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Wasps are infiltrating my home
Evil Gummy
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Ugh. So the other day, I swept up my floor in the kitchen, and as I was about to empty the dustpan into my trash I saw something moving. There was a black wasp caught up in the dust and such, so I freaked out, crushed it, and promptly shrugged it off as a freak occurrence.Today, I found another one in the kitchen by the stove. Now I am paranoid.
I don't know HOW they would be getting into my apartment. I'm on the third floor, my windows are shut, and I don't know of any other obvious entries.
Is two wasps in three days a possible coincidence? Or should I prepare for war?
How do I defend myself!? I hate wasps!
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If that's the case, you are not looking for a paper nest, so keep that in mind. Look around on the eaves for sure, but mud daubers especially like to crawl through wood siding and hang out in walls. Definitely call someone.
Dude if I got nailed by a wasp while sleeping or something, I think it's pretty safe to say that police would be arriving on the scene shortly afterward.
I talked to my apartment and they brought in a bug guy, they said if they can't find a nest (and nobody actually knows where this nest is but there are wasps constantly circling the tree behind the apartment) then they can't do anything.
To further this topic I'll throw these questions out there...How effective wasp traps are? Would these, or home-made wasp traps be a good idea on the balcony? Most I've seen involve some bait (like bacon) hung over a bath of soapy water in a container of some sort.
I try not to recommend killing wasps, but if you simply must kill them, do it at night when they are less likely to attack you.
...And the form wont let me delete it. Hmm.
It's also worth noting that wasps are highly carnivorous in some cases, and they may be attracted (just as spiders are) to populations of other bugs.
They are all in the same general area; along the wall under two windows and near my stove. My place is clean, I don't think they are after my food.
They all act generally the same....sort of slow and sluggish....
I am guessing, maybe, they are newborns hatching from the warm weather? Are they in my WALLS!!??
I contacted my landlord, who lives below me. He is an awesome guy so I am sure he will try to help...
UGH.
Edited to add that yes that pic of the wasp is exactly what the ones I killed look like.
I disposed of the bodies...I can't NOT crush them though, I fear them!
I can FEEL the walls thrumming around me. Augh.
Relax. That is key hear. Your landlord has been alerted just call him every so often to get updates on the situation. Until then you might want to check your walls and ceiling for cracks/holes and tack up some thin mesh. Its not a perfect solution but it may help.
If I relax, will the wasps not sense my fear and leave me be?
I do have cracks and some small holes in my walls, I think they MAY be getting in that way, but I have no clue. I hope someone comes and sprays insta-death in the attic and kills them all.
Is that wrong? Am I allowed to wish for wasp genocide?
Many animals and insects pick up on this.
My roomate freaks out whenever she sees a sow bug, she might as well jump on a goddamn chair and start waving around a broom hysterically. They arn't out for blood, theyre just wee little animals.
Like most insects, wasps are difficult to exclude from a residence; there's just too many ways they can get in. Your best bet is to make your living space as unattractive to them as possible by making sure not to leave out fruit or other sweet stuff, especially sweetened beverages.
If you're not leaving out food and you always see them in the same area, they may be nesting in the attic and simply wandering in to your apartment. If your stove vents through the attic, that could provide them a way in, which would be why you keep seeing them near it. Presumably you'll find out soon enough.
I want to emphasize here that you should try not to worry too much about them. They have no real interest in you, they almost certainly won't sting you unless they feel threatened, and if you do happen to get stung, as long as you don't have an allergy you'll get over it quite quickly.
Well, only insofar as to avoid stinging. They're not going to kill you. UNLESS YOU'RE ALLERGIC AND THEY SEND YOU INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK OH GOD.
I personally am terrified of all manner of bees. I stepped in a hornets nest as a small child and I will never ever forget it. If it were me, I'd literally be calling my friends asking if I could crash at their place for a few days while the landlord took care of it (assuming that it takes a few days, which it shouldn't)
I guess, considering I used to live near the woods, three wasps isn't so bad for a few days in summer. It is just odd because they are certainly coming in from somewhere. The idea of them IN MY WALLS sends chills up my spine.
I mean, yes, my fears might not be justified, but I am none the less fearful of insects. the noise they make alone is enough to send me running.
My landlord will do something I am sure, I just hope it is some sort of resolution that keeps the little black bastards out of my house.
That said, its not with freaking out about. Take deep breaths, calm yourself and deal with the situation either by ignoring them, letting them fly out a window, or killing them. This isn't a difficult sitution.
And, if you're worried about them doing anything to you at night, just get some camping type bug netting and string it over/ under your bed.
That's about average, except sting pain is like burn pain and it persists for fucking ever.
