Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Tankerton Home? Common Causes and Solutions
A careful look at the outside of the house on a warm afternoon can show where wasps are getting in, and help a technician go straight to the right place.
Where the house meets the weather
The outer shell of a house has seams: the line where a window frame meets brick, the underside of the roof overhang, the board that runs along the gutter, and the points where pipes and cables pass through. Over time these seams open up a little. Wasps are skilled at finding the opening and starting a nest behind it.
In Tankerton, as elsewhere, a walk around the outside is the best first step when wasps are appearing indoors. It costs nothing, and it gives a clear picture.
Rendered and cladded surfaces can crack as they age. Look at joints, corners and the junction with the ground floor roof of any extension. A thin crack with wasps going into it is as good a nest entrance as a hole.
How to do a safe survey
Choose a warm, dry afternoon, when wasps are most active and easiest to see. Walk the perimeter of the house slowly, keeping a few metres from the wall. Stop at each corner and look up and along.
- Look at the soffit, the board beneath the roof overhang, for dark holes.
- Look at the fascia, along the gutter, for gaps and loose joints.
- Look at the top of each window frame for cracks in the seal.
- Look where pipes, cables and vents pass through the wall.
- Look at the roof edge for slipped or missing tiles.
Use binoculars if you have them, and never a ladder. Stop at once if you see wasps flying close to you.
Do the survey on more than one day if you can. Wasp activity changes with the weather, and a wall that looks quiet one day may be busy the next. Two or three short checks give a more reliable picture than a single long one.
Make a plan before you start. Decide which route you will walk, how long you will spend at each wall and who will stay indoors. Tell a neighbour if your garden is close to theirs, so they are not alarmed when they see you standing and staring up at the roof.
What activity looks like
A gap with a nest behind it has a particular look. A steady stream of wasps goes in and out, often in a straight line, with a pause at the entrance. The edge may be stained brown or grey from chewed material. A faint sound may come from the hole. In late summer, the entrance may seem bigger because the colony has grown.
A gap with no nest has no traffic. It might hold spider webs or old nesting material, but no wasps arrive or leave. Do not assume it is safe, however. Report anything you are unsure about.
Pay attention to the direction of travel as well. Wasps that leave an entrance and head straight over the garden are going to find food, and those that arrive carrying something are returning. A nest has traffic in both directions, and the flow is steady.
Photographs and notes
A photo taken from a distance is worth a lot. Use the zoom on your phone to capture the entrance and the wall around it. Note the time of day and the direction the wall faces. On a hot day, wasps on a sunny wall are more active than on a shaded one.
Draw a quick sketch of the house with an X where you saw activity. It helps the technician find the spot even if the wasps are quiet when they arrive.
If you rent the property, send your photographs to the landlord or agent at the same time as you book, so that everyone has the same information. Check your tenancy agreement for what is expected of you.
What not to do
Do not climb up to look more closely. Do not fill the gap with filler, foam or tape while it is active. Trapped wasps will look for another way out, which could be into your house. Do not spray or hit the wall. At its peak, a single nest may contain anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps.
If anyone is stung, wash the area, remove the sting if you can see it and use a cold pack. A serious reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing, dizziness or a widespread rash, needs a 999 call. Householders with a sting allergy should speak to their GP.
Remember too that a nest can have more than one entrance, and that you may see activity in two places on the same wall. Report both. If one is closed off, the colony will use the other, and the technician needs to know about every opening they can find.
Booking a treatment
Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests in walls, roofs, trees and the ground for a fixed £120 per nest, with one visit guaranteed. An extra nest at the same property adds £60 more. There is no call-out charge, and the price does not change for location or time. Technicians are fully insured and qualified, and domestic and commercial customers are served seven days a week.
To book, call 01622 410 019 or use the online form on the contact page. Same-day service is available. Share your photos and notes when you book, mention any allergy and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
If the wasps are on a high wall or a gable, tell the technician so that the right equipment can be brought. Clear anything from beneath the area, such as plant pots, garden furniture or washing lines.
Wasps on your property in Tankerton?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.