Wasp Control for Stone in Oxney Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises
Marquees, field events and outdoor catering put sweet food and crowds together in open ground, so a nest on the site has to be found well before the gates open.
The field before the fête
Outdoor events are planned months ahead. A marquee is hired, stalls are booked, the cake stand is promised and the raffle prizes are collected. What often gets left to the last minute is a proper look at the ground itself. A field, a farmyard or a village green may have been undisturbed for weeks, and wasps will have used that time well.
If you are organising an event at Stone in Oxney, that look can save the day. Nests begin from late April, and by August a colony may hold from 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more, so the late-summer fête, the harvest supper and the open farm weekend are all at the riskiest time of year. A nest hidden in a bank or hedge beside the car park is invisible until somebody steps on the wrong spot.
It makes sense to treat the nest before the guy ropes go in, not after the first guest has been stung by the tea urn.
Surveying the site in advance
Visit the site a week or two before the event, on a warm, dry day around the middle of the morning, when wasps are active. Walk the whole area, including the edges that guests rarely use.
- Look for holes in the ground, banks and the roots of hedges.
- Check the barns, sheds and toilet blocks that will be open to the public.
- Inspect tree trunks, posts and gate posts.
- Look under any tarpaulins, straw bales and stacked staging.
- Note where the caterers will set up and where the bins will go.
If you find a line of wasps travelling to and from the same spot, mark it with tape and a cane from a distance, then keep stall holders and parkers away. Do not try to dig it out or cover it with soil.
Think about the toilets and car parking, which are often forgotten. Portable toilets are placed at the field edge where nests are common, and a car park on a grass verge is a risk for anyone stepping off the track. Ask the supplier to position units on bare ground, and send a steward ahead to look at the edges.
If the weather has been dry, wasps may be busier around water sources such as troughs and taps, so include those in your check.
Layout, catering and bins
Think about where the food will be. Cake stalls, tea tents and children’s sweet stalls should be well away from any nest. Put lidded bins at the edges of the field, not next to the stalls, and have a team empty them often. Ask the caterers to cover food, use sealed portions and keep sweet drinks closed.
Position seating in the shade away from hedges and banks, and keep a few chairs inside the marquee for anyone who is nervous. Mark any no-go area clearly and put a marshal there if people are likely to wander.
Do not spray near food stalls or crowds. It does not remove the nest and may spoil the products. A cloud of aerosol at a children’s stall is also not the impression you want to give. Treatment of the nest beforehand is a far better option.
Treatment before the event
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests at venues, farms, pubs, shops, offices and homes. The charge for one nest is £120 flat, which includes one visit guaranteed, and another nest on the same property is £60 extra. There is no call-out charge, and no extras are added for where the nest is or when we attend.
We are open seven days a week, with same-day service, and offer evening and weekend appointments. This means a visit can be fitted in a day or two before the event, or after the previous event has packed up. Our technicians are fully insured and qualified, and they carry out safe and effective work.
Give directions to the field gate, say whether the ground is soft, and tell us who will meet the technician. Raise it at booking and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down afterwards.
Volunteers, stewards and first aid
Most village events rely on volunteers. Brief the stewards on where the nest was found, what has been done and how to respond if a wasp lands on a guest. They should keep calm, avoid swatting and guide people gently away.
Ask the first aider to be ready. For a sting, wash the area, remove the sting if visible and use a cold pack. If swelling of the face, lips or throat appears, phone 999, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash. Anyone who knows they are allergic should talk to their GP about managing it.
Having this agreed before the event means volunteers can act confidently and the organisers can avoid panic.
Remember the clear-up too. When the event ends, rubbish bags full of cans and cake wrappers left overnight draw wasps back to the field, so collect them promptly and take them away. Check on the morning after, particularly if you are running a second day.
Booking for the event
When you contact us, give the field or venue address, the date of the event, the position of the nest and a contact on the day. Please flag any allergy to wasp stings in the team, tell us at the time of booking and the visit can be prioritised.
You can reach us on 01622 410 019, or use the booking form on the contact page, and either route works for an urgent job outside office hours.
After the treatment, keep the marked area closed until the technician confirms it is fine, and check again on the morning of the event.
Wasps on your property in Stone in Oxney?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.