Wasp

To book a pest control treatment

Contact Us

01225 396007

Office hours are between

8.30am to 5.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,

9.30pm to 5.00pm Wednesday and 8.30am to 4.30pm Friday

For general enquiries, you may also email Council_Connect@bathnes.gov.uk

How much does it cost?

For further advice on price click on Residential Properties or Businesses.

What to expect from a visit

On arrival, the pest control officer will want to know where the nest is located. They will be looking for visual confirmation of the insect or observing the pests behaviour. This is in order to identify whether it is a wasp or a bee. Treatment will depend on the accessibility of the nest. Lances will be used to reach sites that are inaccessible. The officers are able to reach approximately 18 feet or 5.5 metres. Consideration is also given to the health and safety of people in the vicinity of the nest when applying the treatment. An information advice sheet is given detailing the poison used and contact details. We would advise that you stay away from the treated nest for approximately 4 hours until you can see no further activity. If on the rare occasion there is still activity around the nest after 24 hours, we will return to retreat.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if I have a bee or a wasp nest?

2. What behaviour would indicate I have a wasp nest?

3. Do you treat bees?

4. Where would you find a wasp nest?

5. How can I contact my local Bee keeper?

6. Can I treat a nest myself?

7. Do wasps come back to the same nest?

8. I have had my wasp nest treated, but there is still a lot of activity, what can I do?

9. Do I have to treat a wasp nest?

10I think I have seen a swarm what should I do?

11. Do wasps swarm?

12. I have a wasp nest in my loft, can you treat it?

13.  I have a wasp nest that is over 18 feet high from ground level, why aren’t you able to treat it? What can I do about it?

14. The wasp nest is on my neighbour’s property, can you treat it?

15. Do you treat hornets?

Answers

A1. Wasps have distinct yellow/black bands around the abdomen whereas bees have a more non-descript light brown/browny-yellow colour. Wasps have an hour glass shape while bees are rounder. You can also look at the activity they are doing. Look at the brick work, Wasps will use a single hole to enter, but mortar bees will investigate several. A further test is whether or not the activity continues on cold overcast days or just warm sunny days. Mortar bees will only be active on sunny days.

A2. The first thing to establish is what exactly is happening? What can you see? Normally the actual nest is not visible; it could be just a hole in the fascia or soffit board etc. The nest will be hidden away. Stand and watch for a while, you will see constant activity of wasps arriving and disappearing into the nest (or into a hole) and wasps will emerge from the nest and fly off.

A3. We do not treat any kind of bee. If you have a nest of honey bees, then a local bee keeper may be able to collect them. Please see the website www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php for further advice on identification and contact numbers of bee keepers.

If the bee keeper is unable to help, then you will need to contact a private pest control company that treats bees. We are unable to recommend a particular company; however, you should be able to find a company in local directories such as the yellow pages under pest control companies.

A4. It is often hard to find the nest itself as it may be hidden. They often nest in lofts, trees, sheds or garages, often close to a good food source. Wasps often enter buildings through small holes where electrical cables pass, under tiles, facia and soffit boards.

A5. Please see the website www.bbka.org.uk/help/do_you_have_a_swarm.php for further advice on identification and contact numbers of bee keepers.

A6. We would only suggest treating the nest yourself early in the season if it is smaller than a grapefruit. You could approach the nest with a wasp treatment bought from hardware stores or garden centres, when it is dark as they will be less active. Do not turn the lights on as they are attracted to the light. Wasp’s nests will die off in the winter following a few frosts. You could then break down any remaining nests as these will be old and uninhabited.

A7. No, not usually.  They do use the same flight paths though so could they could nest again nearby.

A8. When we treat the nest, not all of the wasps would have been inside at the time. As they return, they will be affected by the poison in the nest. If on the rare occasion there is still activity around the nest after 24 hours, we will return to retreat free of charge.

A9. You do not have to treat a wasp nest, only if it is causing you a nuisance.

A10. A swarm is when a collection of bees, gather together forming a clump with the intention of finding a new home. Once rested, they may stay there between a few hours to a couple of days until the scout bees have found a new home. If the bees are rested, then contact a local bee collector to remove the swarm. If they are flying there is nothing that you can do except stay away.

A11. No, wasps do not swarm. If they are gathered together in a tree for example, they are most likely foraging for food. We are unable to treat wasps that are behaving in this way; the treatment is only effective if it is sprayed into the entrance point and taken by the wasps into the nest.

A12. We may be able to treat the nest by approaching it from outside. We would not go into an enclosed space where there is a live wasp nest for health and safety reasons. We are able to reach up to about 18 feet / 5.5 metres from ground level with no obstructions. Using lances, the pest control officer directs poison where you can see a flight path of wasps streaming in and out under tiles etc. The wasps then take the poison into the nest where it is destroyed.

A13.  We only have equipment to treat wasps from ground level. The lances reach up to about 18 feet. Officers are unable to use ladders when treating wasps as this is a health and safety risk when treating a wasp nest. If you have a nest that is higher than this, you may need to contact a private pest control company that are able to accommodate these needs. We are unable to recommend a particular company, but you may find details in local directories under pest control companies.

A14No, we are unable to treat for a pest that is on someone elses property, they would need to contact us themselves if they want it treated.

A15. No, unfortunately we do not treat hornets, as despite their large size, they are generally quite docile. If you have a hornet nest that is causing you a problem, then you will need to contact a private pest control company that will treat them. For help in identifying whether you have a bee/wasp or a hornet nest please follow the link to the British Beekeepers Association website for further help. Please note, beekeepers will not collect hornets.

Your rating: 

Your rating: None Average: 3.1 (10 votes)
To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.