WASPS
How do I know I have a wasp nest?
If you see wasps entering & leaving a hole in the ground, a wall, roof or any other part of a building between May & November then you probably have a wasp nest. You may be getting ‘unexplained’ wasps inside a room which may indicate a nest nearby.
Do not be tempted to block the hole up, this will make them angry and aggressive but will not kill the nest, they will find another entrance & may even come inside the house. Some species of wasps will build outside in bushes and trees. You will see a grey or brown structure made of a paper type material. Wasps are aggressive and will sting readily if they think the nest is in danger.
Why should a wasp nest be treated?
If you don’t treat a wasp nest it will eventually die out but before this happens the nest will produce approximately 100 fertile Queens that will hibernate and start nests the following year. A nest will get larger until the Autumn & it is when they are at their most aggressive. This is when they are likely to sting people. The workers have finished their job of nest maintenance & collecting food for grubs & now are feeding on rotting fruit (this ferments in the wasp making them drunk & much more aggressive).
Every year there are deaths from wasp stings. Although they do some good by feeding on flies, caterpillars and other insects the wasp numbers are probably artificially high because buildings give wasps unlimited nest sites which in purely natural conditions would be restricted to caves, hollow trees and other natural cavities. They cause massive amount of damage to fruits in the Autumn.
Treatment
I treat the nest or the entrance of the nest using an insecticide.
It is a modern biodegradable insecticide that is not toxic to mammals, but is extremely so to the group of insects that include (Wasps, Bees and Ants).
What do I need to do afterwards?
After treatment the nest will remain in an overly active state for up to 3 hrs, but usually Wasp activity ceases as soon as it gets dark. Keep people & pets away from the area until activity has ceased. Close windows & warn neighbours to keep away.
The 3 main points to remember are:
A treated nest cannot ever be reused.
A Wasp nest cannot move location once started it is there for the duration of its life.
The nest itself is made of a substance similar to paper Mache, which will not rot or smell, so it is quite safe and hygienic to leave where it is. If the nest is accessible and you do decide to remove it, wait for at least four weeks as this will ensure that no one will get stung by any larvae that have hatched out after the queen has died. If the nest is treated in the Autumn dying wasps, Queens and Drones may still appear for up to 20 days after treatment. Never block the entrance to a nest unless you are quite sure the nest is dead e.g. Wasps are not flying in and out of the entrance.
Wasp Nest Removal
It seems to be common sense to remove the wasp nest after treatment but the removal of a wasp nest is not necessary. When they return & find a treated nest they either get contaminated by the insecticide or exhaust themselves by flying around the nest in a state of panic. They only attempt to rebuild the nest if it isn’t there. So if you remove the wasp nest then you leave a void so other wasps can build there again. In a lot of cases the wasp nest is not accessible. The nest may be in a cavity wall or behind a fascia that cannot be reached.
Guarantee
The treated nest(s) are guaranteed never to be used again and the actual location of the treated nest(s) guaranteed not to be reused by other Wasps for the remainder of the calendar year.