How to get rid of earthen wasps in the country and a description of insects
Wasps are insects that build their combs near people's homes. They are very aggressive and their bites are dangerous, especially on the face, neck or tongue. Earth wasps, whose nests are underground, are especially dangerous. They guard and protect their nests and may appear unexpectedly and attack.
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Description of the earth wasp
There are several types of earth wasps. Their structure is the same, but they differ in size.
Adults grow from 1 to 10 cm. Females are larger than males and worker wasps and their length can be 1-2 cm longer.
The head and chest of insects are connected by a thin bridge to the body, tapering towards the end. In some individuals, it is covered with small hairs or they may be completely absent.
Usually, a wasp has alternating black and yellow stripes on its body, but the body can also be black or brown with red, orange and white stripes or spots that can be on the legs and on the head.
On the body there are 2 pairs of membranous thin wings, which are transparent, colorless or with a black, brown or blue tint.
On the head there is a pair of antennae, they capture smells and sounds. Different types of wasps differ in the shape and length of the mustache.
The paws of earthen wasps consist of 5 segments, on the front there are hard bristles, similar to a comb, with their help insects dig holes and throw out the soil.
They have good eyesight due to their large compound eyes.
And although the wasps have no teeth, but with powerful jaws they are able to bite through the body of the victim.
In the lower part of the abdomen, females have a sting-needle, which is connected to a gland with poison. They sting their prey while hunting and protect their nest from unwanted guests.
Lifestyle of earth wasps
| Nest building | As soon as the air temperature rises in spring, earthen wasps begin to build nests. Some species choose sandy soil, others prefer denser soil. Choose a place for the nests of the female. Wasps can live in the burrows of moles, rats, or other rodents, in an abandoned anthill, in the roots of dried trees, or in any other voids that have formed in the soil. |
| Work | Wasps dig the ground with their paws, pushing it away like a shovel. Powerful jaws help in this work, and wings help to break through dense layers. The insect continuously flaps its wings, the air enters special bags, the muscles on the chest contract, and the air is pumped through special channels to the jaws. They work with such frequency that with a slight touch to the ground, a depression is formed. |
| Honeycomb building | Females build honeycombs underground, they chew wood, mix it with saliva and get a mass that looks like paper. The uterus builds the first 5-10 cells of combs, and lays eggs in them, from which larvae appear after 1-1,5 months. |
| Increasing quantity | By the end of summer, the colony has several thousand individuals, these are worker wasps and insects of different sexes, ready to procreate. Only fertilized young females hibernate, the rest of the wasps die. |
Solitary species of earthen wasps do not care about their offspring.
They make a small nest underground. The female catches a small insect, paralyzes it and hides it in a hole. Lays an egg on the body of the victim, which will be food for the larva. The female gets out and clogs the entrance to the hole. In the spring, a wasp that has grown from a larva climbs out.
Types of earthen wasps
Earth wasps - a general description of several species that are united by a common way of life and construction of a residence. Among them are social wasps and loners. Here are a few of those species that are most often found on the territory of the Russian Federation.
sand wasps
These wasps are 2-2,5 cm long, with straight antennae on a small head. Their legs are long. The body is black with red stripes or spots; in some individuals, yellow and white stripes alternate on the black abdomen. All sand wasps have a pronotum in the form of a roller.
Road wasps
In insects, the body is elongated, 1,5-4 cm long, black. On the head are long, curled antennae. The wings are dark blue or black or brown, with red and yellow spots on the abdomen. Road wasps are constantly on the move, looking for their prey.
german wasps
These wasps are similar in appearance to ordinary wasps, but they are smaller in size, their body length is 12-15 mm. The tip of the abdomen of Germanic wasps is yellow. Their colonies are smaller than those of the common wasp.
flower wasps
The wasps are small, up to 10 mm long, the abdomen is black and yellow. Queens build solitary nests in the ground from clay and sand moistened with saliva.
scoli
Insects live alone, they grow from 1 to 10 cm, depending on the species. The body is black with yellow, red and white stripes or spots and is densely covered with hairs.
Harm from earth wasps
Wasps are garden pests.
Wasps settle underground, in beds, flower beds, alpine slides. Their appearance can be very unexpected. In addition, they are very aggressive and sting painfully. Their bites can cause allergies.
Insects spoil the berries and fruits in the garden. They flock to the smell of fish and meat, sweets and are very annoying. They are carriers of various infections, as they look for sweet food in the garbage, and leave marks on the table, dishes, food.
How to get rid of earth wasps
There are several methods of struggle: baits and traps, folk methods, chemical and biological preparations.
Baits
For bait, a plastic bottle is used, the top of which is cut off and inserted upside down, inside the bottle. The point is that the wasp flies inward to the smell of this bait and die there. What will serve as bait is treated with an odorless insecticide.
Can be placed in a container:
- garden water;
- fermented beer;
- kvass;
- fruit juice;
- boric acid solution in a sweet liquid
- a piece of fish;
- meat.
Folk methods
Many ways, tested by time and people's experience, are effective and efficient.
- Sprayed with a soapy solution, after such treatment it is difficult for them to fly and breathe.
Nests are flooded or smoked out.
- Burrows are poured with boiling water, and insects that crawl out are destroyed. It is important to protect the body and face from bites.
- Wasp nests can be destroyed with fire or smoke.
Special drugs
The industry produces various aerosol insecticides that allow you to spray the product from a distance and safely get rid of insects.
preventive measures
So that wasps do not appear on the site and do no harm, you need to follow a few simple rules.
- Wasps always fly to the smell of food, so it is better not to leave sweets, raw meat or fish, fruits on the table outside.
- Close trash cans tightly with lids, remove rotten fruit.
- Pay attention to the accumulation of wasps, if there are a lot of them in one place, then somewhere nearby there will be a nest.
Conclusion
Earth wasps are not the most pleasant neighbors. And if insects appeared on the site, then you need to try to detect and destroy them. Because they are very aggressive and can appear when you do not expect them.
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