Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Woolage Village Home? Common Causes and Solutions
Not every striped insect in the house is a wasp, and knowing the difference helps you decide whether to act or simply let it out.
Three striped insects
A yellow and black insect in the kitchen is not always a wasp. Honeybees, bumblebees and hoverflies are often mistaken for one. Each behaves differently, and each calls for a different response.
Knowing which you have matters. A wasp nest needs a professional. A bee swarm needs a beekeeper. A hoverfly needs nothing at all. For a household in Woolage Village, a moment of identification can save a lot of worry.
Photographs are very useful. Take one from a safe distance, with the zoom if you have it, and check it later against the descriptions here. An insect that is hard to identify in the room is often easy in the picture.
What a wasp looks like
A common wasp has a slim, smooth body with a narrow waist, bright yellow and black bands, and long, thin legs. It looks glossy, with almost no hair. Its wings fold lengthways at rest, and its flight is quick and direct, with a nervous, darting quality. It tends to hover near food and drinks, and may chew at wood or fabric.
Wasps are most numerous from midsummer into autumn, and a colony grows through the season. A busy nest in August can be home to 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps.
Size can mislead. Queens in spring are larger than workers, and a wasp seen indoors in early summer may look big. Look at the shape and the behaviour as well as the size.
A queen wasp is what you may see in spring. She is larger than a worker, with a thicker body, and flies slowly as she looks for a nest site. If you see a large wasp indoors in spring, open a window and let it go. It is not yet a colony, and a queen found early is simply a visitor.
How bees differ
Honeybees are smaller and more golden-brown than yellow, with a fuzzy body. Bumblebees are large, round and furry, with soft bands, and fly with a heavy, bumbling motion. Both feed on flowers, collecting pollen and nectar, and are less interested in your drinks.
We treat wasps, not bees. If you believe you have honeybees or bumblebees nesting in or near your home, contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation. They will know how to deal with them without harming them.
Bees are in decline in many places, and gardeners and householders are encouraged to protect them. If you think you have a bee colony, it is worth leaving it alone and calling a beekeeper, rather than taking action yourself.
If you are trying to work out whether it is a bee nest or a wasp nest, watch the entrance. Bees fly in and out slowly, carrying yellow or orange pollen on their legs, and they do not take interest in your food. Wasps fly fast and straight, and have no pollen baskets. A wasp nest of papery grey material may be visible at a gap, while a bee colony is usually seen as a waxy comb.
Hoverflies and other lookalikes
Hoverflies are harmless flies that have evolved to look like wasps. They hover in mid-air, move backwards and forwards, and settle on flowers. They have large eyes, short antennae and only one pair of wings. They cannot sting.
If the insect hovers motionless and then darts away, it is probably a hoverfly. If it explores your food, bites at wood or flies back and forth between a wall and your table, it is more likely to be a wasp.
Another lookalike is the wasp-mimicking beetle or moth, which can come indoors in summer. These are harmless and tend to be slow and clumsy. If an insect is sluggish and does not react to your presence, it is unlikely to be a wasp.
Remember, too, that a wasp which has been in the house a while will often look dull and slow. It can still sting. Treat every wasp with the same caution, whatever it looks like.
What to do with each
- A hoverfly: let it go. Open a window.
- A single bee: open a window or put it outside in a glass and card. It is not a pest.
- A cluster of bees on a wall, tree or in a chimney: call a beekeeper.
- A single wasp: open a window and let it go. Cover food.
- A steady stream of wasps from the same place: there may be a nest.
If you are unsure, take a photo from a distance. Do not handle the insect or the nest. Rinse the stung skin with water, remove the sting if you can see it and apply a cold pack. Dial 999 at once if there is difficulty breathing, wheezing, swelling of the lips, face or throat, dizziness or a spreading rash.
When in doubt, treat any stinging insect with respect, keep your distance and let it leave by itself.
Take a minute to explain the difference to children as well. A calm adult who says that the striped insect on the window is not going to hurt them, if left alone, is more help than a shriek. At the same time, teach them to stay away from any insect that is crawling in a group near a hole or a wall.
Wasp nests: booking
If you are sure you have wasps, Wasp Exterminator Kent treats nests for a fixed £120 per nest, with one visit guaranteed. Treating another nest at the same address costs £60 more. A visit has no call-out charge attached, and the cost does not shift by place or hour. Both homes and businesses are served by technicians who are fully insured and qualified, seven days a week.
Phone 01622 410 019 or send an enquiry through the contact page form. If you are not sure what you have, describe it or send details through the form, and mention any allergy.
Wasps on your property in Woolage Village?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.