If you see wasp traffic on your house wall, it is almost certain that there is a nest behind it. Of course, dull, scratching noises can worry a homeowner. Is there any concern about the building structure and is intervention necessary?
Why do you hear wasps in the wall and what to do?
The noises made by wasps in the wall usually come from hungry larvae begging for food, and not from damage to the building structure. After the nest has been orphaned in the fall, access openings should be closed and any nests left behind removed.
The solution to the puzzle: Hungry larvae
If the black and yellow tabby, powerful predatory insects busily fly in and out through small openings in the house wall plaster or window frames, it can be quite worrying. Not only can the stinging wasps get quite uncomfortable - you can't see what they're doing behind the facade. Do they significantly destroy the building structure and possibly make extensive renovations necessary? If dubious gnawing and scratching noises can be heard behind the facade, this of course encourages such worries.
However, you can rest assured: these noises do not come from the wasps' construction activities. They usually collect building materials outside from rotten or slightly weathered tree branches and fence posts. However, sealing material and painted wooden cladding on window frames are unsuitable as a base material for them.
The troublemakers are rather the larvae, who beg for food like other hungry baby animals. To do this, they rub their brood cells from the inside and draw the attention of the feeding workers. The adult wasps also naturally make noises when feeding in the nest. So no need to worry.
To remember:
- Scratching noises do not indicate that the wasps were building nests or possible structural damage
- Sounds come from hungry larvae begging for food
- Adult wasps also make noises when passing through the nest
What you should still do
Even if the noises of the wasps do not pose an acute danger, certain precautions for the care of walls and roller shutter boxes make sense - but only after the wasp colony has been orphaned. If possible, you should not mess with the defensive animals beforehand.
In the fall, when the wasps have died and the nest has been abandoned, you should uncover and examine the area if possible. A roller shutter box can usually be opened easily. As a rule, you will not find any significant damage, but it is advisable to remove the nest just to ensure the functionality of the roller shutter. In addition, the area should be cleaned of familiar smells that attract other members of the species and any cracks in the facade used for access should be sealed.
