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Thu, Feb 25, 10 at 20:57
| This isn't really a disaster but it is annoying and worrying. Two years ago I moved into my new house in February. In early to late March I had a small invasion of paper wasps in the south-facing bedroom, maybe 12 in all. All those I found were not flying much at all but pretty much limping around or near dying--that is, not too frightening and easy to dispose of. Still, it drove me nuts. The exterminator sprayed the outside of the house and around the window frame, and he told me to plug up all the interior holes I could such as any tiny holes or gaps around the windows and where the baseboard met the floors. I worked like crazy doing all this until everything was completely plugged up. So today, one year later, there is another wasp! I have no idea where they are coming from or how they are getting in, but I'm now scared of another invasion. Does anyone have any clue how they get into a house that seems to be completely airtight--or as much as humanly possible? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by maryland_irisman (pat969@aol.com) on Thu, Feb 25, 10 at 22:42
| They could be coming down the chimney if you have one, through a dryer vent or exhaust fan. They could have built the nest inside somewhere when the house was being built, went dormant for the winter and in March when the south wall warmed up, they came out of dormancy (or hatched). These are all guesses except for the chimney, that's where I found some getting in. |
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| Paper wasps usually go dormant - or die out - in the Winter, depending on where you live. The stragglers you are finding probably did not have to travel from very far. Paper wasps will only nest close to a good source of decaying or rotting wood from which to build their hive. Like ants, they can be an indication that water is making its way into your house. I would have someone inspect the attic or crawl space above your bedroom for any signs of dampness or wet insulation material. Do your exhaust fans vent into your attic? Sometimes, this generates enough humidity to decay the wood and attract paper wasps. |
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