Wasps
Wasps are a very common pest during the British summer, and if you have noticed higher than usual number around your workplace or at your home, there are high chances you have either a wasp nest nearby or something highly attractive to the wasps in proximity.
Areas which can summer from large numbers, whilst not being nearby to a nest include:
Pub, Bar & Restaurant Gardens
Picnic Areas
Amusement Parks
Festivals
This is due to the larger than usual volume of sweet substances such as ice-cream and fizzy drinks, to which wasps can smell from hundred of meters away. We can provide specialist control programmes in which we would set up different traps to entice the wasps away from high traffic areas.
Signs you may have a wasp nest at your property.
Wasp nests are very well built, they are made of a mixture of wood and saliva. They are lightweight, water resistant, breathable and incredibly durable. During peak season (August/September) depending on weather conditions throughout the year, the nest can hold up to 10,000 wasps. Please see below for signs you have a wasp nest nearby!
The most obvious sign your have a wasp next is if you can see one! Although you are most likely to see wasps flying in and out to help identify the nest, they can be described as looking like papery walls, this is due to being made from chewed wood pulp and saliva.
If you see wasps constantly flying in and out of holes in the walls, by the window frames, and the eves or even under the roof tiles on your property, the likely hood is you have a wasp nest inside them.
If you can hear strange noises in the walls or ceiling, such as humming, clicking or scrapping sounds, which many people can mistake for rats or mice, when in actual fact it’s the sound of the wasps chewing and building the nests.
If you’re finding wasps regularly in rooms within the property, especially on the higher floors within the property. They prefer to nest in loft spaces and at night they will see lights on through gaps or cracks in the ceiling or loft hatch, which they will come through to investigate and be unable to return back through.
If you start to notice lots of wasps harvesting wood from your garden furniture or gate and fence panels, this is a sure sign there is a wasp nest in the surrounding area, as wasps prefer to collect nest building materials from nearby. You can often follow the wasp and it will lead you right back to the nest. Common areas to find a wasp nest include shrubs, trees, holes in the ground, sheds, and even undercover furniture.
Another sign, although only more visible towards the latter half of the year, is black, damp looking marks in the corners of the ceiling or around dormer windows. Wasps will drop larvae sacks out of the nest as they fly out, which are very moist, and cause these damp patches to appear.
What to do if you have a wasp nest?
If you own the home, get in touch with us, and once the wasp nest has been confirmed, one of our trained pest control technicians will safely remove the nest using the necessary PPE.
If you rent the home, get in touch with your landlord or the lettings agent as it is their responsibility to arrange and pay for the removal of the nest. We work with multiple estate agencies to ensure renters stay pest free.
If you own or manage a company site in which a nest has been discovered, get in touch with us, and once the wasp nest has been confirmed, one of our trained pest control technicians will safely remove the nest using the necessary PPE. It is also advised that staff are informed of the location and checks to ensure anyone who has an allergy is aware of the location and has an EPI pen on hand until the wasp nest has been removed.
If you spot a wasp nest as an employee at your place of work you should inform the site manager immediately, so they can implement any necessary safety measures and organise the safe removal of the wasp nest.