Are Wasps Dangerous? Understanding Stings and Nest Disturbance in Hardres
Fruit trees and fallen fruit are a wasp magnet in late summer, and picking, mowing or scooping up windfalls can put you right in the middle of them.
A tree full of sugar
A garden with an apple, plum, pear or fig tree has a built-in attraction for wasps. As fruit ripens and falls, it splits, ferments and gives off a sweet smell that wasps can detect from a distance. They feed on the juice, often burrowing inside the flesh, and a fruit that looks perfect from the outside can be full of insects.
This is one of the few times when wasps are really concentrated in a small area, and one of the more common ways people are stung. Someone picks up a plum, bites into an apple or reaches into a bucket of windfalls, and there is a wasp inside. The sting is often on the hand, lip or tongue.
The same goes for fruit left in a bowl on an outdoor table, a jar of jam at a tea party and apple cores dropped by children. If it is sweet and open, a wasp will find it, and the more fruit you have, the more wasps you will see.
Cider apples, cooking apples and plums that fall in bulk are the worst offenders, and a single tree can produce enough fallen fruit to keep a colony fed for days.
Picking fruit safely
Choose a time of day when fewer wasps are flying. Early morning, before the sun has warmed the garden, tends to be quieter, though you should not rely on it. Look at each piece of fruit before you pick it, especially anything with a split, a bruise or a hole. Turn it gently and check the underside.
Wear gloves and closed shoes, and keep a bucket with a lid or a cloth over the top rather than an open basket. Do not eat fruit straight from the tree or the bucket without looking. A wasp inside an apple is easy to miss when you are walking through the garden. If you see a lot of wasps in one tree, leave it for the moment and come back after the weather has cooled.
If you sell or give away fruit, check it carefully before you box it, since a wasp can ride into a kitchen inside a plum. Rinse sticky ladders, buckets and tools afterwards, as the residue attracts insects.
Clearing windfalls
Fallen fruit is often more of a problem than fruit on the tree. A heap of rotting fruit on the ground is a feast, and the wasps on it can be distracted and slow, but they will sting if you step on one or push a hand into the pile. Clear windfalls regularly, ideally every day or two, and put them in a bin with a tight lid or a compost bin that you can close.
Do not leave fruit in open buckets or wheelbarrows. Take care when mowing under a tree, as the mower can disturb wasps feeding in the grass and any entrance that is hidden there. If you can see the wasps, mow around that patch for now, and keep children and pets off the area.
Wasps feeding on fallen fruit are usually busy and not very interested in you, but they become defensive if you crush them, squeeze them against your shoe or reach into the pile. Wear thick-soled shoes in the orchard area and avoid walking barefoot.
If a wasp stings your mouth or hand
A sting on the hand is treated like any other: wash it with cool water, apply a cold pack and keep an eye on the person. A sting in the mouth or throat is more serious. Dial 999 without delay if swelling spreads to the face, lips or throat, breathing is hard, or there is dizziness or a rash away from the sting. Do not wait to see if it settles, and do not give anything to eat or drink unless the call handler tells you.
Check children carefully if they have been eating fruit outdoors. A child who suddenly stops, spits or clutches their mouth may have been stung. People with a known allergy should speak to their GP about a plan before the fruit season.
Wasps swallowed inside a piece of fruit are a particular worry for children. Cut fruit into pieces before giving it to a child outdoors so that you can see inside, and sit them at a table, not wandering about the garden.
When fruit hides a nest
Wasps that are feeding in your tree may come from a nest in your garden or a neighbouring one. A steady line of wasps leaving the tree and flying in one direction suggests the nest is not far away. Hollow trunks, old stumps and the area under the lowest branches can also hold nests, so look from a distance before climbing a ladder or reaching into dense growth.
If you find a nest, do not try to deal with it while on a ladder. A fall is a more serious danger than a few stings.
Late in the season, with fruit everywhere and colonies at their strongest, the combination of food and nest is hard to ignore. A tree that stays full of wasps despite regular clearing is a strong clue that a nest is close.
Treatment for the nest
A nest is treated by Wasp Exterminator Kent at a fixed £120 per nest, with one visit guaranteed. A further nest on the same property costs £60 extra. There is no call-out charge, and we work seven days a week with same-day service, covering Hardres and the villages around it. Technicians are fully insured and qualified. Ring 01622 410 019 or use the booking form at /contact-us/. Let us know about any allergies in the household when you book, so the visit can be prioritised.
Tell us where the fruit trees are in relation to the house when you ring, as it helps us plan the visit.
Wasps on your property in Hardres?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.