Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Finglesham Home? Common Causes and Solutions
A small, warm, steamy room with a window left on the latch can be an easy way in for wasps, and a few checks usually reveal the route.
The unexpected room
Few people expect to find a wasp in the bathroom. There is no food, and the room is usually the smallest in the house. Yet it is a common place for wasps to appear, and the reasons are straightforward.
The window is often left open for ventilation, sometimes all day. The extractor fan vents to the outside through a duct. The room is warm, damp and humid, and wasps need water as well as sugar. If you are in Finglesham and find wasps in the bathroom, the window and the fan are the two places to look first.
The room also sits at a point in the house where plumbing, ducts and cables pass through the walls, and where gaps are common.
Bathroom skylights and roof windows are worth a mention. They sit close to the roof structure, where nests often are, and the frames can have small gaps at the flashing. A wasp on a skylight is often looking for a way out rather than in, so check the light is closing properly and the seal is whole.
The window
A window left on the latch gives wasps a way in. Frosted glass makes it worse, because a wasp that lands on the outside can see light through it and tries to get through. Once inside, it flies to the brightest point, which is usually the window itself.
Fit a mesh screen to a bathroom window you wish to leave open. If you do not have one, open the window only while you are in the room, and close it afterwards. Check the frame for gaps and the seal for cracks, since wasps can squeeze through narrow openings in the rubber.
If a wasp does come in through the window, resist the urge to shut it in the room with the door closed and forget it. Open the window as far as you can, turn off the light and leave. With the room darker, the wasp will head for the brightest area, which is the open window, and fly out.
The fan and the duct
An extractor fan is a hole in the wall with a motor behind it. When the fan is off, the outlet on the outside should be closed by a flap. If the flap is damaged, stuck or missing, wasps can walk straight up the duct and out through the grille in the bathroom ceiling or wall.
Look at the outside outlet from the garden. If the flap hangs open, or if you see wasps going in, mention it to the technician. Do not cover the vent while wasps are using it, and do not take the fan apart. You can ask a competent person to replace a damaged flap once the nest has been dealt with.
Ceiling extractors vent into a duct that may run through the roof space. If wasps appear to come out of the grille itself rather than the window, a nest could be in the loft or in the duct run. Do not switch the fan on to try to push them out. Keep the room closed and get advice.
Water and warmth
Wasps drink as well as feed. A dripping tap, a wet towel on the floor and a puddle by the bath are all sources of water. On hot days, they may come indoors to find it. Fix leaks, hang towels to dry and wipe up splashes.
Also check for potted plants on the windowsill, scented candles and sweet-smelling toiletries on open shelves. Fruit-scented shower gels and body sprays may be as appealing to a wasp as juice.
A tidy bathroom is less attractive. Rinse the sink, wipe the bath, and put sweet-smelling products inside a cupboard. If you keep a bin in the room, use one with a lid and empty it regularly, since tissues with sugary residue, cotton buds and food wrappers can all hold scents.
Safety in a small room
A bathroom is a poor place to meet a wasp, because you may be wet, undressed or in a confined space. If one is present, stay calm, and open the window or the door. Do not swat. Leave the room if possible and return later. Clean the area gently with water, remove the sting if you can see it then cool it with a cold pack. A 999 call is needed for difficulty breathing, wheezing, swelling of the lips, face or throat, dizziness or a spreading rash. Householders with a sting allergy should ask their GP for advice.
Wasps appearing repeatedly may come from a nest in the wall or roof. Nests start from late April, depending on the weather, and may hold from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps in August.
If there is a shower over the bath, wasps in a wet room can be hard to see, and you may be stung when you reach for a towel. Check the towel before you use it in wasp season, and shake it out.
Booking
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests at a fixed £120 per nest, with one visit guaranteed. Our technicians are fully insured and qualified, and they work for homes and businesses seven days a week, with same-day service available.
To book, call 01622 410 019 or send an enquiry through the contact page form. Tell us where the wasps are appearing, mention any allergy in the household and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
If the bathroom is on an upper floor, tell the technician, along with any access issues such as a loft hatch above it or a flat roof outside. Where the room is shared with other residents, mention that too.
Wasps on your property in Finglesham?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.