Wasp Nests Under Roof Tiles – A Common Problem for Aylesham Homes
A common idea is to investigate after dark, when wasps are quiet. It is a poor one. Here is why dusk and night are the wrong times to go near a roof nest.
The idea that wasps sleep
It is widely believed that wasps are harmless at night, and that the best time to deal with a nest is after dark. There is a grain of truth in this: most of the colony is inside the nest in the evening, and there is little traffic at the entry.
But that is exactly the problem. Everyone is at home. The whole colony is in the nest, within a few inches of the gap, and a torch beam, a footstep or a ladder against the wall can reach all of them at once.
In Aylesham and elsewhere, a late-evening look at the roof tends to end with the householder indoors and rather stung.
Other creatures are about at night too, which is another reason not to go and look. A rustle you take for wasps may be something else, and you cannot tell in the dark.
What goes wrong at dusk
There are several specific hazards. A torch attracts wasps, since they are drawn to light and heat. The dark makes it hard to see where you are putting your feet on a ladder, and you cannot see the wasps that are now landing on you.
- The whole colony is at home, so any disturbance reaches thousands.
- Wasps fly towards light, which means towards you and your torch.
- You cannot see the entry clearly, so you may stand beneath it without knowing.
- Ladders are less stable in poor light, and a fall in the dark is harder to recover from.
- Neighbours, children and pets may be nearby with no idea what is happening.
Wasps that are alarmed at night can also be aggressive in the dark, and some may follow you indoors.
People sometimes take a red filter or a dim light on the grounds that wasps cannot see it. Do not rely on that. Wasps respond to movement and vibration as well as light, and you will be standing in the worst place.
Even a rattle of the ladder against the gutter in the dark can set the colony off, so it is not only the climb that matters.
What you can usefully do after dark
There is nothing to be gained from approaching the roof at night. The better use of the evening is to prepare. Shut windows on the nest side and draw the curtains so that interior light does not draw wasps to the glass.
Think about where the wasps went in during the day. If you took a photograph or made notes, review them. If not, plan to watch the roof at a sensible time, from a distance, during daylight.
Do not listen at the ceiling or tap on it. In the quiet of the evening a nest can be heard, but there is nothing to gain from confirming it by touch.
If you are worried about wasps coming into the house during the night, a closed window, a closed door and a fly screen do far more than a visit to the roof.
Do the observation in daylight instead
A warm afternoon is the best time to watch. The wasps are active, the entry is obvious and you can stay well back in the garden or on the road with a phone or a pair of binoculars.
Look for the place where wasps go in and out, how high it is and which side of the building it is on. Note whether there are other possible entries. This is all the technician needs to start.
If you need an answer quickly and the wasps are indoors, you can ring at any time. Evening and weekend appointments are available, so you do not need to wait for office hours.
A good photograph in daylight tells the technician far more than anything seen by torchlight.
Safety if you already disturbed it
If you went out at night and disturbed the nest, retreat indoors, close the door and keep the lights low in that part of the house. Do not go back out to see what happened.
After a sting, wash the skin gently, pick out the sting if it shows and then cool it with a cold pack. Call 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, or a wheeze or trouble breathing, or the person feels dizzy or comes out in a rash across the body.
Tell the office what you did. It helps the technician to know that the colony has been agitated before the visit, so that the approach can be planned.
Keep children well out of the way, and make sure they know not to go out and look in the dark.
Price, booking and out-of-hours help
One nest is priced at a fixed £120 per nest, with no call-out charge on top. Another nest at the same address is charged at £60 extra. That is the same whether the visit is in the evening, at the weekend or in the middle of the day. The price graphic carries the line one visit guaranteed.
Appointments are available every day, including the same day, in the evening and at weekends. Phone 01622 410 019, or use the form on the contact page, which also serves for emergencies outside normal office hours. Both domestic and commercial properties are treated by a technician with the proper insurance and qualifications.
Afterwards, a few wasps may circle the old entry for a short time. Ask the technician whether the empty nest can be taken down, and have the roof gap repaired.
If anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings, say so when you book, and the visit can be prioritised.
Wasps on your property in Aylesham?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.