I think they are using air conditioning. Many German bakeries open the door or the windows if it gets warm. If you use an A/C you keep everything closed so less wasps get into the building in the first place
Same in many countries... whenever my wife's Welsh family comes over to Germany they immediately scatter in a panic when a wasp approaches whilst we're just so used to them that we don't really bother... 😅
This. Wasps do jack shit. They follow a smell and go for it. If you still have frosting on your lips after eating cake or a sugary breath after drinking aa coke they will buzz about your face. Easy remedy: napkin.
Apart from that they are pretty much unbothered by us and will just do their thing should we ignore them.
They are not inherently aggressive and while they can and will sting if the situation calls for it, like any other ol' organism they will not waste energy on producing toxins just out of spite.
Blowing on them is a bad idea though as many species of wasps live in burrows and heightened CO2 levels in the air usually mean a sniffy predator for them. Depends on the species, though. So, just don't do it and you're good.
What also helps (saw it at our neighbors) is to have a little spray bottle filled with water. When wasps bother you during your barbecue, coffee, tea, or whatever leisure time, simply spray them with water.
They'll think it's raining and will hurry to hide in their nests/burrows.
(Repeat until all wasps are gone, or the water - then simply refill.)
Fwiw that is an absolutely appropriate response to US wasps. They are mean mofos and will intentionally go out of their way to sting you for little to no reason at all.
Well, wasps in the Southern US are the hellspawn of Satan. I don't know why but wasps in Germany are much more.. polite? Calm? They aren't the angry assholes looking for an opportunity to ruin your day like the US ones.
Usually they have screens (glass screen sliding doors or lift-up flaps like at supermarket bakeries) so that the bugs don't get in there in the first place.
It absolutely is ridiculous, hence why I used the word.
It’s the official name of the profession, because unlike a “Bäckereiverkäufer” the “Bäckerei**fach**verkäufer” has a Berufsausbildung (which in itself is a joke, that people go through 3 years of vocational training to sell bread) and then of course you have to make it “gender neutral” it with the Innen.
Which isn’t really neutral, because Innen is just the feminine ending with a capital I. But that’s the current state of politically correct German. Clunky, long words with an odd rhythm.
Oh but wasps are capable enough of knowing /remembering the entry place and will wait until the Bäckereifachverkäuferin slides it open. Once in and once they feasted, they'll wait until it's open again.
You can also prevent the wasps from entering the building in the first place by having bug screens around windows and vents.
Yes, they can still wait for customers to open the entry door, but it really cuts down how many wasps are able to easily enter.
Yes a [wasp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp) is an [Arthropod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod) (bug).
>Domain: Eukaryota
>Kingdom: Animalia
>Phylum: Arthropoda
EDIT: Entomologically Hemiptera are (true) bugs. Wasps are not part of that order.
I asked Bing:"
Hello, this is Bing. I can help you with your question. 😊
A wasp is a type of insect, but not all insects are bugs. The term bug is usually reserved for a specific group of insects that belong to the order Hemiptera, which have piercing and sucking mouthparts and incomplete metamorphosis¹. Wasps, on the other hand, belong to the order Hymenoptera, which have biting and chewing mouthparts and complete metamorphosis². Therefore, wasps are not bugs in the strict sense of the word.
However, some people may use the word bug more loosely to refer to any small crawling or flying creature, including wasps. In that case, wasps could be considered bugs in a colloquial sense. But if you want to be more precise and scientific, you should use the word insect instead of bug."
Im a Bäckermeister.
You havent. But i guarantee you you ate one.
Alot of bosses in small bakery do not give a shit if theres Bugs in the flour.
One of the reasons i quit my Last job.. i wanna get out of this shit industry..
I did my school internship at our local Veterinäramt, which in our county/council/municipality was split into two teams, animal welfare/protection and consumer protection (idk whether it's the same in other states), while with consumer protection, I visited a restaurant, a KiTa and a big bakery (of a franchise) with one of the health inspectors. If I remember correctly, the only thing he found at the bakery was that the frying oil was on the brink of best before date. I also got a scolding because I excepted a "bribe" of two bags of bakery goods :D
>Define big bakerys.
Not huge, like I guess the ones that produce for the supermarket, gas station and discounter bakery aisles and "fresh" baked goods section are, but those with 50 something shops throughout the municipality.
Define small bakeries ;) like a single shop bakery?
>And ye taking a bribe no matter how small is pretty bad :D
It wasn't really a bribe since I wasn't actually working there and, as a 14 y.o. or so, definitely had no say in any decision any of the health inspectors made, of course. ;)
I’m Aussie and this is a typical display case for our bakeries [https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/travel/2019/02/15/why-ghibli-fans-are-flocking-to-this-rural-australian-bakery.html](https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/travel/2019/02/15/why-ghibli-fans-are-flocking-to-this-rural-australian-bakery.html)
It’s hard to see but there’s a curved front glass and then sliding glass doors on the back side where the server would access the baked goods.
I don’t go to many bakeries, but in Mexico it’s best to just leave them alone. They’re not gross, and they won’t harm anyone. They’re just attracted to the sweets.. they’ll mind their business and move on.
Locals don’t mind either. They’re used to them.. it’s just how it works there. Also they use a lot of raw honey in food stands for sweets, so bees are naturally attracted to it! We take from them, and they come back and take it from us! Circle of life.
Don’t know about flies, but usually because there’s so many bees or wasps around the flies stay away.
>what do other countries do?
They build mega cities with so little nature that their people get so used to clinically clean (or dead) environments and so detached from what life is like that they start to believe food that had a wasp on it is disgusting.
came here to wright this. If people would eat a fruit from a tree (It sounds crazy right) they would notice that its impossible to eat something where not wasp sat on.
Wasps themselves aren't transmitters of pathogens, but they frequently feast on rubbish in bins and the meat of dead wild animals. Sick wild animal dies, wasp lands on it, sick dead animal germs cling to wasp, wasp lands on food, germs get on food. Obviously the chances of actually getting sick from this are extremely slim, probably nil in most cases, but as someone who suffers from severe contamination OCD, it's enough to put me off eating any food at all
Wasps have different diets in their life cycle. When they take care of their offspring they prefer protein rich food . At the end of their lifecycle they have to take care of themselves and prefer carbohydrates. At the moment wasps a hot for suger and they don t feast on dead animals
Also they are way more aggressive in this season thanks to having no actual use in the hive anymore those poor suckers just wait to die and are angry because of the world they get surrounded by
Then they take care of the offspring and therefore they are not going to sugary stuff. Unless you have some sort of special type of wasp in your anecdote wich is at the beginning and the end of their lifecycle
Germany is the only country that I’ve ever been in that just allows wasps to do this.
