Wasps can be a persistent pest and removing a wasp nest isn’t always easy. Their nests are often hidden out of sight as they enter our properties through tiny holes in brickwork or small gaps or cracks around window frames to build their nests.
How Big do Wasps Nest Get?
Wasps usually start building their nests in the springtime when the weather gets warmer. Once summer begins, the nest will increase in size starting at the size of a golf ball and increasing to become as large as a football!
As summer ends and autumn brings cooler weather the worker wasps to prepare for hibernation. Most of the workers will die off while the queen will hibernate in the nest throughout the winter months. In spring the Queen will immerge and begin to build a new nest where she will lay her eggs in preparation for new workers and queens to take over.
Should I Leave a Wasps Nest Alone?
If you find a wasps nest, do not approach it or touch it as wasps can sting and unlike bees, they can sting multiple times in a single attack. Some people can experience allergic reactions to wasp stings causing redness and swelling for days and more severe reactions can be anaphylaxis.
If left alone a wasps nest will not completely die off therefore treatment and removal is required.
How to Treat a Wasps Nest?
It is not advisable to try to treat a wasps nest yourself, the best thing to do would be to contact your local pest control for advice before taking any action.
There are many wasp nest destroyers on the market they do not use the same ingredients and are not as powerful as those used by pest control professionals.
Your local pest controller will usually apply insecticide near the nest entrance, then the wasps bring the chemical into the nest, spreading it to the colony and after a few days the wasps will die.
After this, the nest will need removing and your pest controller can arrange to return to do this for you. There may occasionally still be a few survivors, so protective equipment is advised during this step.
Getting Rid of a Wasps Nest Yourself – Should you Do It?
Although insect sprays which you can buy at DIY stores or online may claim to work, they are usually a waste of time due to the sheer number of wasps in a nest. You may kill a few wasps if they are outside of the nest but the spray will not reach those inside.
This could also make the wasps feel threatened and when this happens, they release a chemical to call for help meaning you are likely to get attacked by many wasps coming to help. While a wasp sting isn’t necessarily dangerous, if you receive multiple stings the consequences can be severe.
Where Can You Get Further Advice?
Contact your local pest controller for advice, most do not charge a callout fee and will be happy to offer advice.
Alternatively, visit the BPCA website (British Pest Control Association) for further information.
I Need Urgent Pest Control, What Should I Do?
FurBeGone Pest Control offer 24-hour callout for emergency pest control so please call us on 01438 387005.
We cover Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth and all surrounding villages and treat all types of pests including: Mice, Rats, Wasps, Squirells, Pigeons, Insects and Bed Bugs.
If your enquiry is not urgent you can contact us through our website or Whats App us for a quick response.
