A nest the size of a tennis ball in May is a different problem from a football-sized nest in August. Knowing which you have helps you decide whether to act.
A wasp colony starts in spring with one queen. She builds a small nest, rears the first workers and then leaves them to do the building. By midsummer there can be thousands of workers, and in August and September the colony is at its largest and the wasps are most irritable. As autumn arrives the old queen and workers die, and only the new queens survive, hibernating elsewhere. The old nest is never reused.
Worksop is a market town in Bassetlaw district with older town-centre property and later housing. Wasps nest where they can find a sheltered cavity, so lofts, eaves, airbricks, sheds, garages and wall cavities all feature. In older houses with open loft spaces and gaps beneath the roof edge, the nest may be in the roof, while in later housing it is often in a garden shed or beneath a bay roof.
If a nest is high on a wall far from doors, windows and where people walk, you may choose to leave it and let the colony die off in winter. Wasps feed on garden pests, so they are not without value. Watch for activity and keep children and pets well away. Do not poke, spray or block entrances, because that makes the wasps defensive.
Wasp nests are treated for a fixed cost of £90, with a same day response seven days a week. If the nest is still active within 30 days, we return. We treat the nest at the entrance or within the cavity, and the colony dies over the following hours or days. Dead wasps may continue to drop out for a short time, and returning foragers can still appear until the nest has gone quiet.
Never try to block the hole, as wasps can chew through plaster and into the room. Stay clear of the area and keep windows shut near the entrance if you can.
Late summer is when most calls come in. The colony stops raising young workers, the wasps lose their usual food and turn to sweet drinks, picnics and bins, and they become far more noticeable around people. A nest that caused no trouble in June can be hard to ignore by September, so it is worth checking what is happening on your property now, not waiting until someone is stung.
To book a visit or ask for advice, call 0115 937 5117.
No. The colony dies off in winter, and queens that survive start new nests elsewhere. An empty nest is safe to remove once cold weather has arrived, though you can leave it in place.
Wasps are slim with bright yellow and black bands and make a papery nest. Honey bees are rounder and furry. If you are unsure, send us a photograph, because bees are protected and need different handling.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. Prices are fixed and there is no call-out charge.
