When Is Wasp Season in Sandwich?
Roof repairs, painting and extensions often happen in summer, which is exactly when a wasp nest is busiest, so timing the job matters.
When the builders arrive in summer
Summer is the favourite time for building work. The days are long, the weather is dry, and people want the roof mended, the house painted or the extension built before autumn. It is also the time of year when wasp nests are at their most active.
Nests are started from late April, depending on the weather, in gaps in eaves, walls and chimneys, among other places. The colony grows through the summer and peaks in August. In Sandwich, as elsewhere, that overlaps with the main building season, and a ladder or scaffold can put workers right beside an entrance.
This article explains how the two calendars interact and how to avoid stings and delays.
A nest may also be found by the people doing the work rather than the homeowner, so it helps to tell contractors from the start that you want to know straight away if they see wasps.
Before the work starts
The best time to check for wasps is before the scaffold goes up. Walk the outside of the property, especially the areas where work is planned, and look for a wasp flying in and out of a gap.
- Look at the eaves, fascias and soffits where roof work will take place.
- Check the chimney, if the stack or pot is being repaired.
- Look at walls to be repointed, rendered or painted.
- Inspect any extension site, shed or outbuilding to be altered.
Tell the builder what you have found. If you find a nest, have it treated before work begins. Early spring is the best time to deal with nests, and an early check before the contractors arrive can save everybody trouble.
Photographs of the roofline taken before the work also provide a useful record, which can help if there are any questions about when and where a nest first appeared.
Why work disturbs nests
Scaffolding, ladders, power tools, hammering and drilling all create vibration, and wasps react to vibration. A nest in a gap in the fascia, in a wall cavity or under a roof edge can be disturbed by work some distance away.
Typical problems include:
- A ladder placed against the wall near an entrance.
- Scaffold poles fixed to the building close to a nest.
- Drilling or chasing out brickwork in a wall that contains a nest.
- Stripping old fascias or soffits and exposing a nest.
- Removing ivy or climbers that hid an entrance.
Wasps can swarm and sting if they feel threatened, and workers at height are in a poor position to retreat. The safest course is to stop and have the nest treated before work continues.
Garden tradespeople face similar risks. Tree surgeons, fencers and landscapers work in the same hedges and ground holes as wasps, so a conversation before they start is a good idea.
Site cabins, material stores, skips and tarpaulin-covered piles are additional places where wasps sometimes settle during a long job, so check them each morning.
What to do when a nest turns up mid-job
Sometimes a nest only appears once work is under way. A tradesperson takes off a board and finds it, or wasps start streaming from a spot that was hidden.
- Stop work and move away from the area, calmly.
- Do not try to knock down or cover the nest.
- Take everyone, including children and pets, away from the area.
- Take a photo from a safe distance, if you can.
- Contact the team and describe the position and height.
It is better to lose a morning than to have someone injured on a ladder. Wasp Exterminator Kent offers same-day service and is open seven days a week, so the delay can be short.
Remember the people on the ground as well. Nests at height can send wasps to the area below, and anyone standing there is at risk. Clear the area under any known nest.
Agree a clear stop signal with the builder. A single word, shouted or radioed, that means everyone steps back at once is worth having on any job at height.
Planning the schedule
If you have flexibility, plan jobs that involve the roof edge, chimney or high walls for early spring or late autumn, when there is less wasp activity. In practice that is not always possible, so build in a margin.
Ask your builder to check for wasps before they start, and to tell you if they see any. In the later weeks of summer, wasps are interested in sweet food and drink, which includes the builders' tea and lunch. A covered bin and a tidy site go a long way.
If you are renting, check with the landlord or agent before arranging work, since permissions and responsibilities depend on your agreement.
A decorator working at a window on a warm afternoon may find wasps coming in from the outside. Closing windows between coats is a small step that helps.
Booking a treatment alongside building work
Pricing is simple: £120 per nest, one visit guaranteed, and £60 per additional nest on the same property. Nothing is added for call-out, and the price stays put whatever hour you book. Technicians are fully insured and qualified, and work on homes and commercial sites.
Dial 01622 410 019 to book, or complete the online form on the contact page. Tell the team the date the contractors are due, where the nest is and how high it is. Mention any allergy in the household so the visit can be prioritised, and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down once it has been treated.
If scaffold has already been erected, say so, because the technician may need to plan for safe access to the nest from it.
Wasps on your property in Sandwich?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.