew through other components and cause damage.
When a wasp nest becomes worth fighting
Whether you should take measures against a wasp nest in the attic or in the roller shutter box depends very much on the individual situation. Before you take on the defensive, sting-armed predatory insects, you should think carefully about whether you can somehow live with them. Because:
- The social, community-forming wasp species in particular can be quite dangerous
- Certain species of wasps are under special protection
- Animals can also prove useful in the garden
- They do not cause any significant damage to the building structure
As a rule, it is only worth taking action against the wasps, which only appear every six months anyway, if there is an allergy to insect venom or small children are threatened by the animals.
Taking on the wasps on your own is generally not advisable. It takes some experience and sensitivity to handle the animals safely and effectively. For measures such as destroying or relocating a wasp nest, an expert should be hired if possible.
In addition, the impairment or even killing of some species of wasps, especially the hornet, is punishable under federal nature conservation law. So don't put yourself or the animals under any unnecessary stress.
Not just animal cruelty, but more personal impairment
Simply blocking the entrance holes of the nest in order to prevent the wasps from flying in and out and possibly starving and suffocating them is a massive disruption and deliberate killing. On the one hand, this is criminal cruelty to animals, but on the other hand, it may cause you even more trouble. The trapped wasps will of course try to free themselves somehow - usually by gnawing through previously undamaged building components such as seals or wooden beams. The damage to the beams or the window area, which is in itself insignificant, can only become greater.
In addition, closed doors on the nest naturally make the wasps left outside angry when they fly home. If you've ever locked yourself out, you know the feeling - if someone else locks you out of their own home, it's an even bigger deal. Anyone who plugs nest entrance holes must expect increased aggressiveness from the wasps that remain outside and thus cuts their own flesh.