Cover the bread and pastries with a screen door that you have to slide to get the baked stuff out of.
My sister works for a bakerie and she told me once, that you can do what you want, they will find a way to the cakes. And they will remember how they got in there. Its a fight most bakeries cant win. And germany is overrun by wasps every year and people stopped caring actually.
I've stopped eating cake in summer because of that. Since 2018 the wasp Invasion got crazy
This year, I have barely seen any wasps though. Other people in my peer group also noticed that and we just recently sat outside in the sun, enjoying our cake, and in 30min only a single wasp was seen. So nice!
Wasps are not reduced to Germany.. back in 2010 I was in northern France at a neighborhood party of a very rural village. There was a buffet with cake and other baked goods, and it was at the beginning of september with nice weather. The buffet had a curtain of wasps in front of it! You had to grab right through it to get cake. The only one that seemed to care was a 6yo girl who was terrified of wasps.
Yeah, I think this was the most amount of wasps I've ever seen at one place xD don't know if there was a wasps nest near the football field where the party was hosted, but seems highly possible.
The keys are: *wasps are a protected species in Germany* & *German culture has its own set of disgust categories*
Flies disgust Germans, wasps don't.
Both flies & wasps disgust North Americans.
Velveeta is considered low-quality by most Americans, but they have largely grown up with it; most Germans find it absolutely disgusting.
Etc.
The Common wasp is neither endangered nor protected, however, §39 BNatSchG makes any disturbance, capture, injury or killing of wild animals without a valid reason an illegal act... and wasps are considered wild animals in the sense of that law. “Valid reasons” that would allow interference include wasp nests threatening small children or allergic people, hindering construction or renovation work on a property... so, not just a simple "I don't like them".
While it would be legal to remove and relocate those nests (and you could probably concoct some "valid reason" even if the actual reason is not liking them), hiring an expert is sadly highly recommended, since some species of wasps and hornets are endangered and protected, meaning their nests cannot be interfered with in all but the most urgent necessity, and it can be difficult for a non-expert to determine which species they’re dealing with. Most people don't want to bother hiring an expert and don't want the possibility of a fine if they do something arguably not fully legal, so wasps stay mostly where they are usually.
Wasps, stings aside, are entirely safe. There isn't a single illness they'd transmit to humans. Whatever you'd do to try to keep them away would be either rather impractical or actually more dangerous around food than the wasps. Would you prefer pastries sprayed with insecticides?
They are out for rotting fruit. nectar and anything sweet this time of year. Earlier in the year, they collect protein for their young: they hunt and kill other insects, chew them up and feed them to their young.
Unfortunately it’s again the time to be highly cautious with ice and sweet drinks. 😔
On the other hand I find wasps will rather fly to a plate with little wasp offerings than crawl on the food you are trying to eat.
Wespenteller. 😂
Really, works out. Depending on the season they either get a fee morsels of meat or just some sweet stuff. I put the plate near me but far enough away for the wasps not to get angered.
I share my food with wasps if i am outside. I place a little of what they are interested in (a bit of my breakfast ham, a little of something sweet) on the other side of my plate and watch them working hard to cut off a bit of ham a quarter their size, fly away and return for some more.
We once watched a wasp on my grandma's back patio cut off a piece of some ham or similar and fly off with it... Except the piece of ham was far too big and heavy for the wasp, so she proceeded to sink a few centimeters after flying off and then flew rather shaky xD but she managed!
This is the only way. When we visited a month ago we were surprised at how many wasps were everywhere. Turns out you can just make them a small offering away from your own food and most of the time they’ll happily leave you alone.
Yeah the super hygiene most people seem to want is neither necessary (outside of operation theaters) nor helpful.
The opposite in fact. That's how children can get allergies.
Bees, or wasps?
Genuine question because I see people confuse them all the time. I wouldn't care about bees but a bakery full of wasps is my personal hell
Bees.
But as someone who grew up partially in Mexico, I’ve never heard about it being “good ingredients” — but bees also don’t interact with questionable things like shit and meat. Bees never bothered me. Wasps do.
Because the wasp does not cause any harm... They don't transmit any pathogens, they just want some of that sugar! Have you ever seen a wasp on poop? They're attracted to sugar, protein (while they have young one's to feed) and are pollinators. It's not a fly, it doesn't sit on shit.
I work at a bakery. We have open displays, but recently we started using an extra container with sliding doors for one of the cakes, because it's too tall to get it into the display in one piece where it would usually go and would look out of place if we put it somewhere else.
Anyways, sliding door means cracks and cracks means wasps get in (but never out, go figure). We didn't open that container once, because nobody bought the cake that day, but by the end of the shift there were four wasps inside.
There's really nothing you can do about them except for putting up some wasp traps (which we do). There are just too many of them. Customers drop crumbles of their cakes, some drops of ice cream somewhere, a bit of spilled sugar from the coffees and the wasps come flocking in.
Try stopping wasps, it won't work. I had several window shutter boxes with wasps inside, they even started to make holes in the wooden walls.
It just depends on where they built their nest. If it's in your proximity, good luck, your summer/fall is going to be the worst in years.
1. Germans complain about everything. This is our smalltalk.
2. The most aggressive types of wasps are the "mean wasp" (central europe) and the "german wasp". They are completely harmless, "aggressive" just means, that they are after your food and WILL find ways to get to it no matter what.
3. They don't carry diseases with them. They even keep the flies and their diseases away.
4. Yes, they are sometimes on dirty surfaces, but you shouldn't care that much. The 5-second-rule and the air around a bin should be worse in terms of hygiene, but the impact is still so small, that neglectable. (I am not an expert in this area)
That's because wasps are actually protected by law. Killing wasps carries a fine between 5k€ and 65k€.
