How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Woodthorpe Property
Trees, hedges and shrubs can hide an active wasp nest. Learn the signs of a nest in garden greenery at a Woodthorpe property and how to stay safe.
Greenery hides a great deal
In spring and early summer a hedge or tree is dense with leaves. A queen can start a nest in a fork of branches, in the heart of a thick shrub or in a hollow in an old trunk, and nothing will give it away until the colony is large. By then the nest may be the size of a football, and wasps are travelling in and out all day.
For a property in Woodthorpe, in the Nottingham area, with a mature hedge, a conifer or a big tree at the end of the garden, the first sign is usually the wasps themselves, more than the nest.
A thorough look takes five minutes in the early summer and can save a nasty experience later. Make it part of the routine when you first walk round the garden after a warm spell.
Autumn leaf fall changes the picture, because a nest that was invisible in July can suddenly stand out in a bare branch. That is useful for identification, but it is not a reason to approach.
Signs that a hedge or tree holds a nest
Look at the plant from a distance, from different angles, and in good light. The nest may be grey, paper-like and round or oval, hung from a branch or tucked into a hollow. If it is deep inside, you may see only its effects.
- A constant stream of wasps entering and leaving a single point in the foliage.
- A patch of leaves that looks chewed or bare near the middle of a hedge.
- A low hum near a thick shrub or conifer when you walk past.
- Grey, papery material visible between branches after leaf fall.
- A hole or hollow in a trunk with wasps visiting it.
- Wasps appearing in numbers when you trim or water in a particular spot.
Binoculars are the safest way to check. A phone camera on zoom can capture a nest, and it will help the technician find it.
Hedge trimming and tree work
The biggest risk with a nest in a hedge is trimming it. A hedge trimmer makes noise and vibration, and it can cut straight through a nest. The wasps will pour out and attack whoever is holding the machine.
If you have noticed wasp traffic around a hedge, do not trim it until the nest has been dealt with. If you hire a gardener or tree surgeon, tell them what you have seen so they can avoid the area. Keep a gap of several metres around the suspected nest when you move around the garden.
Never throw anything at a nest, pour anything over it or try to burn it out. Each of these makes things worse.
Ladders are the other risk. Never climb a ladder to look into a hedge or tree where you suspect a nest. A stung person on a ladder can fall, and a fall is a worse risk than a sting.
Using the seasons
Nests in trees and hedges are active through the summer and decline in autumn. You may find an empty nest later in the year, when leaves have fallen and a grey ball is visible in the branches. An empty nest is generally not reused, but you cannot tell from the ground whether it is empty, so assume it is active unless the wasps are clearly absent.
Check again after a few cold nights. If you still see wasps going in and out, the nest is in use. If there is no movement at all over several warm days, it may be abandoned, but leave it alone and do not knock it down. Ask the technician if you want it taken down once treated.
What a nest looks like once you can see it
A mature wasp nest is a rounded or teardrop shape made of grey, layered paper, often with a pattern of curved bands like a shell. The entrance is a hole near the bottom. Size varies, from a tennis ball in early summer to something much larger by late summer.
In a tree it hangs from a branch or sits in a fork. In a hedge it is usually hidden in the dense middle. In an old hollow trunk, you may only see the entrance and the wasps. All of these look different from a bird's nest, which has twigs and no insects.
- Grey, papery layers, often with curved bands.
- A single hole near the lower part of the nest.
- A steady flow of wasps in and out of that hole.
- A low hum when you are nearby.
If you see a nest hanging in a tree, do not throw anything at it and do not go underneath it. Photograph it from a safe distance and ring for advice. Remember that many people mistake a nest for a ball of leaves or a squirrel's drey at first glance, and the wasps are what decide the matter.
Getting it checked
Tell us where the hedge or tree is in relation to the house, roughly how tall it is, and how close it sits to a path or patio. A photo taken from a distance is a welcome extra.
A garden nest is dealt with for a flat £95, and an extra nest on the same plot is £35. We do not charge to call out. You hear the cost on the phone beforehand, and we wait for your agreement. Reach us on 0115 937 5117 or through the form on the contact page. Cover is seven days a week, with same-day visits offered, for homes and businesses alike. The technician is trained, the work is fully insured, and anyone at home with a sting allergy should be mentioned at booking.
Wasps on your property in Woodthorpe?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.