Discovering a wasp buzzing inside your home can easily disrupt a peaceful day. These insects are known for their aggressiveness and for their painful stings. They can also be dangerous and pose health risks.
Homeowners need to know methods for safely removing a wasp from the house without exposing themselves to wasp stings. This article will explore a few tricks that help in getting the wasp out of your house.
Why Wasps Enter Indoors?
There are numerous reasons for wasps to get inside any home. It is rather common for any outdoor bugs like ants, bees, sowbugs, centipedes, and ladybugs to infest the home. Here are a few reasons why wasps enter any indoor space:
Accidental Entry
In many cases, wasps enter homes through an open door or window accidentally while flying without intending to stay. However, the problem arises when they stay longer than expected.
Search for Food
When flowers and greenery begin to diminish around late summer and early autumn, it is common for wasps to become more aggressive in their search for food. Any presence of sweet substances and indoor plants can attract wasps indoors.
Larvae Nutrition Needs
While adult wasps primarily consume plant matter, their larvae require protein-rich food such as spiders, bees, and other insects. Wasps may enter homes in search of these resources to feed their young ones.
To Build a Nest
A lone wasp found indoors during the fall may be a newly mated queen because wasps cannot survive winter, so queens seek safe locations to hibernate.
Once the weather begins to grow warmer, the queen starts looking for shelter outdoors to create her hive. Sometimes, she may choose to build her nest in or around the home.
Steps to Get a Wasp Out of the House
Here are a few steps and tricks that may help you in an attempt to remove wasps from indoors. These tricks do not necessarily harm the wasp and let them naturally get out of the space.
Step 1: Stay Calm and Do Not Panic
It is important to remain calm when you encounter a wasp indoors. They typically resort to stinging only when they feel threatened or provoked. It is best to avoid quick movements and swatting attempts, as such behavior can make them defensive. Make sure to assess if you are dealing with one wasp or a bunch of them.
Step 2: Create a Natural Exit Path
One of the safest and most effective methods is guiding the wasp back outside. This approach works well for single wasps that accidentally flew inside through an open door or window.
The process involves opening nearby doors and windows to create multiple escape routes for the wasp. Since they are drawn to light, keep the outside opening bright and turn off interior lights, which will draw wasps to the outdoor light.
Step 3: Trap and Release the Wasp
When the natural exit method doesn't work, this method can be executed. This technique requires waiting for the wasp to settle on a surface.
Once the wasp has landed, you can carefully place a glass or jar over it, then slowly slide a stiff piece of paper or cardboard underneath to trap it completely.
The trapped wasp can then be carried outdoors and released at a safe distance from the home. This avoids killing wasps or using chemical deterrents in the house.
Step 4: Blow the Wasp Away
To blow the wasp away effectively, make sure to position the fan in the direction the wasp is flying and slowly direct it to an open door or window. The stream of air that is coming from the fan will guide the wasp outside while making sure there is no contact.
Make sure not to blow on the wasp directly, which may aggravate it. Instead, relying on fans provides a safe and effective solution.
How to Repel Wasps Naturally?
To avoid going through all these steps, you can use deterrents that can repel wasps from entering indoors. Wasps have a keen sense of smell; therefore, using fragrant flowers can make it easier to keep wasps away.
Aromatic herbs such as peppermint, citronella, and eucalyptus act as a natural deterrent. In addition to this, homeowners can also make use of cucumber peels, as wasps often avoid bitterness. These are not effective or permanent solutions to wasp infestations, so it is always recommended to use professional help for bigger infestations.
Avoid Swatting the Wasp
It is rather instinctual to swat the wasp; however, it is best to avoid this. If a wasp is threatened, there is a high chance that it may release pheromones that attract other wasps in the area.
Additionally, wasps are agile insects that are difficult to hit. A missed attempt may make them more aggressive; therefore, it is best not to provoke them.
Conclusion
Removing wasps from your home safely needs patience, care, and the right technique. While these methods work well when dealing with a single wasp, however it may not be suitable when dealing with multiple wasps. If you fear or suspect an infestation and you are not sure how to handle it, it is better to seek professional help. The goal should always be safety first, with removal second.
