Wasps

Characteristics

The queen wasp is larger than normal wasps (about 20mm) and she hibernates over winter, in the spring she starts making a nest in which to start laying her eggs. She feeds the young grubs on insects she catches until they develop into worker wasps. Her workers are all sterile females, which will forage for over a mile in search of food. At the end of the year, the adult worker wasps start to die off and the new queen wasps look for a warm place in which to hibernate for the winter and emerge in the spring to start the process again, building completely brand new nests. One
 nest may produce 30,000 wasps in a year.

Diet

Wasps are natural pest controllers and tend to eat other insects. However at their peak in the summer months, the workers turn to sweet food and they become a nuisance at BBQs, outdoor parties and bins.

Habitat

Wasps will generally build their nests in a safe area, this can be a loft or roof, wasp nests in your garden shed, inside an air brick vent or even wasp nests in the ground. Other Wasps build their nests in bushes, trees, and hedgerows. They can build their nests anywhere that they find suitable and where it is protected from the elements. The nest itself is built by using chewed wood and saliva to make a paper mulch material. The nest material is strong, lightweight and surprisingly waterproof, yet can just break apart in your hands.

Why control wasps?

One of the most feared summer pests, wasps will attack and sting, sometimes unprovoked. This is a risk and a cause for concern, if you have small children or pets as for some wasp stings, can lead to severe reactions, with a few people dying from wasp stings every year.

If you experience a high level of wasp activity at your premises, then get in touch with us.

Treating a wasp nest can be very dangerous. Wasps inside the nest will feel threatened and often become aggressive. This could cause them to sting you and others as they defend their nest and young.

To get rid of wasps you do ‘not’ need to remove the nest, but you do need to treat it. For treating a wasp nest make sure you call us at Shire Pest Solutions. 
We are fully trained professionals who have the technical knowledge and access to a range of professional-use insecticides which are not available to the public.

Even if you think your wasp’s nest is in an inaccessible height, we at Shire Pest Solutions will have the tools to reach and treat the wasp nest. After the treatment has worked no wasps should be seen flying, but as the young hatch out you may still get wasps walking around before the nest finally dies off. This is normal and should not need a revisit.