Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Hucking Gardens
Every wasp colony begins with one queen and ends with the first hard frosts, so the story of a wasp year explains why you will not see the same nest twice.
One year, start to finish
It helps to follow a single colony through its year, because once you see how it works, the question about returning to the same nest answers itself.
In spring a queen who has spent the winter asleep wakes up, usually from late April depending on the weather, and goes looking for somewhere to build. She makes a small nest, lays the first eggs and feeds the grubs herself. When those first workers hatch, they take over building and feeding, and the queen stays inside laying.
Through the summer the nest grows. By August it has reached its peak, and a nest may then hold from 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more. Then the year turns.
All of this happens quietly. Many households only notice the colony in July or August, when the numbers are big enough to be seen. By then the nest has been under construction for three months.
Autumn and the end of the nest
As autumn comes on, the colony produces new queens, and these leave to mate. The old queen, the workers and the nest itself have done their job. The workers die as the weather cools, and the paper structure is abandoned.
Only the newly mated queens carry on. Each finds a sheltered place, such as a gap in a wall or a hollow somewhere out of the way, and sleeps through the cold months. Nothing about this plan involves going back to the nest she grew up in.
So a nest in Hucking that was busy in August is, by November, simply an empty shell. Nobody is going to return to it.
That is also why autumn wasps can seem so persistent, wandering around bins and outdoor tables. They are the last of a failing colony, and they will be gone as the weather turns.
Bear in mind that a late-season nest can look very busy even as it fails. Seeing a lot of wasps in September is not the same as the colony being at its strongest.
Why it can feel as though they came back
There are three common reasons that a household is sure the same wasps have returned.
- The nest is in the same place. The gap that suited one queen may well suit another.
- The old nest is still visible. An empty paper shell left in the roof space or a bush makes it look as if the story is continuing.
- The timing matches. Wasp activity builds every year, so the summer nuisance is repeated, even though the insects are different ones.
None of these means the old nest is occupied. They show that wasps and houses make a good match, and that gaps tend to stay open unless someone closes them.
If the same room in the house keeps getting wasps in successive summers, look for the entry point rather than blaming the earlier nest. The old one cannot be the source, but the opening that let the last queen in might still be open.
What an abandoned nest is good for
An old nest can actually be useful as a clue. If it is stuck to a rafter or hanging in a hedge, it tells you which spot a queen chose, and so which spots to watch next year.
Take a photograph of it, with something beside it to show the size, and make a note of where it was. Then decide whether to leave it or remove it. If it is empty and within reach, wear gloves and bag it up. If it is high up or inside a cavity, leave it for now.
You can ask the technician at booking whether an empty nest can be taken down alongside the treatment of a live one.
Keep a small record in a notebook: where the nest was, which month you noticed it and how big it looked. After two summers you may see a pattern that points to a particular spot.
Planning for the next spring
Spring is when a small nest can be dealt with most easily. In the last week of April, begin to look around the same places once a week. Check the loft hatch, the shed, the garage and any bushes that overhang the house.
Things to avoid in a live nest’s area include loud noise, shaking the hedge, and spraying anything at it. A threatened nest can send out a stinging swarm. If somebody is stung, wash the area, take out the sting if you can see it and apply a cold pack. Facial swelling, wheezing or breathing difficulty, dizziness or a widespread rash need a 999 call.
If you spot a live nest, we can treat it for a fixed £120 per nest, with a further nest on the same property at £60 extra. Call us on 01622 410 019 or use the online booking form at /contact-us/. Evening and weekend slots are available, and we are open seven days a week.
Please do not attempt to carry out your own treatment. A nest in use is not a do-it-yourself job, and a calm call is a better start than a rushed experiment.
Reading the signs correctly
It is natural to feel uneasy about a large paper ball left in the garden, but you can reassure yourself with a few signs. No wasps coming and going in cold weather, no sound from inside and a nest that has begun to look frayed or flattened all suggest it is finished.
If any of those are in doubt, do not test it. Leave it for another cold spell, or ask for advice before touching it.
If the nest is somewhere you cannot see into, such as a roof space or a cavity, you may not be able to judge it at all. In that case, treat the area as unknown, avoid it, and ask for a technician’s view.
Wasps on your property in Hucking?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.