Wasp stuck between window and screen

Most of the time, wasps enter homes through open doors and windows. 

But what confuses many people is the sightings of wasps buzzing inside their homes despite closed windows and doors.

This guide reveals the three reasons for wasps in the house when no windows are open. 

Plus, there are hacks in this post that many of our readers used to stop wasps from entering their homes.

Keep reading.

How Do Wasps Get In When Windows Are Closed?

There are three reasons for wasps inside the house despite closed doors and windows –

1. Wasps came out of their nests that they built inside your home
2. Wasps were hibernating inside your home and emerged out of hibernation
3. Wasps entered your home through places like vents, chimneys, and attics

Let’s get deep into each of them.

Wasps Emerged Out Of Their Nests Inside Your Home

8 out of 10 times, wasps nests are responsible for sightings of wasps flying indoors.

Wasps build their nests starting from the spring months when they’re active.

However, the process begins in the late fall before hibernation.

Two things happen before the female wasps go into hibernation. 

First, the male wasps impregnate the queen wasp. And second, the impregnated queen wasps (or wasps) will build a small nest and lay eggs. 

After impregnating the female wasps, the male wasps die.

And that’s one of the reasons why you see lethargic wasps in the house. 

These dying wasps are mostly male wasps that crawl slowly on the floor and near the windows. 

The eggs that the queen wasps laid before going into hibernation will hatch.

The larvae from these eggs will mature into adult wasps before spring arrives.

These adult wasps are sterile female wasps, which are worker wasps. And they help the queen wasp to expand her nest in the spring.

These sterile wasps will expand the nest and provide food to the larvae and the queen.

So, the wasps that you see despite closed windows are sterile female wasps that came out of their nests inside your home.

Wasps Came Out Of Hibernation

One of the prime reasons for wasps entering homes is to overwinter or hibernate. 

When wasps come out of hibernation from places inside your home where they’re hiding, you see them inside your home when no windows are open.

They’ll hibernate the entire winter in places where they can find warmth. 

So, wall voids, attics, basements, and cluttered storage places where you don’t go often are the ideal hiding places for wasps.

But how do wasps enter homes if the windows are closed? That leads to the second reason for sightings of wasps in homes.

Wasps Entered Your Home Through Other Points Of Entry

It’s not just the open doors and windows that wasps use to enter the home.

Any opening or vent are entry points of wasps.

Vents in areas like the bathroom, kitchen, basement, chimneys, tiny gaps and holes on the window frames (or window sills), and walls are all entrance points for wasps and hornets.

Wasps, especially in the late fall, can enter homes not just to hibernate but also for alternative food sources. Why? 

It’s because, with the arrival of winter, the food supply for wasps outdoors start to decline.

They’ll try to sneak inside human dwellings looking for food and shelter.

And they’ll use any cracks and vents to enter your home.

Inside your home, wasps can feed on the food wastes in trash bins and on rotting fruits and vegetables.

How To Stop Wasps From Entering Your Home?

The presence of wasps inside the house is quite a scary thing.

Although wasps are harmless unless threatened, these buzzers are a bit unpredictable.

Wasps can sting you.

Wasps sting when they’re pressed against your skin or if they feel their nests are under threat.

And wasps stings are painful.

Now that you know how wasps can enter your home despite closed doors and windows, it’s time to find out how you can stop them. 

Protecting your home from wasps is far easier than getting rid of wasps. 

Wasps are active during the spring months.

So, it’ll be best to follow these measures starting from the late winters.

Here are the steps that you can take right now to stop wasps from entering your home.

Step#1 – Install Window screens To Prevent Wasps From Flying Inside

Window screens with fine mesh are the most underrated, yet most useful, in keeping wasps and other bugs like yellow jackets and hornets from entering your home.

Yet many people don’t use it. Window screens are critical in keeping flying bugs and insects away, especially during the spring and summer months.

So, please don’t make this mistake.

Install window screens on the windows and all the vents in your home. 

The fine mesh on the window shields will stop wasps and other flying bugs from entering your home.

Close the chimney flue too. And ensure that the flue closes tightly without any gaps around it.

When the windows are closed, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets enter through open chimneys.

Step#2 – Seal The Gaps And Cracks On Your Home’s Walls And Windows

Wasps cannot just fly in, but they can also crawl inside your home.

And the tiny gaps and cracks on the walls, window frames, and doors are enough for them to crawl inside your home.

