German wasp

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Paravespula Germanica

The German wasp measures 13-20 mm and is black and yellow in color. There are 1-3 black dots on the head shield and the rear edge of the eye is completely yellow. Wasps live in nests in the form of a social association of workers and sex animals. Their roundish nests consist of a paper-like mass. Commonly found in shutter boxes, roof trusses or garden arbors. Only the queens overwinter. This is why wasps are only occasionally found in spring. The eggs of the queens develop into workers, which cause wasp infestations in late summer and fall. If the animals are extremely stressed, they become aggressive and may cause painful stings. They also feed on fruit, juices, cakes, jams and other animal proteins.

Dew fly or vinegar fly

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Drosophila melanogaster

Small, approx. 2-3 mm long fly with yellow-brown coloration, red eyes and black abdominal rings. It lays its eggs on plant substrates. Larvae are white, stocky and 3 mm long. Infestation is possible all year round in warm weather, but mainly from late summer when there is plenty of spoiling fruit and rotting plant debris. Damaged, cut fruit, fruit pies, fruit juice, cider, beer, milk, rotting plant remains and waste are infested and covered with eggs. In particular, yeast fungi and vinegar bacteria are transmitted. They often occur in small swarms.

Common wasp

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Vespula vulgaris

The common wasp forms annual colonies that die in the fall. The nests are built in spring, mainly in the ground (rodent burrows) or in heaps of stones. However, the queen also regularly founds her colony in buildings, e.g. in attics or garden sheds. The cardboard-like nests can reach a circumference of up to 2 m and contain 10 superimposed honeycomb tiers. The honeycomb layers are surrounded by a protective shell containing numerous shell-shaped air pockets. Colonies can become quite large and consist of up to 5,000 wasps. All the wasps in a colony die in the fall – with the exception of the young queens that hatched in late summer. These found a new colony the following spring. This is a native wasp species that is very common throughout Germany. The animals regularly build their nests in sheds, garages or attics and are considered typical cultural successors. The harmful effect of the common wasp is the same as that of the German wasp.

Ichneumon wasps

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Ichneumonidae

The ichneumon wasps (ichneumon wasps in the narrower sense) are the most species-rich insect family in our country with around 22,000 described species. However, it is estimated that at least 60,000-1000,000 species exist worldwide! Most species occur in the warmer zones of the earth. There are 5700 species in Europe and 2000 species in the British Isles. The imagines are relatively large animals (usually around 5 mm). Some groups, including the best-known representative Rhyssa, can even reach a body length of 5 cm. The wings are typically equipped with a rich wing vein, but there are also a number of apterous (wingless) species.

Lacewings, golden eyes

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Family Chrysopidae

Lacewings are very useful insects. Their larvae prefer to eat aphids and mites. The long body and wing veins of lacewings are usually yellowish or greenish. The eyes are protruding and have a strong metallic glow (lacewings are also often called golden eyes) and they occasionally stray into human dwellings at night, but usually sit in one place and disappear outside again at dawn. They pose no danger whatsoever.

American cockroach

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Periplaneta americana

The American cockroach reaches a size of 26 mm to 38 mm. Their color is reddish-brown, the pronotum reddish-yellow with 2 dark brown spots. Both sexes are fully winged and able to fly. The egg packets are carried around for a few hours to 6 days, then stuck in corners and cracks and covered and camouflaged with wood shavings, pieces of paper and other things. The larvae hatch after 1-2 months. The total development period of the cockroach is approx. 1 year. Of all cockroach species, they love warmth the most. American cockroaches are omnivorous and also infest other organic material of all kinds, such as fabric, leather and paper. Moist, soft, even rotting food and fabrics are their favorite. Damage is caused by contamination, the spread of putrefactive pathogens and germs such as anthrax, salmonella and tuberculosis. It also acts as an intermediate host for threadworms and is partly responsible for hospitalism in hospitals.