Pest Control
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Find a wasp nest late in the season and there are three options: treat the colony, physically take the nest away, or leave it alone. They are different things, and a nest in October does not automatically need the same response as one beside the back door in July.
Why late nests are different
Social wasp colonies last one season. By late summer and autumn an established colony is near the end of its life: it has produced new queens and males, and once the cold weather arrives the workers, males and old queen die. The new queens leave to overwinter somewhere else. They do not stay in the old nest, and nobody comes back to it next spring.
So a late nest is a temporary problem. The question is whether it is a big enough problem, in the weeks it has left, to be worth treating. Our guide to why nests last into autumn explains why some carry on well into October.
Leave it alone when
- the nest is well away from doors, windows, paths and anywhere people sit or play
- nobody needs to go into the loft, shed or part of the garden where it is
- nobody at the property has a known serious allergy to stings
Wasps eat a great many garden insects, and a nest that can be avoided safely does no harm by being left. Keep people and pets away, and it will be gone with the cold weather.
Treat the colony when
- the nest is beside an entrance, path, window or play area
- it is in a loft, garage or shed that people need to use
- it is near outdoor seating at a pub, café or other business, or close to staff and customer areas
- someone at the property has a serious sting allergy
- wasps are getting into the house
Late in the season, workers are at their most irritable and the nest is at its largest. Where people cannot avoid it, treatment is usually the right call.
Treatment and removal are not the same thing
Treatment deals with the live colony. We find the entrance and apply a professional insecticide at or into it. Wasps passing through carry it into the nest, where it reaches the queen and the brood, and activity tails off over the following day or so.
Removal means physically taking away the paper nest. Once a colony is dead there is usually no biological reason to do this, because the nest will never be used again. Opening a wall cavity or lifting roof tiles just to retrieve an empty nest is rarely worth the disruption.
When removal is worth doing
- The nest needs clearing before building, roofing or maintenance work.
- It is easy to reach, in a loft, shed or similar space, and simply in the way.
- It is in a sensitive setting, such as a food business, where physical removal is preferred.
Taking down a live nest is high-risk. Returning wasps may still be around after the nest is gone, and the person doing it is right next to the colony at its most defensive. It needs protective equipment, the right tools and a careful risk assessment first. It is not a job to try from a ladder.
Is the nest still active?
Watch the entrance from a sensible distance, to one side rather than in the flight line, on a mild afternoon. Regular two-way traffic means the colony is alive. No traffic at all, especially after a spell of cold weather, means it has probably finished. Do not tap, poke or open the nest to find out. An empty nest in a loft in winter is not a pest problem and can stay where it is, or be taken down if it is easy to reach.
Do not block the entrance
It is tempting to fill the hole the wasps are using. While the colony is active, that can send them looking for another way out, sometimes into the house. Wait until the nest is inactive or has been treated, then seal the gap, keeping any ventilation open with fine mesh.
Preventing a nest in the same spot
The old nest will not be reused, but a building that suited one queen may suit another. Once the nest is inactive, close the gaps around roof spaces, vents, pipework, cable entries, eaves and fascias. Around businesses, keeping bins closed and cleaning up sugary spills reduces the number of foraging wasps. For the start of the season, see our guide to spotting queen wasps in spring.
Check it is wasps
Bees going in and out of a roof or wall are often taken for wasps, and they need a very different approach. Our guide to bumblebee nests explains why many can simply be left.
When to call us
If you are seeing regular wasp traffic around a roof, loft, shed or wall late in the year, call us. We will look at where the nest is and tell you whether it needs treating, removing or leaving, and we will not treat a nest that is about to die off with no risk to anyone. Our wasp nest treatment page explains more, and businesses can see our commercial pest control.