Pest control

Description

There are thousands of species of wasp. The Common Wasp has distinctive yellow and black stripes on the rear part of the body, the abdomen. There is a waist between the abdomen and its wings.

They are less effective at pollination than bees, but they prey on garden pests and provide important ecosystem services. You will see them around bushes or flowers and near fruit trees as they feed on fruits damaged by birds or which have fallen to the ground.

Firstly, check they are not bees or hoverflies!

Bees and hoverflies are sometimes confused with the wasp. You can check the British Pest Control website for more pictures and advice.

Honey bees

They have a similar pattern of stripes on the abdomen. However, the abdomen itself is darker in colour and unlike the wasp the neck section or thorax of the Honey Bee is quite hairy.

If you have a swarm that has settled on your property and they show no signs of moving, you could arrange a beekeeper to remove them for you.

Do not attempt anything yourself. They are usually not aggressive but if provoked they could attack. Each honey bee can only sting you once.

Bumble bees

There are 24 species of Bumble Bee in the UK. Some are similar in size to a wasp, while others tend to be more bulbous in appearance.

The colours of these bees can be quite diverse. Some species, especially the larger ones, have yellow, orange or white on the tips of their abdomens for example.

Although they can sting multiple times (similar to wasps), unless provoked they will not normally attack. 

If bees are flying in and out of a location such as an air-brick or beside a pipe overflow, do not block the access. They will try to find a new way out, which could be into your property itself. Their nests are quite small so numbers should be small, unlike an established wasp nest.

Masonry bees

Red mason bee. Picture credit: David Short from Windsor, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This type of bee, although darker in colour, can be easily confused with a wasp. It is similar in size to a wasp, but their short season is usually over by early summer.

Unlike wasps and bumble bees which have a “collective nest”, these bees have individual nests. Although a few of them will often nest in the same spot, they are not social. This gives them the name of "Solitary Bees”. They favour holes and gaps in the old mortar between brickwork in walls.

As with other bees and wasps, they do have a sting. However, they cannot sting humans and are classified as harmless.

If these bees have used old mortar holes, once they have moved on, these locations should be repaired to prevent future problems.

Hoverflies

Picture credit: Alvesgaspar - own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

There are many types and sizes but like wasps, some species have distinctive stripes of yellow and black. They have evolved to "mimic" wasps and bees so that predators may mistake them for a stinging insect.

As the name suggests, they have a distinctive hovering flight. They are quite harmless and are important pollinators. Their larvae also prey on garden pests, so they should be encouraged.

Wasps

Common Wasp nests are roughly spherical, beige or slightly grey in colour with a scalloped effect and the entry hole at the bottom of the nest.

They can also build their nests to suit the internal shape and size of a structure like a bird box. If it’s in an inaccessible location such as an air brick, you will not see the nest but it will be very close to the access point. 

Once established the wasps will be very active during the day, but as the temperature drops they will remain inside their nests overnight.

As with bumble bees they can sting many times. Although not normally serious, stings are painful and in rare cases can cause a severe reaction such as anaphylactic shock. 

Wasps tend to become more of a nuisance to humans in late summer as the weather starts to cool, and their nesting duties are coming to an end.

Once a nest is evacuated at the end of the breeding season, it will not be used again. If you have issues in the future, then this will be a new nest or nests.

The new queen wasps born in the same year will then hibernate, and if they get through this period they will emerge the following spring and start the breeding cycle again.

If any queen wasps are hibernating in your loft, any heat or light can fool them into thinking it is time to come out of hibernation. They are unable to return to hibernation so, if it is safe to do so, you can treat them using a flying insect spray. (Be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions.)

If undisturbed, they will naturally come out of hibernation and may fly off to seek nesting sites, though not necessary in your own loft.

How to treat by yourself

If you see a wasp “two way traffic system” to and from the same location, then this is the area to be treated.

To treat the nest you can buy an insecticidal powder or a liquid / foam type aerosol. These products are ready available from various retail outlets.

You must carefully follow the instructions on the container. Wait until late evening or dusk when activity to and from the nest will have reduced. You will normally need to apply the treatment around the entrance hole to the nest.  As the wasps become active, they will carry the product into the nest. This will kill the queen, wasps and the grubs.

If a nest is in a non-accessible location such as an air-brick, apply a light dusting of powder over the air-brick or other access point. Do not use a wasp spray as they are only suitable for an actual wasp nest. Do not block the access point until the wasps have been successfully treated.

If you decide to treat the access point yourself, do not work higher than shoulder height and ensure to keep both feet on the ground. If the access point is high above ground level, you may engage us to do the job for you. This will incur a charge at the prevailing rates, see below. 

How the council treat

View our pest control charges

If you engage us to do a treatment, we will perform a similar treatment to that detailed above. We also have equipment for applying products to "out of reach locations” such as under eaves, gutters and facia boxes of a roof.

Most treatments are usually successful first time, but if there are still problems after 48 hours you must call back within 7 days.

Please be advised that any new nests will incur another charge. Multiple nests reported at the same time will incur a smaller charge.