Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Bletsoe? Here's What to Do
By August a loft nest may hold as many as 2,000 wasps. This guide explains what late summer means for a nest, and how to respond calmly.
Why late summer feels different
A colony that began as a single queen in early April is a very different thing by August. The nest has grown through the summer, the workforce has multiplied, and the colony reaches its peak. A nest can hold as many as 2,000 wasps. If it is in your loft, a fair number will be going in and out of the same gap, and some will wander into the house.
That is why so many loft nests are noticed at this time of year. The noise and traffic are hard to ignore, and the household is also more likely to be at home and in the garden during the holidays.
The season has a shape, and it helps to know it. Queens emerge in spring, the colony builds through early summer, and the activity around the nest is greatest in August. If you first spot a problem in the summer holidays, you are probably looking at a nest that has been there since spring.
What a peak colony means for you
A busy nest is no more difficult for a technician to treat. The price is fixed, and it is not higher for a large nest. What changes is the risk if the nest is disturbed. With so many wasps, a disturbance can quickly lead to multiple stings, and the safe distance is greater than you might think.
- Keep the hatch closed, and keep everyone off the landing if wasps are coming through.
- Keep windows closed on the side with the roof entrance.
- Cover drinks and food outdoors, since wasps are drawn to sweet things at this time of year.
- Keep bins closed and compost covered.
- Bring in washing or dry it inside.
None of this is dramatic. It is routine caution that reduces the chance of an encounter.
Look after yourselves in other ways too. In the warm weather people tend to leave windows and doors open, and that is how most stray wasps get indoors. Fit a screen where you can, and close the doors of rooms that are not in use. A bedroom that is stuffy with a closed window is preferable to one with wasps in it.
Wasps indoors at their worst
At the peak, loft nests often send wasps into the house. They come down around light fittings, the hatch frame or a gap around pipes, and they gather at windows. You may find yourself dealing with several every day.
Open a window and close the door to the room, and the wasps will usually find their own way outside. Do not use the room for sleeping or for children’s play until the nest has been treated. If you are stung, wash the area, remove the sting if visible and apply a cold pack. For swelling of the face, lips or throat, breathing difficulty, wheezing, dizziness or a widespread rash, call 999.
Wasps in the house in August tend to be restless, and they head for light. Keep curtains drawn on the sunny side of a room that has had visitors, and the insects may settle on the window glass where you can see them, instead of flying about.
What the treatment involves
The nest is treated by a technician who is fully insured and qualified. You stay downstairs, away from the hatch, and the technician works from the loft or the outside, depending on the nest. You do not need to do anything but make the landing clear and keep the household away.
Ask beforehand whether the empty nest can be taken down. It depends on where it is. Dead wasps and nest paper may need clearing up afterwards with gloves, a brush and a bag.
Large nests tend to attract questions about danger. The technician is trained for the work and is fully insured, and the household’s part is to stay out of the way. Do not hold the ladder, do not offer to hand over equipment and do not stand at the foot of the stairs to watch.
Price, timing and availability
A wasp nest is treated for a fixed £70 per nest, with £30 extra for an additional nest on the same property and no call-out charge. The price is confirmed on the phone before the technician arrives. The only exception is where special access equipment is needed to reach the nest, in which case the price might be more. Nothing is done without your agreement.
August is also one of the busiest times for the business, so ring early. Same-day service is offered, but it cannot be promised for every call. Evening and weekend appointments are available.
If you want the earliest possible slot, say so, mention how many wasps you are seeing and describe the access. Evening appointments may suit if the heat of the day is a problem.
Booking and what happens next season
Arrange a visit by calling 07852 111 437, or by sending a message through the booking form or the contact page. Mention any allergy in the household, so that it can be prioritised.
Once the nest has been treated, it is worth a quick look at the roof edge each April. That is when wasps start to build. Catching a small nest early gives you the calmest booking, though the price is the same whenever you call.
Think too about next year. A nest from this summer will not be reused, but the roof edge, the eaves and any quiet corners of the property remain attractive to a queen in spring. A quick look in April is all it takes. Wasps start building in early April depending on the weather, and a small nest at that stage is easy to describe on the phone and has not yet grown into the busy colony you may have dealt with this year.
Wasps on your property in Bletsoe?
Fixed price £70 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.