Wasps

Family: Vespidae, e.g. Vespula vulgaris

Appearance

Yellow and black abdomen. Markings will differ according to species

Lifecycle

Young Queens overwinter and emerge in the spring to start nest building and lay eggs. Workers (sterile females) emerge during early summer and take over nest building. Queen continues to lay eggs. New queens and males mate in early autumn. Nest dies during winter, including all the males and workers. Only Queens survive to the next year.

Wasps are a problem in food production, storage and consumption areas in the same ways as other flying insects. Wasps also bring an added danger by being armed with venomous stings that are painful to all and very dangerous to a few.

Habits

Colony size — medium to large (up to as many as 25,000 individuals).

Preferred nest sites are lofts, wall cavities, old rodent burrows, hollow trees and bushes. Nest construction, pulped wood (paper). Combs set horizontally. A new nest is produced each year.

Swarming
Does not swarm.

Food preferences 
will take insects and sweet foods. Stings readily and repeatedly being social insects some species like the Common and German wasp will form colonies of many thousands of individuals. Nests can be massive and should not to be tackled unprepared.

Frequently asked questions

1. Are wasps dangerous?

Yes, wasps can be aggressive, and do give a painful sting. In some cases, people can react badly to stings, and death from anaphylactic shock is not uncommon.

2. Can i treat a nest myself?

It is possible to treat wasps using readily avaliable diy products. we always recommend thet you use a professional, as our service is guaranteed, and you will not be risking your own health by trying a DIY solution

3. Is the treatment safe?

Yes, all the pesticide products that we use are approved under the Control of Pesticides regulations, and when used properly, pose little or no risk to you, your children, or your pets.

4. How do you treat a wasp nest?

The usual treatment we use is an insecticidal dust injected under pressure into the nest. the product we use is Professional Use Only which means that it is not avaliable to the general public.

5. Do you remove the nest after it is treated?

No, usually we leave the nest in place as some wasps may be out foraging at the time of treatment. If we leave the nest in place, any returning wasps will pick up some of the insecticide and die. we can remove nests at a later date if required, but we do levy an additional charge for this service.

6. Do wasps re-use their nests?

No wasps do not re-use their nests, each autumn, queen wasps will find places to hibernate, and in the spring they start new nests. however i have seen new nests attached to the side of old nests.

7. How long does it take for the nest to die after treatment?

Most wasps die within three to four hours, but we advise our clients to allow at least 48 hours for the nest to die off completely. If after 7 days from the date of treatment, you still see wasps going to and from the same nest, please contact us for a free re-treatment. treatment faliure is very unusual.

8. How much does treatment cost?

We try to charge less than your local authority in most cases. we also try to attend your site as quickly as we can (usually within 24 hours)

9. I am at work all day; can you call in the evening or at the weekend?

Yes, we work 7 days and will happily attend at a time to suit you. We do not charge extra to attend evenings or weekends.

10. I've got lots of wasps in the garden, but i'm not sure if i have a nest?

It is not unusual for wasps to congregate on some plants, and later in the season they do become a nuisance as they are attracted to sweet foods and drinks. Try and watch where the wasps are flying, and find the nest. If you think you have a nest, call us straight away and we will be able to give advice over the phone.

11. What if i live outside your area

We Cover a large area taking in Solihull, Birmingham, redditch and Bromsgrove. Do not be afraid to call if we do not cover your area we can advise and help you find your local wasp expert.