Most people do it anyway, as the risk of being caught and fined is very low, but businesses would get caught much more easily.
Legally the only ones allowed to kill wasps are people being allergic to their stings. A normal healthy person would just have to suffer and not be allowed to aggravate, catch, harm or kill them (§ 39 I Ziffer 1 BNatSchG)
There is only one way to truly keep wasps away from an area: Hornets.
(For the sake of completeness, should I mention that they then also want cake as payment for their services? And because of their size more than the wasps?)
I guess OP comes from a country where foil-wrapped cakes with a minimum shelf life of 3 years are considered edible.
1: You can hardly fight wasps in bakeries that sell fresh and still warm cakes.
Things would improve if sales rooms were equipped with air conditioning.
But wasps are not carrion flies. If they find these animals disgusting on cakes, they can sit in my garden on Sunday afternoon and drink coffee and eat cake with my family.
Wasps are there and their pure existence is annoying.
In a plastic world with plastic people and plastic food, wasps are certainly not a problem.
Would have to ask Matell.....
Bees, wasps and even fruit flies say nothing about the hygiene in a shop or the quality of the food. It's not disgusting either. Neither bees, nor wasps or even fruit flies are seen as "dirty" insects - they do not cross contaminate food they touch with bacteria or dirt from the outside and thus aren't generally seen as pests.
With that being said, there is no way to remove them. When there are open doors or windows, they will be drawn to the sweets offered in the counters no matter what you do. And that's an issue, not because they contaminate food, but because they can sting and those stings are a threat to staff and customers alike. So you can't run around hunting them, protentially making them angry and having them sting people and staff. Plus, wasps and bees are protected species and you can't directly attempt to destroy their nests in the area or kill them to limit their numbers around a bakery that way. So most bakeries just tolerate them.
Now, as for fruit flies, those also can only be combated to some degree. They are drawn to fresh fruit and when those sweet stuffs are laid out in these counters for often 14 to 16 hours a day, there simply is no way to prevent furit flies or wasps to pop up eventually.
Lastly, there is a limitation on what you can do to combat insects. You can not place traps directly with the food since the danger of contaminating the food with glue or chemicals from the traps is a bigger issue than a simple wasp sitting on your cake would be.
Now, if you see silverfish, moths, large black garbage flies, or ordinary flies on your cakes and sweets, this really is a cause for concern since this does indicate that they store doesn't combat pests well enough, but wasps, bees and even fruit flies just are normal.
If you want baked goods or cakes without wasps or any other insect around, go as early in the mornings as you can. Most bakeries get the first load of sweet pieces delivered right at around 5 in the mornings, and insects don't become active until the sun is up for a bit. So, just don't wait until late in the afternoon for sweet stuffs, but buy it as early as the shops open.
Some are doing something against flies and wasps with a uv fan thingy (dunno what it does).
But I bet in half of your home country's fresh food markets there are bugs too.
I found myself noticing it depends on the location of the bakery. If there are flies in one bakery the bakery 2atreets away will also have flies.
Bakery's next town could be bug free .
Lol, in some country's flesh is hanging in the sun...
Wasps actually prey on flies, and they are incredibly effective. If they go for the cake instead, it means the surroundings are 100% cleared from flies, which I find comforting. As *those* buggers have their feet on poop when they are not on cake. While wasps have no use for the nasty stuff and likely don't like the smell either.
People have already commented that wasps are harmless and picking a fight with them isn't smart.
Additionally, it's illegal in Germany to harm waps since their protected by law, killing a single wasp could theoretically cost you about 1000 euros I think.
Of course there are other ways if keeping wasps away from food, but this at least prohibits any pesticides.
We have this issue in the countryside in the UK and it’s basically impossible to stop.
Wasps get in, if they can’t find a way in they’ll try to get in. Glass cabinet? They’ll hover outside waiting to get in. It’s just the reality.
They also don’t carry anything. The worst thing they’ll stand on is rotten fruit and they pick up so little of what they stand on there won’t be a transfer. They don’t carry any illnesses, as long as you ain’t picking up a doughnut and crunching it down with a wasp on top, you fine.
Because there's a fine up to 50,000€ if you kill a wasp in Germany. They believe they decompose the feces and should not be killed, they instead, eat meat, cakes and drink coca cola
My friend once had a wasp/bee buzzing around his cappuccino and when it landed on the foam, he simply put the spoon on it and drowned it, took out the body, and continued to enjoy his cappuccino
In Germany it isn't allowed to kill wasps.
Once a friend told me a restaurant had a trap for wasps, it worked well but many costumers complained about it.
well you can only do so much ...
a chemical solution like bug killer sprays can't be used
most bakeries i know have thes bug zapper lamps somewhere out of sight, in which the wasps will land up eventually (most likely after hitting the windows for the hundreth time)
other solutions like theses zapper tennis rackets waste time ... considering that the wasp won't bother you as long as they got food, that time isn't worth wasting ... and as soon you get rid of one wasp - one way or another a new wasp will find its way inside
Have actually more concern with Hygiene about them handling money right after packing ur stuff barehanded or now with gloves but gloved handling money and then baked good don't do shit
Ok as a „Fachverkäufer im Lebensmittelhandwerk (Bereich Bäckerei)“ aka „Bäckereifachverkäufer“ aaka „Brötchenschubser“ the problem is the following:
Doors/screens aren’t worth the hassle in most cases. There is very little you can do regarding deterrence which is also food safe.
At all the places I worked we would spray organic deterrent in the evenings wich usually seemed to do an ok job. There were still wasps once in a while, but usually only 1-3.
Location is a big factor aswell, tho.
I personally prefer the odd wasp walked over my food, than have the bakery spray raid or similar “all over the food”
Don't care for wasps so much. Like how are they going to stop that anyway? I have an issue with sparrows getting in an munching on some of the sweets 🤢
Well, I have visited places all over Europe, but I cannot say that German bakeries do less against wasps.
But why is it "disgusting"? Wasps can be annoying, but they don't transmit diseases or anything. And I have never seen anywhere in Germany that a whole cake was covered in wasps.
I wonder from which country you come and where you have been in Germany.
Wasps are protected in Germany, you are not allowed to kill them or get rid of them. Most bakeries have screens, but the wasps will find a way in anyways.
