Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Wittersham
Garages, sheds and lean-tos offer shelter to both wasps and bees, so careful checking from the outside is the sensible way to establish who has moved in.
Quiet spaces attract tenants
Sheds, garages and lean-tos are dry, still and often left undisturbed for weeks. That makes them attractive to insects looking for somewhere to settle. If you use an outbuilding in Wittersham only occasionally, a nest can establish itself without you knowing.
The first sign is often a small thing: a few insects at the door frame, a hum when you open the door, or an unfamiliar insect inside the window. Take those hints seriously, and check the building from outside before you go in.
Insects use outbuildings differently from houses. A shed that is not heated will cool at night and warm quickly in the sun, so activity may be concentrated in the middle of the day. Choose midday, when the sun is high and the insects are busiest, to see the entrance clearly from a safe distance.
It also helps to check the building after any bad weather. Wind can loosen felt and boards, and rain can swell timber, opening gaps that were not there before. A building that was clear in June can have a new entrance by August.
A walk-round routine
Do this once a week through summer.
- Walk slowly around the outside, keeping a few metres back.
- Check the roof edge, the eaves, the door frame, the window frames and the base of the walls.
- Look for insects entering and leaving the same spot.
- Look at the insects on the surface of the building: smooth and sharply marked, or soft and furry?
- Listen near the building for a steady hum.
- Photograph anything of note from a distance.
Pay special attention to the felt on a shed roof, particularly at the corners and where it overhangs the walls. Gaps in the felt and loose boards give insects a way in. Also look at the top of the door frame and the point where the roof meets the wall, which are common entry points.
Wasps or bees?
Wasps may use gaps in roofing, cracks in boarding, holes in the felt or the underside of the roof. Their nests look like grey paper and are often hidden. Honeybees, if present, would use a cavity such as a hollow wall. Bumblebees may use quiet corners and old nests.
Check the insects' look and pace. Smooth, quick, crisply banded insects entering a tight gap are likely wasps. Fuzzy, rounder, slower ones are likely bees.
If you keep tools, bikes or a lawnmower inside, you will want to collect them eventually. Do that only after you have been told the nest has been dealt with. It is worth noting what is inside and where the door is in relation to the entrance, so we can plan the visit.
Listen at a distance rather than pressing an ear to the wall. A steady hum that rises on a warm day and falls at dusk is typical of an active colony. If you can hear it from a metre or two away, the nest is probably large and close to the surface.
Do not go inside to check
The temptation to open the door and see for yourself is strong. Do not. A closed building may hold a nest close to the door, and opening it can bring you face to face with a colony in alarm. Never approach an active nest, since the wasps will swarm and sting if they sense a threat.
Depending on the weather, wasps start nests from late April, in eaves, wall gaps, chimneys, trees, bushes or underground holes. Numbers climb through the summer months with the August peak bringing anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps.
Lean-tos built against a house wall create a particular challenge, because an entrance there may link to a gap in the house wall. If insects are appearing indoors, say so. The more information we have about where they might be coming from, the better we can plan the visit.
If the building is in daily use
A garage, workshop or lean-to that someone uses every day creates extra risk. Put a sign on the door, ask family members not to use it, and tell visitors and deliveries. If you run a business from the building, let staff know what is happening before they arrive.
Honeybees and bumblebees help pollinate gardens and crops, and should be handled by a local beekeeper or bee organisation. Our team deals with wasps only, and we will say so honestly if your description sounds like bees.
Take a note of the position of the entrance relative to a door or window you use. A nest above a door you use every day is more urgent than one on the far side of a rarely used shed, and your description helps us gauge how soon you would like the visit.
After the visit, ask the technician whether the shed or garage needs any repair to stop other insects moving in. Gaps in boards and felt are best repaired once it is confirmed that there is nothing left inside.
Booking help
Book by ringing Wasp Exterminator Kent on 01622 410 019 or send an enquiry through the booking form at any hour. The fee per nest is £120 flat, with one visit guaranteed and no extra for location or time of day. Every further nest at the same premises is £60 extra.
The service takes domestic and commercial jobs, with same-day service and seven-day opening. Evening and weekend slots are there if daytime is awkward, and the technicians are fully insured and qualified.
For a household with a sting allergy, say so when you book so the visit can be prioritised.
Wasps on your property in Wittersham?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.