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How Did Wasps Get Into My House When No Windows Are Open? (With Prevention)

How Did Wasps Get Into My House When No Windows Are Open? (With Prevention)

If there is any pest that people truly fear, it’s wasps. Wasps aren’t like your friendly local honey bees. They actually will sting you for no reason and will actively make your home unlivable. Wasps are a menace to everyone, including your pets and children.

In most cases, people assume that wasps get in through open windows. This is a valid assumption to make, since wasps tend to go through the easiest entry point they can find. But, what if you notice that your windows are all closed?

This article is here to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do when you notice wasps coming into your home from an unknown source.

Before we start, double-check your windows

Sometimes, even the most eagle-eyed person might miss a window that is open. Windows that are now well-sealed can have cracks that cause them to open on their own, often from the top of the window rather than the bottom.

How are these wasps getting into my home if it’s not through windows?

Wasps get into a house through any crack or crevice they can. These are the most common culprits and how to prevent wasps from getting in.

1. Doors

Doors, too, can serve as a valid entry point for wasps. If your doors have a large gap underneath, then they could be getting in through there. A door sweep can prevent wasps from continuing to come in. Keep doors closed at all times.

2. Attics

Attics

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Attics are a common way that wasps, particularly paper wasps, get into your home. If your attic has a small opening, they will go in there and nest. Wasps will often build nests in an attic because it’s warm, offers shelter from the elements, and people go in there fairly rarely.

Wall voids in the attic tend to be good place for wasps to build a nest. Wasp infestations only last about a year, but a queen wasp can pose a problem. If this deadly female chooses to hibernate, that infestation will return the next year.

If you see wasps in your lighting or coming out of your ceiling, then you have an infestation in your attic. You may even have a full wasp nest in your house that you didn’t know about.

3. Porch Ceilings

Porch Ceilings

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At times, you may have a wasp colony close to your home’s interior, but not inside. Wasps that have a nest on your porch ceiling or underneath your home’s patio may end up flying inside when you enter your house.

Removing wasps’ nests near your home will keep them from coming back.

4. Chimneys and Vents

Chimneys and vents don’t just let smoke and steam outside. They also have a nasty habit of letting pests in, especially if their covers haven’t been adequately maintained or installed. If you notice wasps coming from your bathroom or kitchen, it’s likely a vent issue.

If you notice wasps in a living room with a fireplace, then chances are they’re coming from the flue. In some cases, this may even mean that they made a nest in the flue portion of the chimney.

The best way to make sure that vents don’t get more wasps is to cover them with a grate so that they can’t enter again. If there are already wasps in your flue, it’s best to exterminate them first using pesticides. You may also need to use wasp traps to get rid of the current pests.

5. Basements

Basements

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While wasps prefer to have cool areas, many will be willing to use a basement as their nesting site. This is primarily due to the fact that basements are far away from nature and the elements. It makes it easier for them to lay eggs without interruption.

If you noticed wasps in your basement, get professional wasp removal and then get rid of the nest. Then, seal up any crevices that you may have had as an access point. Even small gaps can be enough to get them inside.

PRO TIP – Check the door frame of your basements as well as floor joists. You might be surprised at how many wasps will nest there.

6. Trash Bins

Another major source of entry for wasps are trash bins. Why? Well, wasps see garbage and assume it’s a food source. So, they’ll try to crawl inside to get to the food, just like most other insects out there.

Make sure to check your bins carefully before you take them inside. Otherwise, you might end up dealing with a wasp problem indoors. A good way to avoid this from happening is to put a scent that wasps hate around your trash bin areas.

You can make a homemade sprayable wasp repellant by adding two cups of apple cider vinegar, two cups sugar, and a cup of water. Put it in a bottle and spray it near the wasps. It’ll kill them and prevent them from coming back.

How do you prevent wasps from coming near your home?

Not all wasp infestations can be preventable. In many cases, if a wasp wants to make a nest, it will do it willy-nilly. The biggest way to ensure that your home doesn’t get attacked is to make sure it’s not an attractive place for a wasp to be. These tips can help a ton:

  1. Avoid planting trees and plants that wasps love. Wasps love anything sweet, including fruit trees and sugary-smelling flowers like honeysuckle. If you want to have fruits grown near your home, plant them away from the house.
  2. Keep your home area clean of food sources. While a wasp will always prefer sugary goods, you can bet that they won’t turn down protein-rich foods. Seal garbage cans up, cover compost piles, clean up BBQ scraps quick, and avoid keeping pet food outside.
  3. Plant stuff wasps hate. Peppermint is a great deterrent. Even spraying peppermint oil in areas you want to keep wasp-free can help.
  4. Seal up any and all openings to your home, or at least put a grate on it. Wasps cannot enter a home if there are no crevices and cracks to get in. At times, just sealing everything up and putting up screens can be more than enough to prevent an infestation.

Do wasps sting?

Yes. In fact, around 62 deaths happen every year as a result of wasp attacks. They are no joke.

What else could these flying insects be?

Wasps are often mistaken for a wide range of different insects. While there are many wasp species, it’s important to remember that you also might be dealing with something else that’s similar.

The most common things confused with wasps include yellowjackets, mud daubers, and hornets. If you aren’t sure what you have, check online to see what it could be. That can and will impact the way you handle this infestation.

PRO TIP – The one thing that remains the same regardless of your infestation is that you will need to seal up openings to your house to get rid of the infestation.

When should you call an exterminator?

When should you call an exterminator? 

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Exterminators are generally the smartest move to make when you’re dealing with wasps or hornets. However, smaller infestations may be handled on your own. These signs indicate that a professional isn’t just ideal, but mandatory:

  • You found wasps coming out of your walls. This suggests that you may have a major wasp colony inside your walls. At times, this can also mean that you have structural damage to your house. Most wasps do hibernate and die within a year, but wall infestations can be multi-year issues.
  • You are allergic to wasps or have pets/kids sensitive to wasps. Wasp stings are not something you should want to experience. If you or anyone in your home is allergic to wasps, call a pro.
  • The infestation is much larger than something you’re willing to handle. Small wasp nests can be removed and eradicated with a little care on your end. Large wasp nests that have spread to a sizeable portion of your home are a bit different. That’s just too much for one person to handle.
  •  You aren’t entirely sure what you have is a wasp infestation. If it is a hornet or killer bee infestation, professional help is a must. If you can’t tell what it is, ask an exterminator.

In conclusion…

If you have a wasp infestation inside your home, any crack, opening, or crevice could be how they got in. Sealing up your home and treating the infestation is the easiest way to prevent wasps from entering your home again.

If you live near fruit trees or have a lot of food left outside, take care. This is usually how wasps get attracted to your home in the first place.

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