Wasp Nests Under Roof Tiles – A Common Problem for Rough Common Homes
Hardware-shop sprays and online home remedies promise a quick end to roof wasps. Here is why they fall short and what to do in place of them.
The appeal of a quick fix
A wasp nest in the roof is worrying, and a can of spray costs very little. A web search will also offer plenty of ideas: smoke, water, vinegar, peppermint, fake nests, sealant. Each promises to settle the matter with an hour of effort and a few pounds.
The trouble is that a roof nest is not like a wasp on a window. It is a colony of thousands in a space you cannot see into, protected by tiles and boards, and the usual tricks do little to reach it.
Rough Common householders thinking about it should weigh the odds honestly before they begin.
There is also a cost to a failed attempt that people forget. A colony that has been sprayed or smoked becomes more defensive, and a technician arriving afterwards finds a nest that is on edge.
Sprays from the shop
A spray in the gap lets you do something, and it may bring down a few wasps at the entrance. But the nest itself is further in, and the colony is likely to be unharmed. What you do achieve is a state of alarm among the wasps.
You are also using the spray in the worst position: up a ladder, at head height, with your face near the opening. The wasps that fly out do not distinguish between you and the threat, and you have no easy escape.
Sprays can also stain boards and leave residues around the entry that the technician needs to work with. If you have already used one, say so when you ring.
Products sold for use on wasps carry instructions that assume you can reach the nest from a safe distance. A roof nest is rarely like that, and following the instructions properly would still leave you at the gap.
If you do use anything of this kind, never do it at dusk or at night. Wasps are inside the nest then, and a torch or a sudden disturbance in the dark is a recipe for stings.
Smoke, water and other ideas
Lighting anything near a roof is a serious hazard. Smoke close to timber, felt and insulation can start a fire that you cannot see, and the idea that wasps will leave in a cloud of smoke is not reliable.
Pouring water or running a hose at the gap soaks the roof timbers without addressing the colony, and the wasps simply become angrier. Peppermint oil, vinegar and similar household items have no dependable effect on an established nest.
Hanging up a fake paper nest is a different idea, based on the notion that wasps will not build near a rival. It is of no use once a nest is established, and it is of little value even before that.
Water has another downside: it can soak insulation and plasterboard around the nest, and the stains and damp that follow can be harder to deal with than the wasps.
Sealing the hole
Filling the entry with foam, filler or sealant is the most common DIY step and the one most likely to backfire. The nest is still alive, the workers are still inside, and the blocked exit means they search for another.
In a house, the alternative routes include ceilings, wall cavities, light fittings and the edges of a loft hatch. It is common for a householder to seal a hole in the morning and find a room full of wasps by evening.
If you have sealed a hole already, do not try to remove the seal. Close the doors of the rooms below, keep windows shut and ring the office.
Foam is particularly troublesome because it expands, hardens and then has to be cut away before a proper repair can be made. It also makes it harder for the technician to see where the entrance was.
Some suppliers sell wasp traps and lures for the garden. These catch a handful of foraging wasps, and they have no effect on the nest in the roof.
The safer alternative
What helps is to stay on the ground, keep the household clear and let a fully insured and qualified technician treat the nest. That is the job they are there for, and the method is safe and effective.
In the meantime, close windows on the nest side, cover food and bins outdoors and keep children and pets away from the wall below the entry.
For an ordinary sting, rinse the skin, take out the sting if you can see it and apply a cold pack. Get emergency help on 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, or a wheeze or trouble breathing, or the person feels dizzy or comes out in a rash across the body. Anyone known to be allergic should tell the office when booking so the visit can be prioritised.
Pets and children are the household members most at risk from a failed attempt, so keep them indoors whatever happens.
Cost, booking and the repair
Each nest is dealt with at a set £120 per nest, and no charge is made for coming out to you. A further nest found on the property adds £60 extra. That compares sensibly with the risk and the cost of a failed attempt, and the price graphic says one visit guaranteed.
Ring 01622 410 019, or use the form on the contact page, which also covers emergencies outside normal office hours. The office is open seven days a week, with same-day service and evening and weekend appointments. Homes and businesses are both treated.
Once the nest has been dealt with, arrange a repair of the gap. Ask the technician whether the empty nest can be taken down at the same visit.
Paying once for the proper job avoids the cans, the borrowed ladder and the second callout that follow when a home attempt goes wrong.
Wasps on your property in Rough Common?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.