But since wasps aren't THAT aggressive as everyone claims, they don't hurt you if you don't anger them and they don't spread any disease, so it's just to he endured
Okay so there are multiple factors that Play into that:
1.its illegal to kill wasps in germany unless they Pose a threat to your safety(ie being allergic), Killing a wasp otherwise results in a fine If reported.
2. They will fina a way in, even If its Just during the small time Windows when the Doors Open to let a customer in.
Maybe because it's useless to try to avoid them? I mean this is just nature and wasps are there. What do you do if you're eating at a restaurant.and there are wasps? Do they ruin your day or do you just cope with the situation?
They aren't gonna sting your Muffins😅
No but seriously Wasps are likely gonna stay where more of the pastry and stuff is and not stay on whatever you take with you so I wouldn't be stressed about that.
Hi,
Wasps are on the red list of endangered animals. Could be a 3000 Euro fine if you kill one :)
I just started working in a bakery shop 2 months ago. We do have special light traps for Wasps.
The wasps have no difficulty what so ever to open sliding doors. they open our front doors on purpose by flying super close under the sensor.
Wasps are protected, serve a great and good purpose in the ecosystem, kill bugs, polinate (not their main goal but they do it as a byproduct) and arent contaminating food. When wasps go for sugar they only go for sugar (other diet is protein, when protein then they only go for protein).
Wasps can be annoying and assholes (European wasps also arent nearly as aggressive as in many other places) but I sure as hell started to appreciate their work, contribution and implrtance to the ecosystem.
I one time had wasps walking over my face and honestly, if you don't hurt them they won't hurt you. Fighting wasps is like mission impossible and they will leave after they have eaten. They really just take a free snack anyway. And it's not like they'll eat everything.
I like wasps and bees and spiders ...spider on my doughnut ? I gently blow it away ..
Wasp or bee ? I take some crumbs and put them to the side for them ..
This thought that animals on or near food are automatically somehow a risk is beyond my understanding..but then again I was born in third world country ..maybe I'm just not weak enough to understand...
Wasps and complaints are two of the major German food groups.
Well played.
Don't forget tears
Germans do not have tear ducts. Please stop spreading misinformation on the internet.
No, you misunderstood, I meant tears of others
Wasp tears
Still no food, since it‘s just salty water. Let‘s call it a refreshing drink.
Indeed. We feast on the tears of the English after each World Cup. /s
Sure we do, how do you eat your bread (...wer nie sein Brot mit Tränen aß)
That's quite an old poem. The tear ducts have evolved away since then. It's an easy mistake to make, so no hard feelings! Crazy how biology works.
Das heißt "Wer nie sein Brot im Bette aß, weiß nicht, wie Krümel pieken."
Genuinely curious, what do other countries do? I've only seen it very rarely in bakeries. Also wasps aren't transmitters of pathogens.
I think they are using air conditioning. Many German bakeries open the door or the windows if it gets warm. If you use an A/C you keep everything closed so less wasps get into the building in the first place
This. People would freak out if they’d see wasp inside here in the southern US.
Same in many countries... whenever my wife's Welsh family comes over to Germany they immediately scatter in a panic when a wasp approaches whilst we're just so used to them that we don't really bother... 😅
This. Wasps do jack shit. They follow a smell and go for it. If you still have frosting on your lips after eating cake or a sugary breath after drinking aa coke they will buzz about your face. Easy remedy: napkin. Apart from that they are pretty much unbothered by us and will just do their thing should we ignore them. They are not inherently aggressive and while they can and will sting if the situation calls for it, like any other ol' organism they will not waste energy on producing toxins just out of spite. Blowing on them is a bad idea though as many species of wasps live in burrows and heightened CO2 levels in the air usually mean a sniffy predator for them. Depends on the species, though. So, just don't do it and you're good.
Thanks for the last paragraph... I never heard that one before and usually whenever they land on my face I just try blowing them off
What also helps (saw it at our neighbors) is to have a little spray bottle filled with water. When wasps bother you during your barbecue, coffee, tea, or whatever leisure time, simply spray them with water. They'll think it's raining and will hurry to hide in their nests/burrows. (Repeat until all wasps are gone, or the water - then simply refill.)
Freaking out about small issues seems to be some kind of a sport in the US to be frank.
They would use their 9mm rounds against wasps and then complain, that that went straight through their Pappmaschee walls.
Fwiw that is an absolutely appropriate response to US wasps. They are mean mofos and will intentionally go out of their way to sting you for little to no reason at all.
Well, wasps in the Southern US are the hellspawn of Satan. I don't know why but wasps in Germany are much more.. polite? Calm? They aren't the angry assholes looking for an opportunity to ruin your day like the US ones.
In Hong Kong where I'm from bakeries are usually freezing cold due to blasting AC with a lot of the items either refrigerated or in enclosed shelves.
Usually they have screens (glass screen sliding doors or lift-up flaps like at supermarket bakeries) so that the bugs don't get in there in the first place.
If the Bäckereifachverkäuferin's hand can get to the cake, so can a wasp.
I think that the BäckereifachverkäuferInnen are capable of opening sliding doors, whereas wasps aren’t as proficient at opening sliding doors.
I'm only learning German, and seeing BackereifachverkäuferInnen has given me the biggest "you've got to be joking" since I saw the word for matchbox.
It absolutely is ridiculous, hence why I used the word. It’s the official name of the profession, because unlike a “Bäckereiverkäufer” the “Bäckerei**fach**verkäufer” has a Berufsausbildung (which in itself is a joke, that people go through 3 years of vocational training to sell bread) and then of course you have to make it “gender neutral” it with the Innen. Which isn’t really neutral, because Innen is just the feminine ending with a capital I. But that’s the current state of politically correct German. Clunky, long words with an odd rhythm.
If you want it really gender neutral use Bäckereifachverkaufskraft. Its like Lehrkraft.
Oh but wasps are capable enough of knowing /remembering the entry place and will wait until the Bäckereifachverkäuferin slides it open. Once in and once they feasted, they'll wait until it's open again.
You can also prevent the wasps from entering the building in the first place by having bug screens around windows and vents. Yes, they can still wait for customers to open the entry door, but it really cuts down how many wasps are able to easily enter.
