Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Millbrook? Here's What to Do
You can learn a surprising amount about a loft nest without leaving the garden. This guide shows how to watch the roofline, what to note and what to avoid.
Start from the ground
If you suspect a nest in the loft, the safest investigation is also the simplest: stand outside, a good distance from the house, and look at the roof. Wasps have to get in and out somehow, and the opening is usually somewhere you can see from the garden or the road if you know what to look for.
A calm ten minutes can tell you more than an hour in the loft, and it keeps you well away from the colony.
It also helps to know that wasps tend to use the same route again and again. Once an entrance is established, workers come and go along the same path, so what you see in the morning is likely to be there in the afternoon. That consistency is the key to your outside check.
Where to look
Wasps use small gaps, and often several places along the roofline are possible. Work your way along the building, scanning slowly.
- The junction between the roof and the wall, under the eaves.
- Gaps beneath or between roof tiles.
- Vents in the roof or gable ends.
- The line where the roof meets an extension, garage or porch.
- Gaps around pipes or cables entering the building.
You are looking for a line of wasps arriving and leaving at one spot. A single wasp passing by does not tell you anything. A steady stream does.
If your house has a number of roof levels, look at each one separately. Low roofs over bay windows and porches are easy to overlook, yet are as attractive to a queen as the main roof. A dormer or a gable end can hide an entrance from the front but be obvious from the side. Take a short walk around the plot if you can do so without passing close to the building.
How to watch
Choose a day that is dry and warm, when wasps are active. Stand somewhere a few metres from the house with a clear view of the area. Watch for a minute or two, then move away or go indoors for several minutes before looking again. Short sessions are better than a long stare.
Binoculars, if you have them, bring the roofline closer without changing your position. A phone camera with zoom does a similar job. Keep still and do not wave your arms. If a wasp begins to follow you, walk calmly indoors.
Do not try to be thorough in one go. A casual look at the start of the day, again at lunchtime and again in the evening gives you a sense of whether the activity is steady. A change in the weather will change the traffic, so note it. Cold, wet days see less flying, and the sudden return of warm sunshine brings more.
If you live on a road where parked cars or fences make it difficult to see the roof, ask a neighbour whether you can look from their side. Be tactful, and explain why.
What to record
A few notes make the booking call quicker and more useful.
- Which side of the house the entrance is on.
- Roughly how high it is, compared with a window.
- The type of gap: tile, vent, eaves or other.
- Whether there is more than one spot.
- What the neighbours’ roofs look like in the same area, if you can see them.
- The time of day and weather when you looked.
Do not climb a ladder to take a closer look, and do not put a camera on a pole near the entrance. A fall is as serious a risk as a sting.
Writing the notes in the order you would say them on the phone helps: address, side of the house, height, type of gap, number of entrances and any indoor signs. Keep the page by the phone, so you can read from it when you ring.
Reading the evidence
If you find a steady stream at one gap, that is almost certainly the entrance to a nest. If you find nothing, do not conclude there is no nest. The entrance could be on a side you cannot see, hidden behind a gutter or under a lip of the roof. Wasps may also be using a route through the house, entering rooms through gaps around light fittings.
Combine what you saw outside with what you heard and saw indoors. A hum above a ceiling, wasps at windows and a visible entrance outside together are a clear sign. Pass all of it on when you ring.
Sometimes the outside check turns up something unexpected, such as wasps entering at a point well away from where you heard the noise. That can mean the nest is large, or that there are two. Do not worry about working it out. Report both.
Booking and the visit
The price is a fixed £70 per nest, with £30 extra for an additional nest on the same property, no call-out charge, confirmed on the phone before the technician visits. If your outside check shows a nest high on the building and special access equipment is needed, the price might be more, and you will hear about it before the visit. Nothing is done without your agreement.
Technicians are fully insured and qualified, so the job is in capable hands. Same-day service is offered, evening and weekend visits are available, and both homes and businesses are covered. If anyone at home has a sting allergy, say so on the call so the booking can be prioritised.
A call to 07852 111 437 starts the booking, and the online form and contact page are there if you prefer to type.
After the visit, repeat your outside check once or twice over the following days. A few wasps hovering near the old entrance is normal for a short time. If the stream is carrying on at the same strength, ring the business and say so. Your earlier notes make it easy to compare.
Wasps on your property in Millbrook?
Fixed price £70 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.