How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Belvedere Property
Garage doors, car port roofs and even parked vehicles offer sheltered gaps, and the usual first sign is wasps appearing every time you open the door.
A sheltered corner by the drive
A garage is dry, quiet and often left shut for days. The door frames, the roof edge, the gap above the up-and-over door and the space behind stored items all suit a wasp colony. A car port with a roof of sheeting or boards has similar attractions.
Because you only go in to fetch something or park the car, a nest can establish itself and be noticed only when wasps fly at you as you open the door.
This guide is for homes and businesses in Belvedere, in the London Borough of Bexley, with a garage, car port or vehicle area.
The checks can all be made from outside.
Many garages double as storage, workshops or utility spaces, and they are full of items wasps can shelter behind. Shelving, stacked boxes and a hanging bike all create places for a nest.
A garage that adjoins the house may share a roof void or wall cavity with it, so a nest there can send wasps indoors. If wasps appear in a utility room or hallway, mention the garage when you ring.
Check the outside of the garage
Walk around at a distance and look at the roof edge, the fascia, the corner joints and the top of the door frame.
- Wasps landing and entering a gap at the roof line
- Traffic around the top edge of the up-and-over door
- Staining on the wall beneath a gap
- Grey paper fragments on the ground or the car bonnet
- Wasps clustered on the side that gets the morning sun
If you spot traffic, do not open the garage door. The vibration and the sudden light can stir the colony.
The up-and-over door is an unexpected weak point. The channel above it, the seal at the top and the gap between the door and the lintel give wasps easy access to the garage ceiling.
Side doors, windows and vents are alternative routes. A small pane that does not close fully may be enough, so check them as well.
Car ports and carriage-style roofs
A car port has an open side but a roof with a cavity. Sheeting, timber beams and the gap between the roof and the house wall are typical entrances. Look at the underside from a distance.
If wasps are going into the roof of the car port, avoid parking beneath it until the nest is dealt with. Park elsewhere for a while, even if it is less convenient.
Care is needed when loading or unloading, since people stand beneath the roof for a while and may be stung.
Corrugated roofing has hollows along its length, and wasps can build in the gaps at the ends. Look at the end of each sheet from a distance for traffic.
Be careful too about the sides of a car port, where plastic panels and brackets leave small voids at the joints. Traffic at a bracket is an obvious sign.
Vehicles
Sometimes a wasp nest is in or on a vehicle that is rarely used, for example a parked caravan, a trailer, a van, or an old car. Wasps can build in door pillars, under bonnets, in the space beneath the vehicle or in the wheel arches.
If you see wasps coming and going from a vehicle, do not try to start or move it. Vibration, noise and movement upset the colony, and driving with wasps inside is a real danger.
Tell the technician where the vehicle is, and whether you need it moved. Do not move it yourself.
Boats, camper vans and motorbikes under covers are equally at risk. A cover lifted in spring may reveal more than you wish to see, so look at the cover from a few metres first for any wasps.
If the vehicle is needed urgently, explain this when you ring. The technician can advise on the safest way to proceed and may be able to prioritise.
Staying safe
Until treatment, take simple precautions.
- Keep the garage door closed
- Use another route into the house if the garage is a thoroughfare
- Keep children and pets away from the drive edge
- Do not stand under the roof edge to fetch items
- Do not spray or block gaps
If someone is stung, wash the sting, remove it if visible and use a cold pack. For a serious reaction, call 999.
Tidy the area outside the garage so that the technician has a clear approach. Move bins, bikes and loose items, and make sure the door can be reached without squeezing past the roof edge.
Booking
Wasps begin building from late April and numbers peak in August, at up to 10,000 or more. A garage nest can send them into the house and the street.
For a garage or car port the price stays at a fixed £120 per nest, and one visit is guaranteed. Another nest on the same property is £60 extra, no call-out charge applies, and location and time make no difference.
The business is open seven days a week with same-day service and fully insured and qualified technicians, for domestic and commercial customers. Dial 01622 410 019, or use the booking form on the website. Mention any allergy so the booking can be prioritised.
Business owners with a workshop, depot or yard should consider telling staff to use another entrance until the visit takes place. A written note on the door keeps everyone informed.
If anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings, tell the business when you book. Arrange for them to use the house door away from the garage until the visit has taken place.
Wasps on your property in Belvedere?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.