If there's a nest in your attic or walls, the only way to get rid of it is to hire a professional to either destroy it or remove it. Do NOT spray any sort of Raid or anything close to it into your wall or anywhere you think the nest might be. Those cans don't last very long and any wasp you don't hit with it is going to be extremely pissed off and out to find the nearest moving object that isn't another wasp and sting the fuck out of it.
Hope this helps.
I found one of these in my bathroom, just chilling out on a towel I had hanging on my shower door.
This was about 4 days ago. I haven't found a single one in any area of my house since, but I was puzzled that it was in my bathroom of all places. It also seemed to be slow and lethargic, as I got up really close to it and it never moved, and I easily scooped it up with some tissue and flushed it down the toilet.
That's right, drown you fucker!
I was concerned that there would be more, but so far I've seen no activity. However, I know insects, especially wasps, rarely roam alone. It may be a good idea to hop in my attic over the weekend and investigate.
Tissue paper? You are a braver man than I.
I live in Sacramento CA, and this is my first year in my new home. So far I've only had issues with ants, which is a local thing and easily taken care of. And ugh, snails and slugs. I had a bunch of them crawl up onto my porch when it was raining more often, though not as much lately. I would come home at night around 9pm and *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* *CRUNCH* as I walked up to my door GOD DAMNIT.
There's another local issue I need to deal with, but that's for another thread...
Nests are pretty easy to find if you just sit and watch for a while (instead of running away for killing them). Just look for where multiple wasps are going to and from. Back home we used to get tons of yellow jackets every summer, and I never really found them to be a huge problem (never been stung). Theyre annoying when trying to eat outside, but a few swishes will usually make them bugger off (they only sting when theyre either defending a nest, or youve pissed them off by poking them or something. if theyre just trying to get food, theyd rather just fly away and look elsewhere then try and sting you and get smooshed)
EDIT: Now would be an excellent time to run some errands actually, get out of the house for a bit.
If IF you get stung though, here's some things you might wanna know. Again I don't mean to scare you and please don't click on the spoiler until you've calmed down and relaxed. So long as you don't go out of your way to piss them off you probably won't get stung. Since you haven't been stung before, here is some things you might wanna know.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylactic
A home remedy that works for me is making a paste with baking soda and water. Supposedly it sucks out the toxin that's making you hurt so bad. Even if it's just a placebo effect, for me it reduces the pain and the swelling and throbbing. Last time I was stung it was one of those little tiny wasps/bee things that fly around just above the grass and I got it caught in my sandal. I couldn't walk on the foot but just 15 minutes on the couch watching some tv with that on the sting site made everything all better.
Also sometimes their stinger can be left behind, it's mostly true for honeybees since they're meant to literally pop off but just in case get some tweezers. It probably won't happen but if you do run into a honeybee, there you go. Even a tiny bit can still contain some toxins so remove as soon as you can when you can cause its just gonna hurt some more.
Things to remember. Expect swelling on the sting site. Watch for hives, itchiness and swelling of your lips, tongue and throat. Don't even drive. Call an ambulance instead. Do your best to stay calm. The inability to breathe will severely hamper your driving abilities and since you'll probably be freaking the fuck out anyways (Who wouldn't really?) they can give you a sedative to relax some more on your way to the hospital.
After all is said and done though, "between 1% and 15% of the population of the United States can be considered "at risk" for having an anaphylactic reaction if they are exposed to one or more allergens."
You're fine.
Yellow jackets are much more aggressive, but even then there's no real reason to do anything. They're carnivorous and will sometimes try to eat meat that is lying about, though. One time when I was a kid I was eating some fish outside on the lawn, and when I looked down there was a yellow jacket eating a tiny flake of fish on the edge of my plate.
Good call on the boric acid, I forgot to mention it but it's really great stuff. It's excellent for ants and roaches as well, they tend to live long enough to bring it back to their nest and kill all their friends.
I found wasp number four today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN2XMyxAs5o
Well, not for you, but it's still intense.
These wasps apparently inject poison into a cockroach's brain. Enough so it can't escape freely and not too much that it dies instantly. They then trap the cockroach in a "lair" or burrow and lay eggs on it. The larvae then burrows inside the zombie cockroach and feeds off it's organs, while it is still living . Then after 6 weeks an adult wasp bursts out of the decayed cockroach husk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fTrSOFyfxs
So an update. Found two more today after thinking the nightmare was over. I think the nice weather is bringing them out or something.
My landlord bought me some boric acid as was mentioned in here, so I poured it all along the walls and cracks to make a barrier. It's such a pretty robin egg blue color.
I hope it does what it says and kills them when they touch it. I am tired of watching the floor all paranoid, and jumping at anything that moves near me.
Today I thought maybe things were getting better, since I didn't see any wasps all day. Then an hour ago, I went to use the bathroom and the BIGGEST WASP EVER was on the wall by my face.
I read up on these mud daubers, and yeah they sound peaceful, but I don't want them in my home still. Next plan, find the nest.