How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Bilborough Property
Not sure whether wasps are nesting at your Bilborough property? A safe ten-minute watching routine shows whether a nest is active before you call us.
Watching beats guessing
People tend to judge a possible wasp nest by how close they feel to it, or by the one wasp that got into the kitchen. Neither tells you much. What does tell you something is a short, structured look at the suspected spot, done from a safe distance, repeated at a couple of times of day. It costs nothing, it keeps you out of harm's way and it gives you facts to pass on when you ring.
A householder in Bilborough, a suburb of Nottingham, who has noticed a few wasps around the back bedroom window could use the routine below on a warm afternoon. The result will be either a clear yes, a clear no or a maybe that justifies a second look the next day.
Setting up your lookout
Choose a place well back from the area you suspect, ideally indoors behind a closed window, or across the garden at the distance of a few cars. You want a view of the gap or area, not a close-up. Bring a notebook and a watch or phone timer. If you need to be outside, wear closed shoes and trousers, and have a clear way back to the door.
- Keep children and pets indoors while you watch.
- Do not stand directly below or in front of the gap.
- Tell someone at home what you are doing.
- Pick a calm, warm day, because wasps are far more active then than in cool or wet weather.
- Stop at once if any wasps fly at you, and walk calmly indoors.
Binoculars or the zoom on a phone camera let you see detail without going closer. Look at the spot rather than the sky, since individual wasps are small and move fast.
A small folding chair and a flask are not silly extras. If you are comfortable and out of the way, you will watch for the full ten minutes instead of giving up after two, and a longer look is what makes the count reliable.
The ten-minute count
Start the timer and count each wasp you see entering or leaving the suspected gap, hole or area. Make two columns, in and out. Do not worry about getting an exact number. What matters is the rough rate and whether it holds steady.
A handful in ten minutes, with the wasps moving on elsewhere, usually indicates foragers going about their business. Dozens in ten minutes, with a regular rhythm of arrivals and departures at the same spot, is the pattern of a working colony. In mid to late summer the rate can be very high, because a nest at its peak holds thousands of wasps and a large share are out feeding at any time.
Repeat the count in the morning and again in the afternoon on the same day. If the rate is similar, or higher in the warmer part of the day, that adds weight to the idea that you are looking at an active nest.
Reading the results
Three outcomes are common. In the first, there is nothing: no wasps at the spot, or only an odd one. That suggests the gap is not in use, though a second look the next day is sensible if you had other reasons for suspicion.
In the second, you see steady traffic, with wasps flying in a direct line to the gap and disappearing inside. That is an active nest. Do not go closer, do not block the gap and do not try to deal with it yourself.
In the third, you see wasps but no clear pattern. They may come from several directions, or hover without entering. This might be a nest somewhere nearby that you have not found, or foragers at a food source. Note what you see and where, and keep a record of times so the technician can follow it up.
Whatever the result, write it down straight away. Memory is poor at turning a busy ten minutes into a number, and a figure written on the spot is something the technician can use.
What changes the count
Several things can skew what you see, and it helps to allow for them. Cool, cloudy or windy weather keeps wasps in the nest, so a low count on a dull morning proves little. A sunny, still afternoon will show the colony at its busiest. Time of year matters too: in May the nest is small, and even an active one may produce only a few wasps in ten minutes, whereas by August the same nest can send out a constant stream.
The position of the sun also plays a part. If the gap is in shade, wasps can be harder to see, so choose a time when light falls on the area. If you can only see a corner of the wall, say so in your notes. And remember that the count tells you about the colony's size only roughly. A modest number does not mean the nest is harmless, and a big number does not mean the situation is any more urgent than a small one for the person who has to live beside it.
- Dull, cool or wet weather: low counts, little proof either way.
- Warm, bright afternoons: the best conditions for an honest look.
- Early season: low traffic even at a real nest.
- Late summer: dense traffic at a large nest.
Passing the details on
Once you have your counts, write down the date, the time, the location of the gap and the rate. If you took a photo or video from a safe distance, keep it to hand. The more specific you are, the faster the technician can find the entrance.
Once you have your counts, write down the date, the time, the location of the gap and the rate, and keep any photo or video taken from a safe distance. The more specific you are, the faster the technician can find the entrance.
Treating a nest costs a fixed £95, and a second nest on the same property is £35. We make no call-out charge, and you hear the price on the phone before anyone is sent. Nothing is done until you say yes. Our number is 0115 937 5117, and the contact page has an online booking form if you prefer it. We work seven days a week, offer same-day service and cover homes and businesses. If someone in the household is allergic to stings, say so when you book.
Wasps on your property in Bilborough?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.