Wasp Nest in Your Garden Shed? Safe Treatment Options in East Barming
If the mower, strimmer or hedge trimmer is stored beside a wasp nest, the first job of the season can turn dangerous. Here is how to plan around it.
When the first lawn cut of the year goes wrong
Many people only open the shed when a job demands it, and the job is often the lawn. Picture the usual scene. It is a warm weekend, the grass has grown, and the mower is stored at the back of the shed behind the deckchairs. You open the door and hear a dry, constant buzzing from somewhere above the shelf.
That sound is the thing to take seriously. A nest can hold from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps at its peak, and a shed full of garden equipment is a noisy place that is easy to disturb. If you hear buzzing from the walls or roof as you open the door, step back, close it gently and walk away calmly.
The mower can wait. Cutting the lawn is a job that tolerates a few days of delay, while a swarm of angry wasps does not.
Why garden equipment makes a nest worse
Engines and trimmers are loud, and they shake the ground and nearby walls. Wasps that are already nervous may take that as a threat. Starting a petrol mower near a nest, even outdoors, is a poor idea, and so is wheeling one past an entrance that is busy with traffic.
- Do not pull equipment out through a doorway that has wasps circling it.
- Do not start any machine within sight of the entrance.
- Do not reach over a workbench to grab something from a shelf where you can hear buzzing.
- Do not drag a hose or watering can across the entrance, even if it is only for a moment.
If you have a gardener or contractor due, tell them not to go into the shed until the nest has been dealt with. It is easy to forget that someone else may open the door on your behalf.
Working around the problem for a day or two
You will probably be able to get by without the equipment while you wait. If there is something you cannot do without, ask a neighbour to lend it rather than going in yourself. If the lawn is long and you cannot wait, a hand-held tool kept elsewhere is far safer than disturbing an active nest.
Keep pets and children out of the area around the shed, and move any outdoor furniture or washing lines away from the side where the wasps fly. Wasps are drawn to sweet drinks, so cover cups and bins in the sitting area while you wait.
The business covers East Barming and nearby villages with a fixed price per nest, so the delay can be short. Booking is by phone on 01622 410 019 or through the online form on the contact page.
What the visit involves and what it costs
Each nest is a fixed £120 and the price graphic carries the words one visit guaranteed. There is no call-out charge and nothing extra for evenings, weekends or where you live. Another nest on the same property, perhaps in the garage roof as well as the shed, would be £60 extra.
The business works seven days a week and can often offer same-day service. Technicians are fully insured and qualified, and they handle domestic and commercial sites. Let them know where in the shed the machines are kept so they can plan how to reach the nest safely without disturbing anything more than necessary.
Afterwards, you can ask whether the empty nest can be taken down. It is a sensible question to put at the time of booking.
Putting the tools away properly afterwards
Once the shed is safe, take the chance to reorganise. Keep the mower near the door rather than at the back, and hang hand tools on the wall instead of piling them on the floor. This makes the shed easier to inspect on a regular basis, which is the best defence against a repeat.
Look along the roof line and the top of the walls each month through the spring. Small gaps and the corners of old felt are all that a wasp needs to get in. Mend them when you notice them. A short check on a Saturday in May is much easier than finding a full colony in August.
A seasonal calendar for the shed owner
It helps to think of the shed year in stages, because the risk changes as the colony grows. None of this needs special equipment, only a habit of looking before you open the door.
In April, before the first cut, walk around the outside and check the roof edge and the door gap. This is the time before wasps begin building, which happens from late April depending on the weather, so any hole you fill now is one that cannot be used.
Through May and June, nests are small. They are easier to treat and easier to overlook, so glance at the shed doorway whenever you pass. In July the colony is growing fast, and the traffic at an entrance starts to look obvious from across the lawn.
August is the peak, and a nest can hold 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps. If you have put off a call, August is the month where it matters most. Do not wait for the nest to become impossible to ignore, and do not try to deal with it before work or after a meal when wasps are easy to meet in the garden.
By autumn the activity drops away, but a nest left in place can leave a mess of papery material that is easy to disturb when you tidy up. Ask the technician about the empty nest when you book, so you know what to expect at the end of the season.
Wasps on your property in East Barming?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.