When Is Wasp Season in Hurst?
Unlike a private garden, a workplace has staff, visitors and deliveries to protect, and the wasp calendar tells you when to inspect, brief and book.
A workplace is not a garden
A wasp nest at home is a family matter. At a workplace it is a health and safety matter, a customer-service matter and a staffing matter all at once. Staff walk to and from the building, deliveries come and go through the yard, and bins stand in the same place all week.
A nest may be started from late April onwards, depending on the weather. The colony keeps expanding through the summer and peaks in August, after which wasps turn their attention to sweet food and drink. A business in Hurst, or anywhere else, can use this calendar to plan.
This article covers the common features of workplaces with a yard, a bin area or outdoor space, and gives a plan for the year.
A little planning in spring tends to prevent the awkward conversations in August.
A business also has to consider reputation. A customer stung on the way in will not remember how well your team handled the rest of the visit, so prevention is worth the effort.
Spring: inspect and brief
Late April is a good time to do a simple inspection. Whoever opens up can walk the outside of the premises and look at the usual places.
- The roof edges, eaves and fascias.
- Walls, air bricks, vents and gaps around pipes.
- Chimneys, flues and unused outbuildings.
- Trees, hedges and the ground along the boundary.
- Bin stores, loading bays and storage containers.
Brief staff at the same time. They should know what to look for, who to tell and what not to do. Early spring is the best time to deal with nests, and a nest found in May causes minimal disruption to the business.
A simple log sheet on the staff noticeboard, where anyone can record a sighting, means the information goes somewhere and not just into a conversation at the kettle.
For larger premises, divide the site into zones and give each zone to a named person. It stops everyone assuming someone else has checked the far corner.
Summer: yards, bins and deliveries
By midsummer the colony is growing, and the places that attract wasps become more of a problem.
- Keep bins lidded and emptied regularly, and keep them away from entrances.
- Rinse drink cans and bottles before recycling them.
- Store pallets, crates and stock away from walls where wasps might nest.
- Brief delivery drivers if there is a nest near the loading area.
- Keep staff break areas clear of sweet waste, and clean tables promptly.
If there is a nest near a door or loading bay, do not put up with it. A live nest is not something staff should approach, and wasps can swarm and sting if they feel threatened.
Think about vehicles too. Vans and lorries parked next to a nest may attract wasps into their cabs, so check before getting in during the summer.
Think about smokers' shelters and outdoor break areas as well. Sweet drinks, crisps and discarded cans pile up in these corners, and they are often next to the hedge or fence where wasps nest.
August and September: the peak and the sweet-seeking weeks
By its peak, a nest may hold anything from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps. Staff working outdoors, drivers loading vans and customers parking cars are all at greater risk. In the weeks after the peak, wasps are keen on sweet food and drink, and break areas, vending machines and bins become busy.
Take the necessary steps. Move bins, close doors, keep windows near the nest shut, and put up a clear notice if an area has to be avoided. Make sure someone has been told to book a treatment, rather than assuming it will be sorted.
Keep a first aid kit with cold packs, and make sure someone knows what to do if a person is stung. Dial 999 at once if the face, lips or throat swell, or if there is wheezing, trouble breathing, dizziness or a rash spreading over the body.
Seasonal and agency staff may not have been briefed, so make the induction cover this.
Contractors working on site, such as roofers and window cleaners, need to be told where any nest is before they start. A short note in the site induction does the job.
Allergies, records and responsibilities
Ask staff to say if they are allergic to wasp stings, and tell the team when you book, so the booking can be prioritised. Keep a log of when and where any nest was found, who reported it and when it was treated. This makes it easy to look back next spring.
If you rent the premises or share a site, check your lease or the site rules for who arranges and pays for pest treatment, since that depends on the agreement. For liability and insurance questions, check your own policy. This article cannot advise on those.
Wasp Exterminator Kent works on commercial and domestic properties alike.
Reviewing the log in the winter, when the pressure is off, is a good way to decide what to change for the next year.
Price and booking for a business
A nest is a fixed £120 with one visit guaranteed, and extra nests on the same property are £60 apiece. There is no call-out charge, and the price does not change with the time of day, so work can be arranged before or after opening hours.
Appointments run seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, and same-day service is offered. Technicians are fully insured and qualified. Speak to the team on 01622 410 019, or leave your details using the contact page form. Say where the nest is, how close it is to staff and customers, and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Hurst?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.