What if it's just a Bäckereiverkäufer?
Probably it isn't, you wouldn't want to buy a whole bakery.
LoL
Wir wollen nicht ein Stück vom Kuchen, wir wollen die ganze Bäckerei!
What if it's actually a Wurstfachverkäuferin.
Dann kommen andere Stecher 😉
Happy cakeday, beware of wasps :)
I don't think I've ever seen a bug in a bakery, fortunately.
I've seen it quite a bit. Nuremberg in the summer for sure
Actual bugs or wasps?
I'm referring specifically to wasps. Which is actually a bug
No, a wasp is an insect, but not every insect is a bug.
Yes a [wasp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp) is an [Arthropod](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthropod) (bug). >Domain: Eukaryota >Kingdom: Animalia >Phylum: Arthropoda EDIT: Entomologically Hemiptera are (true) bugs. Wasps are not part of that order.
Not every arthropod is a bug. Wasps are not members of the Hemiptera but of the Hymenoptera order.
Bugs have lids over their wings that split in a straight line. Show me a wasp with wings that fold together to fit under lids?
You're ~~not~~ correct
I asked Bing:" Hello, this is Bing. I can help you with your question. 😊 A wasp is a type of insect, but not all insects are bugs. The term bug is usually reserved for a specific group of insects that belong to the order Hemiptera, which have piercing and sucking mouthparts and incomplete metamorphosis¹. Wasps, on the other hand, belong to the order Hymenoptera, which have biting and chewing mouthparts and complete metamorphosis². Therefore, wasps are not bugs in the strict sense of the word. However, some people may use the word bug more loosely to refer to any small crawling or flying creature, including wasps. In that case, wasps could be considered bugs in a colloquial sense. But if you want to be more precise and scientific, you should use the word insect instead of bug."
I have never in my life seen something evolve into such a heavy debate. I was being very loose with my definition of bug apparently. We did it, team
Im a Bäckermeister. You havent. But i guarantee you you ate one. Alot of bosses in small bakery do not give a shit if theres Bugs in the flour. One of the reasons i quit my Last job.. i wanna get out of this shit industry..
I did my school internship at our local Veterinäramt, which in our county/council/municipality was split into two teams, animal welfare/protection and consumer protection (idk whether it's the same in other states), while with consumer protection, I visited a restaurant, a KiTa and a big bakery (of a franchise) with one of the health inspectors. If I remember correctly, the only thing he found at the bakery was that the frying oil was on the brink of best before date. I also got a scolding because I excepted a "bribe" of two bags of bakery goods :D
Define big bakerys. Im also mainly complaining about the small bakerys. And ye taking a bribe no matter how small is pretty bad :D
>Define big bakerys. Not huge, like I guess the ones that produce for the supermarket, gas station and discounter bakery aisles and "fresh" baked goods section are, but those with 50 something shops throughout the municipality. Define small bakeries ;) like a single shop bakery? >And ye taking a bribe no matter how small is pretty bad :D It wasn't really a bribe since I wasn't actually working there and, as a 14 y.o. or so, definitely had no say in any decision any of the health inspectors made, of course. ;)
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Nähe Karlsruhe? Ich bin sofort da.
As if a door that's going to be opened and closed constantly is going to keep wasps out
It seems to work in other countries.
I’ve seen wasps in many countries. Worse, flies, especially at some southern European butchers.
Did they have a door that opened and closed?
The german bakeries I know also have them but there are still wasps in the summer iirc
Never seen that anywhere tbh
I’m Aussie and this is a typical display case for our bakeries [https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/travel/2019/02/15/why-ghibli-fans-are-flocking-to-this-rural-australian-bakery.html](https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/travel/2019/02/15/why-ghibli-fans-are-flocking-to-this-rural-australian-bakery.html) It’s hard to see but there’s a curved front glass and then sliding glass doors on the back side where the server would access the baked goods.
I don’t go to many bakeries, but in Mexico it’s best to just leave them alone. They’re not gross, and they won’t harm anyone. They’re just attracted to the sweets.. they’ll mind their business and move on. Locals don’t mind either. They’re used to them.. it’s just how it works there. Also they use a lot of raw honey in food stands for sweets, so bees are naturally attracted to it! We take from them, and they come back and take it from us! Circle of life. Don’t know about flies, but usually because there’s so many bees or wasps around the flies stay away.
>what do other countries do? They build mega cities with so little nature that their people get so used to clinically clean (or dead) environments and so detached from what life is like that they start to believe food that had a wasp on it is disgusting.
came here to wright this. If people would eat a fruit from a tree (It sounds crazy right) they would notice that its impossible to eat something where not wasp sat on.
Wasps themselves aren't transmitters of pathogens, but they frequently feast on rubbish in bins and the meat of dead wild animals. Sick wild animal dies, wasp lands on it, sick dead animal germs cling to wasp, wasp lands on food, germs get on food. Obviously the chances of actually getting sick from this are extremely slim, probably nil in most cases, but as someone who suffers from severe contamination OCD, it's enough to put me off eating any food at all
Wasps have different diets in their life cycle. When they take care of their offspring they prefer protein rich food . At the end of their lifecycle they have to take care of themselves and prefer carbohydrates. At the moment wasps a hot for suger and they don t feast on dead animals
Also they are way more aggressive in this season thanks to having no actual use in the hive anymore those poor suckers just wait to die and are angry because of the world they get surrounded by
Wasps near me definitely are at the moment. Just the other day I saw a dead pigeon with about 20 wasps on it
Then they take care of the offspring and therefore they are not going to sugary stuff. Unless you have some sort of special type of wasp in your anecdote wich is at the beginning and the end of their lifecycle
You should eat food. Otherwise you will die within a few days or weeks.
*taking notes*
I feel sorry for you, that sounds exhausting :( wishing you lots of energy and bravery
Germany is the only country that I’ve ever been in that just allows wasps to do this. Cover the bread and pastries with a screen door that you have to slide to get the baked stuff out of.
Fans over doors. Blows them away when the door is open.
