Two wasp nests - DIY or professionals?

January Man · July 2021

Hi all

I like to try and tackle most things myself, but not sure about this one...

NEST #1 - with all the hot weather I had to succumb to getting the hose pipes out for the first time this year, when I was met with a surprise!

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/13/ghgycdaf8yiy.jpg

I'd say it is about the size of a grapefruit. Quite an easy target to hit and run! I've no idea though whether a nest that size will have a lot of wasps or not.

NEST #2 - The second one is a trickier number:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/xp/gsptr8trzwto.jpg

The nest can't be seen in the loft. In the bedroom, I'm doing some renovation work and can see into the void where the wall meets the ceiling. I can hear a quiet buzz, but cannot see it from there either. so not sure of the exact location. What I have noticed is dead wasps on the bedroom windowsill; around several wasps a day. Not sure why they're dying, but then don't know a great deal about them so...

Is it time for the professionals? Or should I put on several layers of clothing and a tin hat? If DIYing, for NEST #2 the only thing I can think is blasting what ever is to be used through the hole and hoping for the best.

Many thanks

Dovefromabove · July 2021

Nest No 1 is small … an embryo nest. I would wait until after dark, put on some sensible long sleeved clothing and rubber gloves and pick it up and move it to an out of the way corner in a hedgerow or similar.

As for the one in the roof space … nothing need be done. We had one over our landing window a couple of years back … we just kept that window shut. All the inhabitants will die at the end of the autumn. That will be the end of it.

No problem unless someone in the close vicinity has a severe allergy.

Fairygirl · July 2021

We once had a nest in the attic. They were accessing it through a vent above the back door, which is how we spotted it. When we opened the hatch, the nest was literally in front of us, on a rafter. We got a DIY kit from somewhere - probably B&Q or similar, got the spray ready to go, and then just opened the hatch and gave it some welly. That worked no problem. It was about the size of the one in your pic.
Our daughters' bedroom was right next to the loft hatch, so we decided we couldn't just leave it. Perhaps take a look at some of those products and see if it would work for your outdoor one, although if you don't need to use that hose, you could possibly leave it alone.
The other one is trickier unless you can get access easily, so I'm not sure how you should approach it. There will always be a few that die off, so don't worry too much about that. The main worry is if you're using that room, and the nest becomes larger.

I have one just now, in behind where I park my car. There's a boundary fence, but that bit has a raised bed on the inside, so they've clearly made a little home in there, and are accessing it from the car side. They won't be a nuisance there though, as long as I'm careful getting into the boot.

gerard mcmanus · July 2021

Wait until the end of the wasp season. Only the Queen wasps hibernate over winter and build a new nest in the spring. I should add I am not an expert at all, but I would imagine it will be safer to tackle yourself after the males have died off.

January Man · July 2021

Hi

Thanks for the quick replies.

OK, so the first one is small? I thought golf ball was small. This is more like a large grapefruit / small melon (I thought garden produce analogies would be more in keeping with this forum than sports equipment!).

My partner does indeed have an allergy, which seems to have gotten worse. The last sting had her go really quite squiffy, and she's got an epipen now for if it happens again. Which we're trying to avoid! The bedroom window is always open and the worry would therefore be wasps making their way into the house often when the nest is in full swing.

As for the hose... Well, it's hoses and quite a lot of them - all in that bin! We use water from the stream when we can, but if running short of time or there's just too much to do, then the hoses come out. Unless there's a wasp nest on it!

I think you're right, access will not be easy. Even getting to the small hole will be quite tough. But doable. The trouble is that I don't know how far through the hole the actual nest is. So even if I put product into the hole like billy-o, I won't know how much or if any has reached the nest. I guess I could try on an evening and then monitor over the next few days. But it is starting to conjure an image in my mind of angry wasps attacking me while I'm up a ladder!!! I'll make sure my partner is filming it so that if the worst happens we can take consolation of £250 from YBF!

Fairygirl · July 2021

If your partner has an allergy, I'd get someone in. For the one in the house anyway.
You could probably manage the outside one easily enough yourself. If your partner doesn't venture near that area [depends on the size of your garden etc] you could even leave it, but you'll need to make that judgement.

No - that isn't a big nest at all. Ours was that size - at least

Blue Onion · July 2021

They make a spray can of hornet killer that blasts up to 20 feet. I had a nest in the roof edge next to our back door, so went up on a ladder at night and stuffed in a paper towel halfway into the hole and soaked it with spray, so that it would travel in a bit. I then sprayed the towel from the ground once or twice a day, when I noticed hornets on it. It wasn't a busy nest, so it probably wasn’t too large. I found probably a dozen dead ones on the ground under the hole, and the rest either died inside or flew off. Within a few days, they were gone/dead.

The spray from a long distance works great, if they are in a bothersome location.

Shame about your hoses.

Dovefromabove · July 2021

If your partner has an allergy then I’d get the pros in for the one in the house. They’ll know exactly what to do and have the right stuff to do it with. Random DIY squirting of insecticides in the vicinity of my bedroom isn’t something I’d want to do.

Ergates · July 2021

I’d call that a small nest. We had one in a tree that was much bigger than a rugby ball. I’d get the one on the house dealt with, mainly because of your partners allergy, but also because the nests can get enormous.
Could you carefully retrieve the hose that isn’t in the box, and make do with that for the summer? We had a wall mounted hose pipe holder, and couldn’t use it one year because a wren built a nest in it. Once it was empty, we removed the hose, and replaced with a bird box, which was certainly used by blue tits over several years.

January Man · July 2021

Thanks for all the replies and help. Decided in the end to agree with the consensus and that getting a pro was the best solution for the house nest; not least of all because it cannot be seen, is inaccessible, and would require working from a ladder. Plus, as it can't be seen, I've no idea what size it is.

Having called a few pest controllers, prices ranged from £45 to £100. Guess which one I went for??!

The hose bin nest we didn't have him eradicate because money's too tight to mention (as the song goes). My preference would be to leave it completely, but my fear is that as it grows and grows, more wasps will be around in the garden, and as it gets later in the season they'll be swapping their nest building activities for annoying humans shenanigans. And be angrier too / drunker from rotten fruit etc. I guess more queens will emerge from it too and hibernate locally ready for next season. So going to do that one myself...

...at night

...from a distance

...with my running shoes on!

Really appreciate all the helpful replies.

Cheers

Fairygirl · July 2021

I was just thinking about this yesterday because I was working on the fence where I have a little nest.
For your hose nest, I think the nest killer 'stuff' has a nozzle for applying, so I wonder if you could get it all ready to go, then plonk a plant pot over the nest, and you can then fire it in through the holes? It would possibly keep it contained, and there would be less waste, so you'd be able to redo if necessary.

Two wasp nests - DIY or professionals?

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