How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Hawkenbury Property
Before worrying about a nest, make sure the insect really is a wasp, because bees and harmless look-alikes need a very different response.
Getting the identification right
Not every striped, buzzing insect is a wasp. Honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies all turn up around gardens and buildings, and mistaking one for another can lead to the wrong call.
This matters for two reasons. Bees are valuable and are not something Wasp Exterminator Kent treats, and a hoverfly poses no threat at all. If your insects are not wasps, you do not need a wasp nest treatment.
This guide is for people in Hawkenbury who are not sure what is living in their wall, roof or garden.
A few minutes of looking from a distance is usually enough to tell.
Size is a quick first clue. Wasps are medium-sized and slender. A very large, round, fluffy insect is a bumblebee, and a tiny golden one working a flower is likely a honeybee or a solitary bee. None of these needs a wasp treatment.
How wasps look and behave
A wasp has a smooth, slim, almost hairless body with a sharply narrowed waist, bold black and yellow bands and a fairly angular look. It flies fast and in straight lines, and it tends to be fussy and darting around food and drink.
Workers from a nest come and go along a fixed route. They enter a gap, vanish, and others emerge soon afterwards. The nest, if you see it, is made of grey, papery material.
- Smooth, shiny body with a narrow waist
- Bold black and yellow bands with little or no fur
- Quick, direct flight to and from one spot
- Interest in sugary drinks, meat and fruit
- A grey, paper-like nest
Behaviour near the nest helps too. A wasp nest tends to have a continuous stream of traffic at one opening, and the insects do not stop to visit flowers on the way. If the insects are feeding on blossoms nearby, you are probably watching foragers or another species altogether.
How bees differ
Honeybees and bumblebees are rounder and furrier, with a softer, blurred look. Bumblebees are large and fluffy, and honeybees are smaller and golden-brown. Both fly more slowly and spend their time on flowers.
Bees nest in different ways. Bumblebees often use small holes in the ground, old burrows or tufts of grass, and a honeybee colony may live in a cavity such as a roof space or chimney, with a visible cluster of insects at the entrance and a sweet smell.
If you think the insects are honeybees or bumblebees, do not disturb them. Contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, who can advise on moving or protecting the colony. Wasp Exterminator Kent treats wasps only.
Bees are generally gentle unless handled, and a bumblebee nest in a bank or compost heap is no cause for alarm.
Another difference is the sound. A bumblebee has a deep, rumbling buzz, whereas wasps have a higher, thinner whine. It is a subtle point, but if you grow used to the sounds, you will recognise them.
Hoverflies and other mimics
Hoverflies imitate wasps with their yellow and black stripes, but they are harmless. They have only two wings, big eyes, no narrow waist and an unmistakable habit of hovering motionless in the air before darting away.
They visit flowers in gardens and do not nest in buildings. A cloud of them over a flower bed is not a nest.
If the insects hover in place and feed on blossoms, they are most likely not wasps. If they come and go from a hole in a wall in a steady stream, they might well be.
When in doubt, take a photo from a distance and describe the behaviour at booking.
A bad photo is better than none. A grainy image of an insect on a wall, taken from a few metres with a phone zoom, can be enough for a technician to say whether it looks like a wasp.
Confirming a wasp nest
Once you are fairly sure the insects are wasps, apply the usual tests from a safe distance. Look for steady traffic through a single gap, a hum from the wall or roof, grey paper fragments, and increased numbers at certain times of day.
If the traffic is real and the insects are wasps, you have an active nest. Keep children and pets clear, avoid blocking the gap or poking it, and do not attempt to spray or smoke.
Wasps start building from late April, and the colony grows until August. A nest can hold from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps, so early action is sensible.
Do not assume that a nest in a wall is wasps simply because it is in a wall. If you see a cluster of golden insects at the entrance, or smell something sweet near it, think bees first and ask a beekeeper.
Booking
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats wasp nests for a fixed £120 each, with one visit guaranteed and no call-out charge. If a second nest is found on the same property, it is £60 extra, and nothing is added for location or time of day.
Technicians are fully insured and qualified, and the business is open seven days a week, with same-day service offered for homes and commercial premises. The number is 01622 410 019, and the online form is there if you prefer to write.
If you are not sure what the insects are, say so when you ring, and describe what you have seen. If anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings, tell the business at booking so it can be prioritised.
Because identification can be uncertain, a technician who arrives at your property will look at the insects and tell you what they are. If they turn out not to be wasps, they will say so and advise on who to contact.
Wasps on your property in Hawkenbury?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.