How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Sherwood Property
Wasps often nest in the ground, in lawns, banks and borders. Learn the signs of an underground nest at a Sherwood property and how to stay safe.
Not every nest hangs from a roof
The picture most people have of a wasp nest is a grey ball under the eaves. In practice a good number are underground. Queens look for old rodent burrows, gaps beneath paving, hollow banks and spaces under sheds. Once the colony starts, the workers enlarge the space by digging out soil, and they carry it away in tiny pellets.
A property in Sherwood, a suburb of Nottingham, with a lawn, a sloping bank or a flowerbed can have a ground nest and show no sign until the colony is big in late summer. Learning the signs makes a big difference, particularly if you mow or garden.
The best time to spot a ground nest is a warm, dry afternoon in August, when traffic is at its heaviest. By then the entrance is often a well-worn trench, and it is easy to find if you know to look.
None of this means a lawn is something to fear. Most gardens never have a ground nest, and those that do usually show it with a little patience and a quiet look from the patio.
The signs to look for
A ground nest has an entrance hole, often about the size of a coin or a little larger, in bare soil or at the base of a plant. The hole may have a rim of loose soil around it, as workers push it out while digging.
- A small round hole with wasps going in and out in a steady stream.
- Loose, fine soil scattered at the edge of the hole.
- Wasps flying low over the ground in a straight line, then dropping in.
- A patch of grass or soil that looks slightly worn or flattened from traffic.
- A sudden increase in wasps near a lawn, bank or border.
- Wasps rising up when you walk or mow nearby, which suggests a nest under your feet.
Use a distance and a calm approach to look. Binoculars from the patio are enough to see the traffic. Never lean over a hole to check.
Look also along the base of walls, beneath patio slabs and around the roots of old trees, as these are favoured spots as well.
The risk with mowers and strimmers
Vibrations alert the colony, and wasps defend a ground nest with force. A lawnmower passing over or close to an entrance can bring out a large number at once, and stings to the legs and arms are common. The danger is greater with a ride-on mower or a strimmer, where the operator cannot easily step away.
If you have seen wasps going in and out of a hole in the lawn, stop mowing in that area. Mark the spot from a distance, using a long cane or a flag placed gently, and keep children and pets off the area.
If you have been stung while mowing, walk away calmly, wash the sting, and if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing or dizziness, call 999.
Other things that look like a ground nest
A hole in the lawn is not always a wasp nest. Ants make small mounds with many workers, and mining bees dig tiny volcano-like holes in bare soil, with single bees coming and going rather than a stream. Worms leave castings. Bumblebees sometimes nest in old burrows too, usually with fewer insects and a slower, fluffier look.
If you think you have bees, contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, because we treat wasps. The difference is in the pace and the number. A wasp nest has a rapid, steady flow of slim yellow-and-black insects, while bees are rounder, fluffier and more casual.
A scenario from a typical garden
A family has a sloping lawn running down to a hedge. Through July they notice more wasps than usual around the bottom of the garden, but they put it down to the plum tree nearby. In August the father goes to mow the bank and is stung several times as a cloud of wasps rises from the grass.
On reflection, there were clues. A small hole at the foot of the bank, a trail of wasps flying low across the grass, a patch of soil that looked newly turned. None of these was dramatic on its own, but together they pointed to a nest.
The lesson is that a ground nest rarely shows itself in a way that demands attention. It gives hints, and the person who notices them can avoid the sting. If you have a lawn with a bank, spend a few minutes before each mow looking at the bottom of the slope from the side, and listen for a hum. If wasps are visible, leave the mower in the shed and call.
Strimmers and edging tools deserve the same caution, since they work in the long grass where entrances are hidden.
What to do
Do not pour anything into the hole, block it or stand near it. Wasps that are disturbed can come out in numbers, and underground nests can be larger than they look from above.
Do not pour anything into the hole, block it or stand near it. Wasps that are disturbed can come out in numbers, and underground nests can be larger than they look from above.
For a ground nest the charge is £95, fixed, and £35 if there is another nest on the same property. No call-out fee applies. The price is settled over the phone before the technician sets out, and the work only goes ahead once you have agreed. Ring 0115 937 5117, or use the contact page form, and say where the hole is and whether it is near paths, play areas or a patio. We operate seven days a week, offer same-day service and take on domestic and commercial sites. Our technicians are trained and fully insured.
Wasps on your property in Sherwood?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.