Can you prevent hornets from building nests?

Hornets are seen as a threat by many people. If a young hornet queen chooses her own roller shutter to build a nest, the question arises whether this project can be prevented.

Hornets nests

At the beginning of the nest building is the young hornet queen who was mated the previous year. She looks for a suitable nesting place from the end of April. Natural places to build nests are cavities in trees. If the queen does not find a suitable wood, she looks for other suitable "caves" for the nest. From their point of view, these include:

• Nest boxes for birds
• Roller shutter boxes
• Attics.

Hornets nest and humans

Since hornets have a bad reputation, they come into conflict with humans if the queen does The box of the awning or the attic is chosen as a place for nest building, as the later colony will have its nest defended. In addition, a hornet's nest is open at the bottom, as the insects drop their droppings through this opening. However, this in and of itself clean behavior of the animals can lead to unpleasant odors and structural damage.

Species protection

If hornets settle on balconies or attics, humans want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. However, this is not so easy, since the animals in Germany are protected by species. To Section 42 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG) it is forbidden to catch, injure or kill hornets. The prohibition does not only apply to adult animals, but also to their forms of development, for example breeding sites or living quarters. Since the hornet's nest is such a place, it is forbidden to have that nest

• refer to,
• to damage or
• to destroy.

Note: If the ban is violated, you can expect a fine of up to 50,000 euros in Germany (§65 Abs. 1 No. 1 BNatSchG).

Prevent hornets from building nests

Since the hornet's nest is seen as a place of residence, breeding and refuge for insects according to the BNatSchG, this presupposes that

• the nest has already been built (or is under construction) and
• is inhabited.

That is why it is allowed in Germany to prevent hornets from building nests.

Measures to prevent

The simplest measure is to block access to attractive nesting sites for the queen. The following solutions have proven to be efficient and should be implemented in the winter months

• Stably close entry holes
• Gap systems (e.g. E.g. back-ventilated wooden facades) with fine grids made of plastic or metal
• Wiper brushes for roller shutters

Note: Old nests are not repopulated, but hornets tend to settle near nesting sites that were successfully used by conspecifics in the previous year.

If the queen repeatedly flies to the roller shutter box or an opening in the shed, she shows great interest in the location. To make her change her mind, you should

• move the roller shutter up and down regularly
• close the opening quickly
• Spray the area in question with coffee, lemon, clove oil or garlic every day

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