Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Wilmington? Here's What to Do
Wasps and bees look alike at a glance, but the right response is different, and calling the wrong specialist wastes time during a busy season.
Why the difference matters
A cluster of flying insects at the roof edge can be wasps, honeybees or bumblebees, and the right action depends on which. Bees are valuable, and many beekeepers will help to collect or relocate a swarm or colony. Wasps are a different matter, and a nest in the loft is something a pest professional deals with.
We treat wasps only. If your insects turn out to be bees, we will say so and suggest you contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, so your first call should be the one that fits. Getting it right at the start saves a lot of waiting.
In some years there are far more bee swarms in the news than usual, and in others far more wasps. Neither fact helps when you are staring at an unfamiliar insect at a gap in the roof. The simple checks of shape, colour and behaviour are what matter, and they take less than a minute.
How to tell them apart
Take a look from a safe distance in good light, and notice the following points.
- Wasps are slim and smooth with a narrow waist and bright yellow and black bands.
- Honeybees are rounder, furrier and more golden brown than yellow.
- Bumblebees are large, plump and very hairy, often with a pale tail.
- Wasps fly fast and direct, while bees often drift more slowly.
- Wasps chew wood to make a grey papery nest; bees build wax comb.
A phone photograph from a distance is often enough for a quick answer. Do not get close enough for a better picture.
Remember that sunlight and distance distort colours. A honeybee can look yellowish in bright light, and a wasp can look dull at dusk. Compare the body shapes instead: a wasp looks like it has been pinched in at the waist, while a bee is round and soft-looking. If you are unsure, phone and describe it.
One more habit worth having: never trust a single insect. A lone bee on the lawn or a lone wasp on a sandwich tells you nothing about what lives in your roof. Only a repeated stream through one gap matters, so spend a few minutes watching before drawing a conclusion.
Behaviour and timing
Behaviour offers extra clues. Honeybees tend to cluster in swarms in late spring and early summer, hanging in a ball and then moving on. A wasp colony stays put and grows through the season, with a constant flow of traffic. A nest in a loft that was not there in April but is busy in August is almost certainly wasps.
Foragers carrying small balls of wood fibre or chewing at fence panels are wasps. Insects visiting flowers and carrying visible pollen on their legs are bees. If you find one or two stray insects, they will not tell you much; look for a stream going in and out of one gap.
A loft nest is often more than one season old in the sense that the structure from a previous year may still be there, but a wasp nest is never used twice. If you can see an old papery shell but fresh activity at the same gap, a new colony may have moved in nearby rather than in the old structure.
What to do while you work it out
Whatever the insects are, do not go into the loft or try to block the gap. Do not spray them. For bees, spraying harms an insect that is worth protecting, while for wasps it is ineffective and risky. Keep the hatch shut and stay out of the roof space until you have an answer.
If you think they are bees, contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, and describe what you see. If you think they are wasps, or you simply cannot tell, phone us and describe the insects. The technician will give an honest view.
If you are unsure, take a photograph from a distance and keep it. It gives you something to show a beekeeper or to describe to us. A person who knows the difference can often identify the insects from a single clear image.
A last tip: the best photograph for identification is of the insect resting on a window pane from inside the house, with the camera close to the glass. That gives a clear view of the body shape without any risk, and it is usually all a specialist needs to tell wasp from bee.
Booking for wasps
If it is wasps, the price is a fixed £120 for each nest and £60 for an additional nest on the same property. There is no call-out charge, the technician is fully insured and qualified, and one visit is guaranteed. We are open seven days a week and offer same-day service, with evening and weekend appointments, covering homes and commercial buildings in Wilmington and surrounding villages.
You can ring 01622 410 019 or send the online form from the contact page. The form can also be used for emergency requests outside normal hours. Mention if anyone in the household has a sting allergy so we can prioritise the booking.
If the insects are not wasps, we will say so, and you can contact a beekeeper without having booked anything. If they are wasps, the booking is simple and the price is fixed from the start.
After the visit
If the colony was wasps, treatment settles things and the traffic at the gap should fade. Sweep up any dead wasps, and ask the technician whether the empty nest can be taken down. A nest of wasps is not reused, so there is no need to worry about repeat occupation of the same structure.
Should you later see bees using the same gap, leave them alone and call a beekeeper. They are a separate matter from the wasps we treated.
Wasps on your property in Wilmington?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.