So, caulk those gaps with a sealant. Using silicone-based sealants for doing this job is the best option. 

These sealants are sturdy, waterproof, lasts for a decade, and bugs can’t chew through them.

Step#3 – Grow Plants Around Your Porch That Repel Wasps

Many homeowners ignore this step. Yet, it’s one of the most effortless ways to prevent keeping wasps away from your home.

Plants like pennyroyal, pitcher plants, marigolds, basil, and geranium repel wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and bees.

Certain qualities in these plants are repellents to these bugs. For example, geraniums have little to no pollen. So, wasps and bees avoid them.

Also, wasps hate the scents from these plants.

Grow these plants around your porch and near the windows.

You can also keep a few of them in pots inside your home. 

Step#4 – Locate And Destroy Wasps Nests Inside Your Home

Wasps nest can be the source of sterile female wasps buzzing inside your home during the beginning of the spring.

So, it’s best to locate and destroy wasps nests inside your home during the winter months.

While hibernating, wasps aren’t aggressive.

So, chances of getting wasp stings are low.

Inside the home, wasps will build their nests in wall voids and places like the attic. 

Cracks and voids on the bathroom walls are preferred places for wasps to build their nests because of the high dampness.

That’s why many people observe wasps in their bathroom while showering.

On finding the wasp nests here’s what you need to do –

• Use tetramethrin or prallethrin-based insecticide spray on wasp nests. Both these ingredients kill wasps and their larvae.
• Wait for an hour after spraying. Then cover the wasp nest with a plastic bag.
• Detach the wasp nest from where it’s hanging. While doing it, do not remove the plastic bag covering the wasp nest.
• Put the plastic bag with a wasp nest in it inside a trash bin. Dispose of the nest far away from your property.

A few precautions you need to take –

• Wear protective clothing covering your entire body. Do not forget to wear a face shield too.
• Wasps are inactive during the evening after sunset. So, perform the activity in the evening hours.
• Do not let anyone else stand beside you during the task. Wasps can become aggressive and sting others.
• Do not remove wasps nests on your own if you’re allergic to bug stings. It’ll be best to hire a pest controller to do the job.

If you do not want to use wasp sprays, you can use a mixture of dish soap and water.

Soapy water will also kill the wasps and the eggs and larvae in the wasp nests too.

White vinegar mixed with water is also effective against wasps.

Mix equal amounts of vinegar and water (or two tablespoons of dish soap in a bottle of water) and pour it in a spray bottle.

Then spray the mixture in the wasp nests.

However, we recommend using wasp sprays. They kill wasps instantly on contact.

Step#5 – Check For Wasp Nests Outdoors And Hang Wasp Traps

The presence of wasps nests outdoors in your yard or garden can also be the source of wasps inside your home.

Wasps like the mud dauber wasps (a common species of wasps in Florida) build a ground nest in the soil.

So, look around for wasps nests outdoors and see if you find any.

Outdoors wasps will build their nests in loft areas like the trees, overhangs, roof eaves, and underneath sheds. 

If you find any wasp nest, use the methods, with appropriate precautions, from the last step.

Plus, hang wasp traps in your yard or garden. Wasp traps contain a fluid inside them that attracts the wasps.

The bait lures the wasps to the trap. On entering the trap the wasps get stuck and drown in the liquid.

If there are too many wasps in your property, then the wasp trap will be full of dead wasps stuck inside it. Replace the trap with a new wasp trap.

For your safety, we do not recommend getting rid of wasp nests on your own during the spring and summer months.

Wasps are active in these periods. They’ll become highly aggressive if you approach their nests.

That’ll expose you to painful wasp stings.

If you’ve got an allergy to bug stings then wasp stings can be a nightmare for you.

You can face itching, pain, swelling, and even nausea.

Hiring a professional pest controller to remove wasp nests will be your best option. 

Conclusion

There are three reasons for wasps in the house despite closed windows and doors –

1. Wasps came out of their nests that they built inside your home
2. Wasps were hibernating inside your home
3. Wasps entered your home through places like vents, chimneys, and attics

There’s also a five-step guide that you can follow right away to block the points of entry for wasps and prevent them from building nests in your home.

If you come across wasps inside the house, then open the windows.

Wait for a while for the wasps to fly out before using these steps.

We are Mark and Jim. We dabbled with bugs and pests for most of our lives. And we provide information and hacks that work in making your home pest free.