Wasp Control for Barfrestone Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises
A community shop serves everyone from schoolchildren to pensioners, so a calm, quick response to a wasp nest keeps people coming through the door.
The shop at the centre of village life
A village shop does more than sell bread and milk. It holds the post office counter, the newspaper rack, the community noticeboard and sometimes a table or two for a cup of tea. People come in every day, many of them elderly or with small children, and the door is opened and closed all day.
For a community shop at Barfrestone, a wasp problem is felt by the whole village. Wasps come in with customers or through the open door, circle the counter and the cake shelf and make people uneasy. The nest is nearly always close, and by August a colony may hold from 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more. Late summer is also when fruit, sweets and cold drinks sell best.
The shop volunteers or staff need a simple routine to keep the counter calm and a way to get the nest treated.
Remember that your customers range from toddlers to pensioners. A child who waves at a wasp or an older person who cannot move out of its way quickly both face a greater risk of being stung. Help them by keeping the entrance clear and the door closed, and by offering a seat away from the window.
Where to look around a small shop
A village shop is often an older building with an assortment of sheds, lean-tos and extensions. Look at all of them.
- The roof edge, the gable and the chimney.
- Gaps around windows, door frames and the post box.
- The store room, the back lobby and the porch.
- The hedge and trees beside the car space.
- Water butts, compost bins and the bin store.
- Soil banks and the base of garden walls.
Ask regular customers whether they have noticed wasps near a particular spot. In a village, someone usually has. Note what they say, and check from a safe distance.
Keeping the counter calm
Cover sweets, cakes and pasties. Keep the pick-and-mix covered, and wipe the counter and shelves regularly. Store fruit in baskets with cloth covers if wasps are about. Tea and coffee should be served with lids, and used cups taken away at once.
The post office counter is often the busiest place, with people waiting in line. A fly screen or a bead curtain at the door allows air in and keeps most wasps out. Ask customers to close the door behind them, and put a note on it.
If a wasp lands on someone, they should stay still or move away slowly. A volunteer who looks relaxed reassures the whole queue. Please do not use household sprays near food and customers. They are no help in dealing with the nest.
Volunteers should have a simple rota for the daily checks: open up, look at the porch and the bins, wipe the counter, check the door screen. A tick on a list is enough and means the person closing up knows what the opener saw.
Fixed-price treatment for community shops
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests at shops, post offices, village halls, pubs, offices and homes. You pay a flat £120 for each nest, with one visit guaranteed as standard, and another nest on the same property is £60 extra. There is no call-out charge, and the price holds whether the visit is at noon or late in the evening.
The business is open seven days a week with same-day service on offer. Evening and weekend appointments are available, so a visit can take place when the shop is closed. Visits are carried out by fully insured and qualified technicians, and they deliver safe and effective treatment.
Because community shops are often run by committees, tell us who can give the go-ahead and who will meet the technician. Raise it at booking and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down when the work is finished.
Committees, landlords and volunteers
If the shop is run by a community group, the committee may need to approve the booking. Agree a named person who can authorise an urgent job without waiting for a meeting. If the building belongs to a landlord or the parish, check the agreement for who is responsible. We cannot advise on that, so please check the document.
Volunteers should be told what is happening. Some may be nervous of wasps, and a short briefing helps them handle the counter confidently. Anyone with a known allergy to wasp stings should speak to their GP, and let the manager know.
Post a short, friendly notice for customers when the treatment is booked.
How to book
Before you call, note where the wasps are, when the shop is closed and who will meet the technician. If a member of your team is allergic to wasp stings, let us know when you book so the booking can be prioritised.
Call 01622 410 019, or send the online form on the contact page, and the online form can be used for emergency service out of normal hours.
After the treatment, keep the screen and the counter routine until the end of September.
A mention in the village newsletter or on the parish noticeboard, saying that a wasp nest has been dealt with, helps the community feel the matter is under control.
If the shop doubles as a collection point for parcels, check the shelves where boxes are stacked, since cardboard piles in a quiet corner can hide an entrance. The same is true of newspaper bundles left by the back door.
Finally, ask the people who deliver bread and milk to close the van doors and the shop door promptly, as a few seconds of open door in the morning sun is all it takes.
A calm approach from everyone involved will keep the shop running as normal.
Wasps on your property in Barfrestone?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.