As terrifying as it sounds, wasps can eat through drywall and will for a few different reasons. If a wasp colony has built a nest in the walls of your house and you block all of the openings that lead to the outside, wasps will create their own exit by chewing through the drywall.
Some wasps may also tear apart the drywall to use as insulation for the nest in the absence of better suited materials.
How Do You Get Rid of Wasps in the Wall?
If you have a wasp colony living in the walls of your house, your best bet is to call a professional to get rid of them. Attempting to get rid of them yourself by applying dangerous chemicals or sealing up all available openings could lead to encouraging the wasps to invade your living space.
Most professionals, like Envirocare Pest Control, will inject a dust insecticide to kill the colony and will only seal up all the openings once all of the wasps are dead. Clean up usually also consists of vacuuming the hive and the wasp carcasses from inside the wall to ensure that all traces are removed.
In drastic circumstances, they may have to cut a hole in the wall in order to get to the hive, but that’s much better than living with the threat of a wasp invasion when you’re sitting down to dinner.
What Are the Signs That Wasps Are in the Wall?
If you notice wasps inside your house, especially in late summer, it’s a good idea to check if there’s a possible hive in your walls.
Common signs of a wasp hive include seeing wasps actively enter the house from the outside via unsealed cracks in the walls or roof, a wet or tender spot on the inside, and a faint buzzing or tapping noise.
Do Wasps Eat Through Wood?
Scarily enough wasps can also chew through wood. According to the School of Bees, some species, such as yellow jackets, actually rely on wood shavings which they mash up and mix with their saliva to help build their hives.
As such, the wooden parts of your house are not off limits if wasps find a cozy little nook that provides a great place to build a nest.
Do Wasps Eat Through Brick?
Mason wasps specialize in eating through brick. They usually chew through the mortar between bricks to gain entry and build their nests from there.
Mason wasps are usually solitary so there isn’t a huge swarm to deal with, but they can still be dangerous and difficult to extract from the brick once established.
How Do You Get Rid of Wasps in a Brick Wall?
Similar to the process for getting rid of wasps from drywall, you should not seal the openings as that forces the wasps to create more holes and may drive them into places you don’t want them to go, like inside your house.
Usually, the application of a dust or powder wasp killer over the course of a few days will kill the wasps inside a brick wall. Be sure to cover every possible opening so that they cannot escape the effectiveness of the insecticide.
Can Wasps Eat Through Plastic?
You probably guessed it – yes, wasps can eat through the plastic of things such as plastic bags and plastic coverings. They cannot, however, chew through the hard plastic of soda or water bottles which make these objects great for making wasp traps.
Most people will contain captured wasps in plastic containers, which is smart because they won’t be able to eat their way out.
Can Wasps Eat Through Screens?
Depending on the material screens are made from, wasps may be able to eat through them. Since wasps can eat through wood and plastic, screens made from those materials are not out of question for wasps to chew through.
Metal framed and metal based screens are the best bets to prevent wasps from entering your home because they will not be able to chew through them. Check regularly for any weaknesses in the screen though because wasps will exploit them and squeeze through holes smaller than you can imagine.
What Size Hole Can a Wasp Fit Through?
Since wasps do not have hard parts like bones, they can fit through holes as small as 3/32 inch or 2.5 millimeters according to a study done by the University of Florida’s Bee Research Lab. That’s smaller than the width of your pinky nail!
This means that any flaw or crack in your house walls, roof, windows, or doors can be potential entrance points for wasps to find their way inside.
Can Wasps Eat Through Sealant?
Wasps can and will eat through caulk and foaming spray sealant. Most people try to use these to plug up holes in the walls especially if they know a wasp’s nest has been built within the walls of their house.
This will not deter the wasps from eating right through the caulk. Though foaming spray is an effective way to kill the wasps in a hive if applied properly, if the nest is very large and the spray does not reach the absolute interior, wasps can survive.
They will either be patient enough to wait for the foam to begin to decay or simply start chewing through it themselves to find a way out.
Can Wasps Eat Through Electrical Wires?
Wasps have no motivation to chew through electrical wires and the hard plastic may not be quite edible for their little mandibles. Wasps do not pose a serious threat to causing electrical damage.
However, electrical panels generate heat and if not sealed properly can be very inviting for wasps to build their nests. This can pose a serious fire hazard as wasps’ nests are made of flammable materials and can catch fire extremely easily.