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Characteristics:
Social wasps live in colonies, where responsibility is divided up into three castes: the queen (fertilised females), workers (females, normally sterile) and fertile males.
The colonies only last for a year, and only the fertilised females spend the winter in appropriately chosen shelters, in all sorts of places (from roofing to cracks in trees, etc.). In spring, the cycle starts again with the settlement by the hibernating female, the comb, that is then completed by the descendents (workers). Each spring, the wasps build new nests, starting with a first generation of 20-50 workers. In autumn, the colony can reach up to 5000 individuals.
Differently to bees, wasps do not form wax. To construct combs, they use wood pulp, that is chewed by the strong jaws and mixed into a past with saliva, until forming a substance similar to cardboard.

Wasps search for sugary substances, with occasional trips to flowers, when conformation allows, as their 'tongue' is short. They usually take the sugary substances from the larvae saliva, which contains more sugar than they actually need.
At the end of the summer season, the workers no longer need to feed the larvae that have now matured, and search for fruit and other sweet substances. In this period, they become aggressive. They die, in any case, as the cold arrives.

Species can be identified by designs on the front part of the head and abdomen (in any case not always well defined). Wasps are marked by a distinctly aggressive nature.

The best tactic is not to give into panic, to put up with a few stings and wait for the insects to calm down, thereby avoiding a more widespread, and consequently dangerous attack.

If you intend using an insecticide, we advise using versions with strong knock-down power. To mention just a few: Propoxur, Ddvp, Bendiocarb, Clorpirifos, Carbaril, Diazinone (micro-encapsulates are excellent for preparing bait) Resmetrina. Pyrethroids, generally speaking, are not efficient against these insects (except for Polistes) and, rather, can actually provoke a harsh reaction.

The greater difficulty often derives from the fact that it is impossible to reach the newt, because it is well hidden, for example under the tiles, in drawer, between support beams, etc.. In this case, specialised technicians should be involved. Wasps become more numerous in late summer and autumn. They can be very aggressive if disturbed, or faced with a danger against themselves or their nest.


Useful advice to reduce the presence of wasps: as wasps feed on rubbish and find food from all available sources:

• Close all types of rubbish
• Keep waste containers away from the house
• Do not leave foods uncovered
• Eliminate all available water containers.

Useful advice to avoid being stung

• Do not walk around barefoot
• Do not try to squash them with your hands
• Keep sugary drinks covered
• Check food before putting it into your mouth
• Avoid attracting them with: perfumes, colognes, lacquers, sun creams, shiny clothes
• If you have an allergic reaction, seek medical advice immediately.
  

Do you want to try a form of 'prevention' without using any type of insecticide?
Here's some useful advice…

This plan should be carried out regularly for a long period of time.
It is a procedure that becomes more efficient towards the end of the summer, when the worker wasps become more aggressive as they search for sweet substances and proteins.
1.Fill a 20 litre bucket with approximately 10 cm of water, and add a few drops of liquid soap.
2.Place a stick crossways.
3.Hang a tin of tuna or damp food for cats around 1 cm above the surface of the water.
4.Make 3-4 holes at the bottom of the tin.
5.The trap should be placed away from other food containers, and far from children and domestic animals.

The wasps take the food and, now weighed down, fall into the water with the detergent. The detergent has reduced the surface tension, meaning that they sink and die.