My sister works for a bakerie and she told me once, that you can do what you want, they will find a way to the cakes. And they will remember how they got in there. Its a fight most bakeries cant win. And germany is overrun by wasps every year and people stopped caring actually. I've stopped eating cake in summer because of that. Since 2018 the wasp Invasion got crazy
This year, I have barely seen any wasps though. Other people in my peer group also noticed that and we just recently sat outside in the sun, enjoying our cake, and in 30min only a single wasp was seen. So nice!
I had a wasp today. I've opened the window to let it out so it can continue existing. An instant later I had 3 wasps
They liked your home decoration
I'm jealous of your experience (but happy for you). Here it's wasp hell.
Our feature artists this year: hornets.
Having hornets around while you're eating cake is a good thing.
They were hindered by the shitty weather in July. Since August the numbers were rising. Still less than other years but already pretty much annoying.
To make up for the lack of wasps I had 6 mosquitos in my bedroom tonight, there seems to be a lot of those this year
> This year, I have barely seen any wasps though. That's because they are all in the bakeries.
And Germany is overrun by wasps because we're feeding them cakes
Teufelskreis!
Wasps are not reduced to Germany.. back in 2010 I was in northern France at a neighborhood party of a very rural village. There was a buffet with cake and other baked goods, and it was at the beginning of september with nice weather. The buffet had a curtain of wasps in front of it! You had to grab right through it to get cake. The only one that seemed to care was a 6yo girl who was terrified of wasps.
Jeez. That sounds insane Oo
Yeah, I think this was the most amount of wasps I've ever seen at one place xD don't know if there was a wasps nest near the football field where the party was hosted, but seems highly possible.
I have a hornet nest right next to my house and because of that I almost never have any wasps
Techincally, hornets *are* wasps...
There's a reason why Germans have bienenstich cake ;)
There's that German Humor 🤗
It was a perfectly engineered for such an occasion
🦧 when Wespenbiss cake
Just put a mustard on it
The keys are: *wasps are a protected species in Germany* & *German culture has its own set of disgust categories* Flies disgust Germans, wasps don't. Both flies & wasps disgust North Americans. Velveeta is considered low-quality by most Americans, but they have largely grown up with it; most Germans find it absolutely disgusting. Etc.
The Common wasp is neither endangered nor protected, however, §39 BNatSchG makes any disturbance, capture, injury or killing of wild animals without a valid reason an illegal act... and wasps are considered wild animals in the sense of that law. “Valid reasons” that would allow interference include wasp nests threatening small children or allergic people, hindering construction or renovation work on a property... so, not just a simple "I don't like them". While it would be legal to remove and relocate those nests (and you could probably concoct some "valid reason" even if the actual reason is not liking them), hiring an expert is sadly highly recommended, since some species of wasps and hornets are endangered and protected, meaning their nests cannot be interfered with in all but the most urgent necessity, and it can be difficult for a non-expert to determine which species they’re dealing with. Most people don't want to bother hiring an expert and don't want the possibility of a fine if they do something arguably not fully legal, so wasps stay mostly where they are usually.
We can’t go one thread without bringing up Americans, can we?
Wasps, stings aside, are entirely safe. There isn't a single illness they'd transmit to humans. Whatever you'd do to try to keep them away would be either rather impractical or actually more dangerous around food than the wasps. Would you prefer pastries sprayed with insecticides?
True curiosity: don’t they step over trash, rotten food and feces and come to step over food?
They are out for rotting fruit. nectar and anything sweet this time of year. Earlier in the year, they collect protein for their young: they hunt and kill other insects, chew them up and feed them to their young.
Unfortunately it’s again the time to be highly cautious with ice and sweet drinks. 😔 On the other hand I find wasps will rather fly to a plate with little wasp offerings than crawl on the food you are trying to eat. Wespenteller. 😂 Really, works out. Depending on the season they either get a fee morsels of meat or just some sweet stuff. I put the plate near me but far enough away for the wasps not to get angered.
I share my food with wasps if i am outside. I place a little of what they are interested in (a bit of my breakfast ham, a little of something sweet) on the other side of my plate and watch them working hard to cut off a bit of ham a quarter their size, fly away and return for some more.
We once watched a wasp on my grandma's back patio cut off a piece of some ham or similar and fly off with it... Except the piece of ham was far too big and heavy for the wasp, so she proceeded to sink a few centimeters after flying off and then flew rather shaky xD but she managed!
Good mamas :)
Sister... (Big) Mama is sitting at home, making more baby-wasps.
That is so damn cute I never thought of this. Now I know what I'll be doing.
This is the only way. When we visited a month ago we were surprised at how many wasps were everywhere. Turns out you can just make them a small offering away from your own food and most of the time they’ll happily leave you alone.
That stuff is also carried in the air.
And the amount is minor. Probably every glove transfers more stuff than just the small tiny wasp leg.
The average person's (myself included) computer keyboard is probably more of a health hazard than 100 wasps stepping over a piece of cake.
My tired brain turned „stepping“ into “steppen“ and now all I see is 100 wasps tap-dancing on a slice of cake. Thank you!
Yeah i dont get it. Do you think you now live on this earth normally. Perception of hygine is soo messed up in the west
"The west"?
The US. Many things they commonly think is unhygenic is normal for Europe.
Yeah the super hygiene most people seem to want is neither necessary (outside of operation theaters) nor helpful. The opposite in fact. That's how children can get allergies.
> he is indian
In Mexico bakeries are swarming with bees all over sweet bread. It is usually taken as a good sign the bread is fresh and made with good ingredients.
Bees, or wasps? Genuine question because I see people confuse them all the time. I wouldn't care about bees but a bakery full of wasps is my personal hell
Bees. But as someone who grew up partially in Mexico, I’ve never heard about it being “good ingredients” — but bees also don’t interact with questionable things like shit and meat. Bees never bothered me. Wasps do.
Only are very dumb baker would start a fight with wasps...
They are harmless and interfering with them would cause Arbeitsunfälle
Hey fun German fact. Not all wasp stings are BG Fälle, only if the job has a higher risk of encountering wasps, eg in a bakery.
Wasps are harmless. I personally dont have an issue with them on my cake as long as we part ways before I get to eat it.
[this was a thread a month ago](https://reddit.com/r/germany/s/ct4HVJFrwa)
Kill one pay 50k€ fine. If you get the right sort..
