Are Wasps Dangerous? Understanding Stings and Nest Disturbance in Margate
Eating outside on a warm day puts sweet, sticky food in front of wasps, so a few easy habits keep a day out from ending in a sting.
Takeaway food and wasps
A warm day on the Kent coast usually means food eaten outdoors: ice creams, doughnuts, chips, fizzy drinks and sweets, often held in a hand and eaten on the move. To a wasp, that is a very good offer. Sugar, fat and protein are what the insects want, and a person walking along with a cone or a cup is carrying a small feast at head height.
Most of the time, the wasp lands, tastes and leaves. The danger comes when someone panics, bites into a snack with a wasp on it or squashes one in a hand. Those are the moments when stings happen, and the lip or tongue is a poor place to get one.
Fizzy drinks in cans are the classic trap, because a wasp can crawl through the opening unseen. Open bottles of sugary drinks are nearly as bad. When you are eating on a bench, a wall or in a car, a wasp has just as much chance of finding you as it would in a garden.
Do not leave bags of sweets, picnic boxes or cooler bags open on the ground either. Wasps will find the opening, and a child who reaches in for a snack can be stung on the hand. Keep food zipped, boxed or covered, and take leftovers with you instead of dropping them.
Habits for the day out
A few small changes keep the risk down.
- Look at your food and drink before every mouthful, especially sweet things and cans.
- Use a lid and straw for children's drinks.
- Hold ice creams away from your face and keep a napkin to hand.
- Bin your rubbish promptly in a bin with a closed lid.
- Avoid leaving half-finished cans or cups on walls and benches.
- If a wasp lands on your food, put the food down gently and step back.
None of this stops wasps from visiting, but it cuts the chance of a sting. Teach children to stay still when a wasp lands on them and to ask an adult for help.
If you have children with you, make it a habit to hold their drink or snack at the start and check it before handing it back. Ice lollies melt quickly in warm weather, and the drips are exactly what wasps want, so have wipes to hand.
If you are stung
Step away from the food and the wasps. Remove a visible sting, wash the area with cool water if you can, and apply something cold, such as a cold drink can wrapped in a cloth. Keep an eye on the person for the next hour or so.
A sting in the mouth or throat is urgent, and may happen when a wasp is swallowed along with a drink or snack. Call 999 straight away if you see a widespread rash, dizziness, wheezing or swelling around the face, lips or throat. If you are away from home, make sure someone knows where you are and can tell the call handler the address.
It is worth a word with anyone who is allergic. They should know where their medicine is and tell the people they are with. Friends and family are far more help when they know what to look for.
Keep in mind that a sting in the mouth can follow a sip taken without looking. If someone says they feel something sharp on the lip or tongue, put the drink down, tell a companion and watch for swelling. Do not hide it and hope it settles.
If you live or work nearby
Residents and business owners face the same wasps every day through the summer. If you have a garden or yard where wasps gather, tighten up the bins and waste, wipe tables and clear drinks. If the numbers do not drop, look for a nest on or near your property, in the roof edge, a wall, a hedge or the ground.
For businesses serving food and drink to the public, a nest close to your seating is a customer-safety issue and a trading problem. Do not wait until the peak of August to deal with it.
Outdoor tables and counters need constant attention, since a half-eaten dessert left for a few minutes can attract a crowd. Clear promptly, wipe the surface and use lidded bins.
For a house with a garden, the same principles hold at a barbecue or family tea. Cover plates, use jugs with lids and have a bin with a tight cover nearby. If wasps still crowd the table, check for a nest within the property.
Dealing with a nest
Never try to deal with a nest yourself, and keep children and pets away from it. A technician can treat it safely and quickly. Ask whether the empty nest can be taken down afterwards. Between your first sighting and the visit, keep doors and windows near the nest closed, and use another route if the nest is beside an entrance.
Customers and staff are usually relaxed about wasps if they see sensible steps being taken, so a visible routine of clearing and cleaning is reassuring.
A nest in a wall, roof edge or hedge close to where people eat and drink should be treated before the summer is in full swing. It can be done in a short visit and removes a constant worry.
Booking
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests for a fixed £120 with one visit guaranteed. An extra nest on the same property is £60 extra. There is no call-out charge, and the price stays the same whatever the time of day or location. We work seven days a week, offer same-day service and take domestic and commercial jobs in Margate and the area around it. The team is fully insured and qualified. You can ring 01622 410 019 or send the online form at /contact-us/. If anyone is allergic, say so when you book so that it can be prioritised.
When you ring, tell us whether the property is a home, a shop or somewhere that serves food, so the visit can be planned sensibly.
Wasps on your property in Margate?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.