Wasps are not popular. They are happy to steal some of our cake and don't stop at the grilled sausage. Read here what the insects actually eat and how long trapped wasps can survive without food.
In a nutshell
- Wasp queen is about one year old
- Worker bees live only a few weeks
- Wasps starve to death after a few days without food
- high protein requirement in spring to feed the brood
- from August increased sugar requirement
Table of contents
- wasp variety
- wasp food
- wasps in the home
- frequently asked Questions
wasp variety
Source: Syrio, Vespula germanica queen 05, Edited from Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Most people who imagine a wasp think of the yellow and black insect that can sting and is keen on the cake or the goodies from the grill. These well-known troublemakers are in most cases representatives of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and German wasp (Vespula germanica) species. Other Wasp species native to Germany are shy of people and don't want our food.
wasp food
From spring onwards, wasps need a lot of protein to feed their brood. They also eat other animals and insects such as
- be crazy
- aphids
- mosquitoes
- caterpillars
In August, the animals need more sugar. They then try to meet their needs for our cake, ripe fruit, ice cream or sweet drinks.
wasps in the home
If wasps become trapped in the home and cannot find food, they will not survive much longer. After a few days they are threatened with death. In search of an exit, the animals repeatedly fly against the window panes in rooms, which weakens them further. After three to four days, the trapped wasp dies. She's starving.
A notice: Among the wasps there are social species that form colonies like the honey bee. In these societies, the roles of the queen, workers, and drones are clearly divided. Individuals cannot survive alone in the long run.
How to prevent wasps from getting into the apartment:
- Close the windows and doors of lighted rooms.
- Do not leave sweet drinks, ripe fruit and other foods open in the apartment.
If you spot a wasp in your apartment, basement or shed, help it get back outside. When the windows are open, the insects usually find their way out on their own. You can use bug catchers to catch and release the animals.
Danger: The wasp sting is triggered by a reflex. Even after death, wasps can squeeze venom out of the stinger. Because of this, care should be taken when touching dead wasps.
frequently asked Questions
Under no circumstances should laypeople try to remove a wasp nest themselves. Contact the nearest pest controller who can remove the nest professionally and without danger to you. Wasps are also protected. Anyone caught removing a nest risks a fine.
wasp queens will be about a year old. The workers, on the other hand, have a short life. They die after about 22 days. The average lifespan of drones is 30 days.
Wasps drink small amounts of water. You can find it on leaves and in flowers. Above all, they need water to process plant fibers into a pliable paper pulp from which they build their nests. If the insects are trapped without moisture, they will die of thirst.
The Queen is capable of going into torpor for about six months in winter. In order to survive the period up to March, she has built up fat reserves. It hibernates, for example, in a wooden shed, under piles of wood, in tree cavities, under stones or in cracks in walls.
Wasps can sting multiple times. After that they live on. However, if they are injured in the sting, the probability of survival decreases.