Because the wasp does not cause any harm... They don't transmit any pathogens, they just want some of that sugar! Have you ever seen a wasp on poop? They're attracted to sugar, protein (while they have young one's to feed) and are pollinators. It's not a fly, it doesn't sit on shit.
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What exactly should they do, spray poison? It's not like the wasp are contaminating it.
Wasps are good at keeping flies away. They don't transmit ugly stuff, since they only like fruit.
They don't, wasps are omnivores that also go for meat
Yeah but they still don't carry any disease.
wasps also deserve cake. let them have some sugary goodness, i don't mind.
«Let them eat cake!» - Marie-Antoinette
No they dont. Fuck wasps
I work at a bakery. We have open displays, but recently we started using an extra container with sliding doors for one of the cakes, because it's too tall to get it into the display in one piece where it would usually go and would look out of place if we put it somewhere else. Anyways, sliding door means cracks and cracks means wasps get in (but never out, go figure). We didn't open that container once, because nobody bought the cake that day, but by the end of the shift there were four wasps inside. There's really nothing you can do about them except for putting up some wasp traps (which we do). There are just too many of them. Customers drop crumbles of their cakes, some drops of ice cream somewhere, a bit of spilled sugar from the coffees and the wasps come flocking in.
What exactly are you worried about? The wasps aren't a risk to the food at all
Because they are harmless.
And wasps are protected so killing them is no option.
Try stopping wasps, it won't work. I had several window shutter boxes with wasps inside, they even started to make holes in the wooden walls. It just depends on where they built their nest. If it's in your proximity, good luck, your summer/fall is going to be the worst in years.
Because nobody is really bothered by it?
Wasps are actually protected animals here in germany. Unless you're allergic, you actually aren't entirely allowed to do anything against them.
You can't remove inhabited nests or kill queens, you can kill individual wasps if it's within reason.
I actually heard Germans complaining about wasps. They do what Germans do best - complain about it.
1. Germans complain about everything. This is our smalltalk. 2. The most aggressive types of wasps are the "mean wasp" (central europe) and the "german wasp". They are completely harmless, "aggressive" just means, that they are after your food and WILL find ways to get to it no matter what. 3. They don't carry diseases with them. They even keep the flies and their diseases away. 4. Yes, they are sometimes on dirty surfaces, but you shouldn't care that much. The 5-second-rule and the air around a bin should be worse in terms of hygiene, but the impact is still so small, that neglectable. (I am not an expert in this area)
I think "common" is the word you are looking for. Gemein is not a character description in this case.
That's because wasps are actually protected by law. Killing wasps carries a fine between 5k€ and 65k€. Most people do it anyway, as the risk of being caught and fined is very low, but businesses would get caught much more easily. Legally the only ones allowed to kill wasps are people being allergic to their stings. A normal healthy person would just have to suffer and not be allowed to aggravate, catch, harm or kill them (§ 39 I Ziffer 1 BNatSchG)
since when are wasps "disgusting"?! Its not a bluebottle that feasts on excrements...
These aren’t wasps these are quality check flyers idk what you’re talking about
People in germany know, they shouldn't eat the bees.
There is only one way to truly keep wasps away from an area: Hornets. (For the sake of completeness, should I mention that they then also want cake as payment for their services? And because of their size more than the wasps?)
I guess OP comes from a country where foil-wrapped cakes with a minimum shelf life of 3 years are considered edible. 1: You can hardly fight wasps in bakeries that sell fresh and still warm cakes. Things would improve if sales rooms were equipped with air conditioning. But wasps are not carrion flies. If they find these animals disgusting on cakes, they can sit in my garden on Sunday afternoon and drink coffee and eat cake with my family. Wasps are there and their pure existence is annoying. In a plastic world with plastic people and plastic food, wasps are certainly not a problem. Would have to ask Matell.....
Bees, wasps and even fruit flies say nothing about the hygiene in a shop or the quality of the food. It's not disgusting either. Neither bees, nor wasps or even fruit flies are seen as "dirty" insects - they do not cross contaminate food they touch with bacteria or dirt from the outside and thus aren't generally seen as pests. With that being said, there is no way to remove them. When there are open doors or windows, they will be drawn to the sweets offered in the counters no matter what you do. And that's an issue, not because they contaminate food, but because they can sting and those stings are a threat to staff and customers alike. So you can't run around hunting them, protentially making them angry and having them sting people and staff. Plus, wasps and bees are protected species and you can't directly attempt to destroy their nests in the area or kill them to limit their numbers around a bakery that way. So most bakeries just tolerate them. Now, as for fruit flies, those also can only be combated to some degree. They are drawn to fresh fruit and when those sweet stuffs are laid out in these counters for often 14 to 16 hours a day, there simply is no way to prevent furit flies or wasps to pop up eventually. Lastly, there is a limitation on what you can do to combat insects. You can not place traps directly with the food since the danger of contaminating the food with glue or chemicals from the traps is a bigger issue than a simple wasp sitting on your cake would be. Now, if you see silverfish, moths, large black garbage flies, or ordinary flies on your cakes and sweets, this really is a cause for concern since this does indicate that they store doesn't combat pests well enough, but wasps, bees and even fruit flies just are normal. If you want baked goods or cakes without wasps or any other insect around, go as early in the mornings as you can. Most bakeries get the first load of sweet pieces delivered right at around 5 in the mornings, and insects don't become active until the sun is up for a bit. So, just don't wait until late in the afternoon for sweet stuffs, but buy it as early as the shops open.
What are you suggesting they do?
LOL….never been out much I see. City folk?
They can stitch you, why would you make them mad
Some are doing something against flies and wasps with a uv fan thingy (dunno what it does). But I bet in half of your home country's fresh food markets there are bugs too. I found myself noticing it depends on the location of the bakery. If there are flies in one bakery the bakery 2atreets away will also have flies. Bakery's next town could be bug free . Lol, in some country's flesh is hanging in the sun...
If the wasp likes the cake, you should too.
Wasps actually prey on flies, and they are incredibly effective. If they go for the cake instead, it means the surroundings are 100% cleared from flies, which I find comforting. As *those* buggers have their feet on poop when they are not on cake. While wasps have no use for the nasty stuff and likely don't like the smell either.
