Shrike and soft-eater as wasp devourers
Using natural processes for wasp control is praiseworthy and recommended in any case. Because on the one hand you contribute to the general biodiversity and on the other hand you can also relax in your own garden long-term through a more stable ecological balance, more abundance of flowers and rare animal visitors be happy.
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Wasps also have a beneficial function in their own way as pollinators and pest killers. In large numbers, however, they can really disturb the peace in the garden.
Attracting natural predators can be especially helpful in the long run. Firstly, this may require a plant-based redesign of the garden and, secondly, plants and animals often need some time to adapt to new living conditions and offers. So patience is required.
Natural predators of wasps are mainly birds from the groups of stranglers and soft-eaters. These include, for example:
- Red backs
- Bee-eater
- Honey buzzard
- Titmice
- Woodpeckers
Red-backed killer, bee-eater and honey buzzard are extremely effective wasp killers - because, as their name partly suggests, they specialize in biting insects. Of all wasp-destroying bird species, they are also the ones that eat adult wasps. The others, i.e. tits and woodpeckers, are after the larvae. To get to them, they break open wasp nests and get the brood from the brood chambers.
Tits and woodpeckers cannot really help in acutely decimating an existing wasp plague, but rather with prevention. Red-backed killer, bee-eater and honey buzzards, yes, but they are rather rare visitors in the garden.
In order to have woodpeckers, red backed killer, bee-eater, honey buzzards and titmice work specifically against wasps, you should make the garden inviting for them. The best way to do this is to offer species-specific breeding opportunities. Red-backed red-backed and titmouse in particular are doing a favor in this regard with dense hedges that are as thorny as possible. The birds also welcome drinking and bathing facilities in the form of a garden pond or a drinking trough. Cuttings from trees and shrubs can be valuable building material for nesting sites on open compost heaps.