The right way to deal with wasps

The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu) gives tips on how best to deal with the beasts so that they leave you alone as much as possible:

- Avoid making sudden movements so that the insects do not feel threatened.

- Do not blow the animals away, as the air we breathe can make them aggressive.

- Feed the wasps a few metres away from the food table with something else to distract them. As Nabu writes, ripe grapes have proved particularly helpful here.

- Cover food outside and wipe children's mouths and hands clean after eating to avoid attracting wasps.

- If possible, put fly screens on windows to prevent wasps from entering the house.

Do not remove wasps' nests without permission

Wasps are a protected species. So it is forbidden to simply remove a wasp nest. Depending on the federal state and the type of wasp, a fine of up to 10,000 euros may be imposed. If it is a particularly protected species, the fine can even be up to 50,000 euros.

Anyone who wants to have a nest removed must therefore make an application. The responsible authorities are usually the nature conservation authorities, but sometimes also the district office or the municipality. However, a permit from the city administration is not necessary if the wasp nest poses a danger - for example, because an allergy sufferer lives in the house, it is a particularly aggressive wasp species or the nest is located in a particularly threatening place (for example, near the bedroom window or the sandbox in the garden). A pest controller can decide whether the nest may be removed.

Hire experts, but avoid extortionate prices

According to the consumer advice centre, the usual price for the removal of wasps is between 80 and 150 euros, depending on the amount of work involved. It is only more expensive if, for example, a hydraulic platform has to be ordered, says the consumer advice centre. The insurance company Arag points out that the costs can be passed on to the landlord under certain circumstances. For this to happen, however, there must be a health hazard or adverse effect on the use of the flat. The consumer advice centre advises contacting professional associations of pest controllers, city councils or environmental agencies, which can help in finding experts in the vicinity.

If a provider demands extortionate prices of several hundred euros, the consumer advice centre advises reporting this to the police. Moreover, such high demands should not be paid right at the door, but the bill should be checked first.

What to do if the nest may not be removed?

If the authorities refuse and you are not allowed to remove the nest, you do not have to avoid your terrace or garden completely. Nabu recommends keeping a distance of two to three metres from the insects' nest and not blocking their flight path. Then the creatures will not feel threatened. Arag also points out that wasps only live in their nests for one year. They die in winter, and then the nest can be removed without any problems. It is important to thoroughly clean the nesting site so that the next generation does not return to the same place.

Nabu points out that a wasp nest can also be of benefit to a garden. There would be fewer annoying insects in the surrounding area all year round. Wasps' favourite foods include gnats, mosquitoes, aphids and horseflies.

Original text: Leandra Kubiak

Translation: Jean Lennox