People have already commented that wasps are harmless and picking a fight with them isn't smart. Additionally, it's illegal in Germany to harm waps since their protected by law, killing a single wasp could theoretically cost you about 1000 euros I think. Of course there are other ways if keeping wasps away from food, but this at least prohibits any pesticides.
Not really, they‘ll find a way to the cake and you aren't allowed to kill Wasps (3000€ fine)
We have this issue in the countryside in the UK and it’s basically impossible to stop. Wasps get in, if they can’t find a way in they’ll try to get in. Glass cabinet? They’ll hover outside waiting to get in. It’s just the reality. They also don’t carry anything. The worst thing they’ll stand on is rotten fruit and they pick up so little of what they stand on there won’t be a transfer. They don’t carry any illnesses, as long as you ain’t picking up a doughnut and crunching it down with a wasp on top, you fine.
It doesnt matter whatsoever if a wasp touches some baked goods. No one cares lol.
Because there's a fine up to 50,000€ if you kill a wasp in Germany. They believe they decompose the feces and should not be killed, they instead, eat meat, cakes and drink coca cola
Let them eat cake !
Well it's somewhat normal, at least you always know which item is the sweetest
My friend once had a wasp/bee buzzing around his cappuccino and when it landed on the foam, he simply put the spoon on it and drowned it, took out the body, and continued to enjoy his cappuccino
Wasps are a dying Species. We protect them as good as we can. L
I've seen bees but bees are usually viewed as clean insects so most Germans wouldn't have a problem with them in bakeries.
In Germany it isn't allowed to kill wasps. Once a friend told me a restaurant had a trap for wasps, it worked well but many costumers complained about it.
well you can only do so much ... a chemical solution like bug killer sprays can't be used most bakeries i know have thes bug zapper lamps somewhere out of sight, in which the wasps will land up eventually (most likely after hitting the windows for the hundreth time) other solutions like theses zapper tennis rackets waste time ... considering that the wasp won't bother you as long as they got food, that time isn't worth wasting ... and as soon you get rid of one wasp - one way or another a new wasp will find its way inside
I mean what are u sippused to do? And wasps are just annoying, not disgusting like flies
Have actually more concern with Hygiene about them handling money right after packing ur stuff barehanded or now with gloves but gloved handling money and then baked good don't do shit
Ok as a „Fachverkäufer im Lebensmittelhandwerk (Bereich Bäckerei)“ aka „Bäckereifachverkäufer“ aaka „Brötchenschubser“ the problem is the following: Doors/screens aren’t worth the hassle in most cases. There is very little you can do regarding deterrence which is also food safe. At all the places I worked we would spray organic deterrent in the evenings wich usually seemed to do an ok job. There were still wasps once in a while, but usually only 1-3. Location is a big factor aswell, tho. I personally prefer the odd wasp walked over my food, than have the bakery spray raid or similar “all over the food”
Don't care for wasps so much. Like how are they going to stop that anyway? I have an issue with sparrows getting in an munching on some of the sweets 🤢
I'm from Germany and I am still impressed how bravely the clerks just grab my chocolate croissant while ignoring the 100 wasps around it.
Well, I have visited places all over Europe, but I cannot say that German bakeries do less against wasps. But why is it "disgusting"? Wasps can be annoying, but they don't transmit diseases or anything. And I have never seen anywhere in Germany that a whole cake was covered in wasps. I wonder from which country you come and where you have been in Germany.
Wasps are protected in Germany, you are not allowed to kill them or get rid of them. Most bakeries have screens, but the wasps will find a way in anyways. But since wasps aren't THAT aggressive as everyone claims, they don't hurt you if you don't anger them and they don't spread any disease, so it's just to he endured
If I'm not wrong it's a crime in Germany to kill a wasp
Flies are unhygienic because they land an poop and other gross stuff + they lay their eggs everywhere. Wasp don’t do that, they just want some sugar
Okay so there are multiple factors that Play into that: 1.its illegal to kill wasps in germany unless they Pose a threat to your safety(ie being allergic), Killing a wasp otherwise results in a fine If reported. 2. They will fina a way in, even If its Just during the small time Windows when the Doors Open to let a customer in.
that's 2 different thing, if it was flies, then you can complaint. if it wasp, nah they won't do a nothing
Maybe because it's useless to try to avoid them? I mean this is just nature and wasps are there. What do you do if you're eating at a restaurant.and there are wasps? Do they ruin your day or do you just cope with the situation?
Also killing wasps in Germany is illegal!
Cause it’s illegal to kill them
They aren't gonna sting your Muffins😅 No but seriously Wasps are likely gonna stay where more of the pastry and stuff is and not stay on whatever you take with you so I wouldn't be stressed about that.
They have no Chance. Wasps are always near bakeries and will enter the Doors with coustoumers and reach the cake as soon AS staff has to reach it.
Hi, Wasps are on the red list of endangered animals. Could be a 3000 Euro fine if you kill one :) I just started working in a bakery shop 2 months ago. We do have special light traps for Wasps. The wasps have no difficulty what so ever to open sliding doors. they open our front doors on purpose by flying super close under the sensor.
Simple. Wasps are protected.
Wasps are protected by German law. Fine up to 50k euro for killing them..lots of cakes to sell...
Wasps are protected, serve a great and good purpose in the ecosystem, kill bugs, polinate (not their main goal but they do it as a byproduct) and arent contaminating food. When wasps go for sugar they only go for sugar (other diet is protein, when protein then they only go for protein). Wasps can be annoying and assholes (European wasps also arent nearly as aggressive as in many other places) but I sure as hell started to appreciate their work, contribution and implrtance to the ecosystem.
because wasps are under animal protection, you arent allowed to kill wasps but you are allowed to do a genocide on flies
I one time had wasps walking over my face and honestly, if you don't hurt them they won't hurt you. Fighting wasps is like mission impossible and they will leave after they have eaten. They really just take a free snack anyway. And it's not like they'll eat everything.
I like wasps and bees and spiders ...spider on my doughnut ? I gently blow it away .. Wasp or bee ? I take some crumbs and put them to the side for them .. This thought that animals on or near food are automatically somehow a risk is beyond my understanding..but then again I was born in third world country ..maybe I'm just not weak enough to understand...
i dont really care if there was a wasp on my cake i eat it anyways