Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Upper Harbledown Gardens
A neatly stacked pile of logs is full of dry, dark gaps, and it is one of the few places in a garden where wasps and household fuel meet.
Fuel for the fire, shelter for the queen
If you burn wood, you probably have a store of logs, stacked in a shed, a lean-to or a bay beside the house. It is a useful thing to have, but it is also a structure of countless small cavities, dry and shielded from the weather.
An old wasp nest in a wood store is not a sign of a returning colony. The wasps that made it are gone, and the nest is empty. But a queen looking for a site in spring sees the same cavities as her predecessor, and the same shelter.
For people who use the store through the winter and into the spring, the bigger worry is the one that is hard to see: a nest started in the back of the stack in May and found in August when you reach in for a log.
There is also the matter of how a store is built. A lean-to against a house wall shares its cavities with the wall, so a nest may be on either side of the boundary. A freestanding shed has a roof void of its own. A wooden bay with a slatted back is open to the weather but full of nooks.
How wasps use a log pile
The favoured spots are the dark gaps at the back of the stack, the spaces beneath the bottom layer, and any hollow in the supporting frame. A queen will find a space that goes back far enough, and she will build a small nest on the underside of a log or against the wall.
Wasps can also nest in the kindling box, the pile of bark and offcuts, and bags of fuel left in a corner. Their sound is usually muffled by the wood, so the first sign may be traffic at the edge of the stack.
When you come to collect a log, the nest is right beside your hand.
The risk is greatest for the person who stacks and fetches logs, which usually means the same few members of the household. Warn visitors and children, who may be sent for a log without a thought, and make sure they know to look first.
Newly cut logs, particularly those with loose bark, shed debris that collects at the bottom of the stack and forms a soft layer. That layer is exactly the sort of material a queen can work with, so clearing it away at the end of winter is a worthwhile job.
A safer way to stack
A few changes make a wood store less appealing and safer to use.
- Stack logs loosely at the front so that you can see into the gaps.
- Keep the pile off the ground on bearers, but leave a clear view underneath.
- Do not stack logs hard against a wall or the back of the shed.
- Keep the kindling in a lidded box.
- Dispose of bark and offcuts promptly.
- Use the oldest logs first, so the stack turns over and nothing sits undisturbed for years.
A stack that is used regularly is much less likely to be settled in.
If you buy logs by the load, a delivery in autumn will arrive with its own load of bark and debris. Stack the new load carefully, and sweep out the space behind it before it goes in.
Habits for the spring and summer
From late April, look at the store each time before you reach for a log. Pause for a moment and watch the stack. If wasps are moving in and out, step back.
Do not use gloves as a substitute for looking, and do not take a log from the side of a stack where wasps are active. If you have no other fuel, use a different part of the stack or wait until the nest has been dealt with. Take the opportunity to move the next load of wood to a different spot.
In a quiet corner of the store, a small clear area against the back wall, with nothing stored in it, is a good idea. It removes the dark pocket and lets you see whether anything has begun.
Unwanted offcuts and sawdust from cutting are another problem. A heap of such material in the corner of a store is an extra pile of hiding places. Bag it up or use it quickly.
Cleaning out an old nest
When the season is over and the nest is plainly dead, wear gloves and remove it, bagging it as you go. If it is deep inside the stack, restack the logs gradually from the front rather than yanking the pile apart.
Take the chance to look at the structure behind. A damaged wall or panel can be repaired in the same visit.
Sheds that contain both tools and logs need the same treatment. A nest on a shelf above the log pile is just as much of a surprise.
Be sensible about timing. Do this job in a cold week in winter, when no wasps can be flying, and plan to complete it in a single session so that nothing is left half open.
Booking a visit
For a nest in a wood store, the price is a fixed £120 per nest, and an additional nest on the same property is £60 extra. There is no call-out charge. You will be visited by a fully insured and qualified technician, and each job comes with one visit guaranteed.
The number to call is 01622 410 019 or complete the form on the contact page at /contact-us/. We take bookings for Upper Harbledown and nearby villages seven days a week, with same-day service and evening and weekend appointments.
When you ring, tell us how the store is built and where the nest is, since a technician needs to know which way the stack faces and what is behind it.
Wasps on your property in Upper Harbledown?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.