Problematic and unproblematic settlements
Whether nesting of wasps in masonry is critical for humans or the building fabric depends on the respective location. The different species of wasps that we find require different nesting conditions and therefore settle in different types of masonry. For example, what they consider welcome hiding places are:
- Gaps in natural stone walls
- Cavities between the foundation masonry and the external cladding
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For smaller gaps between coarse natural stone walls that are not or only halfway mortared, solitary wasp species in particular should be warmed up. These include, for example, clay or pot wasps. In the crevices of natural stone walls they find ideal space and protection conditions for their comparatively small nests, which only consist of a handful of brood chambers.
In this case, it is best to simply wait for the breeding phase, which anyway only lasts from spring to autumn. As a rule, the stone wall does not take any significant damage from the nest and the few animals of a solitary, shy wasp should not be a major bother.
The situation is different with the social wasp species, especially with German and common wasps. It is also these species that most of us know as typical wasps, since, in contrast to the large remaining proportion of wasp species, they seek to be close to humans. These social wasps form large states and accordingly require more space for their nests. Since they are also so-called dark cave nisters, the hollow spaces provided for insulation between the foundation masonry and the outer cladding of residential buildings offer them the best nesting conditions.
If wasps nest here, that's more problematic. Because if the nest is large and the wasps are disturbing, it is difficult to get to it. Insulation material and masonry are damaged to a minor extent and after one season the colony has disappeared. If the old nest remains in the cavity, hardly any other wasps will settle there in the following year.
What they shouldn't be doing is plugging entry holes. The wasps will be tormented unnecessarily and will also try to find a way out through the insulation material - The material damage tends to increase as a result, and you may also close off important elements for the wall construction Ventilation openings.
