Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Church Whitfield? Here's What to Do
A hum above your desk and wasps drifting past your laptop make it hard to work. Here is how to manage the day and sort the nest quickly.
An office under the roof
Home working has put plenty of desks in spare bedrooms and converted rooms, many directly beneath the loft. When a nest starts up overhead, the effect is immediate. The constant hum is distracting, an occasional wasp appears on the window and every video call comes with the worry of one wandering into shot.
It is a legitimate reason to want quick action. A working day lost to wasps costs money, and there is no need to put up with it when treatment is fixed in price and quick to arrange.
Moving your workspace
For a few days, relocate if you can. A kitchen table, a downstairs room or a different part of the house keeps you away from the affected ceiling. Take only what you need: a laptop, a charger and a notebook.
Close the door of the affected room and leave it closed. Open a window briefly to let any stray wasps out, then shut it again. Do not leave food or sweet drinks in the room, since they draw wasps.
Calls, clients and customers
If you see clients at home, plan around the problem. Meet them downstairs, or reschedule an in-person visit by a day. If a call is essential and wasps are about, choose a room without them. A wasp that lands during a video call is a story for later, but a sting during a presentation is not.
If your home business involves deliveries or customers at the door, mention it to anyone coming near the roofline. A simple note on the door will do.
Working around the visit
Every day is a working day for us, so same-day service, evenings and weekends are all on offer. This makes it possible to book the visit outside working hours, or at a time when you are on a break. Treatment costs a fixed £120 for each nest, £60 for an additional nest on the same property, with no call-out charge. Insurance and training are covered, as the technician is fully insured and qualified, and one visit is guaranteed.
Ring 01622 410 019 or use the online booking form, which you will find on the contact page. Tell us where your office is relative to the loft, and when you are free. We cover Church Whitfield and nearby villages, for homes and commercial premises.
There is also the matter of the working day itself. A nest overhead tends to be loudest in the middle of the day, just when you are trying to concentrate. A steady hum or papery rustle through the ceiling is more tiring than it sounds, and if you are on calls it can be picked up by your microphone. Moving to another room is the simplest answer for now.
If you employ staff who work from your premises, such as a small office above a workshop, tell them what is going on. Ask them to keep clear of any roof hatch and to report wasps rather than deal with them. A manager who handles it calmly sets the tone for everyone else.
For a self-employed tradesperson working from a home office or a unit, the arithmetic is simple. A day of lost work is worth more than the fixed price of treatment, so there is little reason to wait for the problem to ease. A visit takes care of the cause, rather than leaving you to work around it.
You might also consider the safety of anyone who visits. A customer who arrives for a meeting and meets a wasp on the stairs will be less impressed than one who finds the problem already dealt with. If you cannot treat in time, hold the meeting elsewhere.
Insurance, leases and business agreements vary, and whether any cost can be passed on or claimed depends on them. We cannot advise on that, so check your own paperwork, and keep our receipt.
Lastly, plan your return to the room carefully. Once the technician gives the all-clear, air the room, clear dead wasps from the floor and desk, and wipe down surfaces. Check the cables behind the desk and the corners of the ceiling before settling back in. Then enjoy the quiet.
Protecting equipment
Cables, screens and papers do not mind wasps, but you will. Keep drinks away from keyboards, since a wasp can crawl into a cup unnoticed. If wasps are around, shake out jackets and bags before putting them on, and check chairs before sitting.
If wasps are gathering round a ceiling light above your desk, switch it off and use a lamp instead. Do not open the fitting.
Think about the room itself, too. If your desk sits close to the hatch, consider whether the cable runs to the equipment pass through the ceiling. Cable holes are routes for wasps, and a wasp coming down the cable behind your monitor is not what you want. Leave the cables undisturbed and move the equipment if you can.
Last, give yourself a break. A nest in the loft is nobody's fault, and handling it calmly is better than being cross with yourself. Book the visit, set up a spare workspace and carry on. By the time the next working week starts, the hum should be gone.
Back to work
After treatment, the technician will tell you when the room is safe. Vacuum any dead wasps from the floor, window ledge and desk, wearing gloves if you wish. Check at booking if the empty nest can be taken down.
Once the hum has gone, you may find the silence strange. That is the best sign that things are back to normal. Make a note to check the roofline in spring so you have more warning next time.
Wasps on your property in Church Whitfield?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.