Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Anstey Gardens
Finding a second nest after the first has gone is not unusual, and understanding why helps you decide what to check and when to ask for help.
When one nest becomes two and two nests in the same season
A common scenario goes like this. In June a nest is found and dealt with. A few weeks later, wasps appear again in another part of the property. Or the following spring, another nest turns up close to the first.
These situations are more ordinary than people expect. In Anstey or anywhere else, one property can have more than one suitable cavity, and more than one queen can choose to settle. The first nest being treated does not stop another queen from starting elsewhere.
If two queens begin nests in different spots at about the same time, you could have two colonies growing side by side without realising. The second might be around the corner, at a different height or in a part of the garden you rarely use.
This is the reason a technician will often ask if you have seen wasps anywhere else on the property. The more precisely you describe the traffic you have noticed, the easier it is to find everything in one visit.
An additional nest on the same property is £35 per extra nest, and the price is agreed on the phone beforehand.
A new nest next year in the old place
The following spring, a fresh queen may be drawn to the very same location as the earlier nest, because the gap, cavity or burrow is still there. The old nest is gone or abandoned, and the colony is new.
People often assume that if a nest is treated, the site is somehow protected. It is not, and the cavity will suit the next queen just as well. Closing up the space is the only way to change that.
Check the earlier location first from late April, and then the rest of the property.
Walk around the property slowly, from a distance, and watch for wasps flying in a line. Pay attention to:
- The roofline and eaves on every side of the house.
- Garages, sheds and other outbuildings.
- The base of hedges and dense shrubs.
- Bare soil, lawn edges and banks.
- Trees with hollows or dense growth.
Do not approach any nest to get a better look. Take a note of where you saw the wasps and describe it on the phone.
A calm, early look-round is the best defence against a second colony going unnoticed.
Tell the technician everything
When you book, mention every spot where you have seen wasps, whether or not you are sure there is a nest. It costs nothing to ask, and it may save a repeat journey.
If the technician finds another active nest during the visit, they can discuss it with you there. No work is done without your agreement, and you will know the figure in advance: £95 for the first nest and £35 for each additional nest on the property.
There is no call-out charge, and the work is carried out by trained technicians who are fully insured.
A scenario to illustrate and what the second visit involves
Imagine a house with a garage, a shed and a loft. In May a nest is found in the loft, and it is treated. In July, wasps are seen in the garden again, which the family assumes is just the same colony still around. In fact a second queen has built behind the shed cladding.
Because the family did not walk the whole property after the first visit, the second nest grows unnoticed until August, when it is large and active. The household has a second problem, at a time when the nest is at its biggest.
A short walk-round after the first treatment, plus a note to the technician about the shed, would have caught it. The lesson is not to worry, only to look around while the weather is warm.
If a second nest does turn up, the process is the same as the first. You phone, we confirm the price, and a technician attends. If a visit has already been booked, mention the extra nest so that it can be planned for.
If it is found while the technician is already on site, they will talk it through with you before doing anything. You stay in control, and the fixed prices apply: £95 for the first nest and £35 for each additional nest on the same property.
Keeping calm about repeat nests
Finding a second nest does not mean something has gone wrong, nor that the first treatment failed. Queens are independent, and a garden with plenty of sheltered corners can attract more than one. Keep your look-round regular, stay away from any nest you find and ring when you need help.
Think of your plot in zones: roof, walls, outbuildings, ground and planting. Check each zone separately and note which ones you have not looked at for a while. A nest nearly always turns up in the zone you forgot.
If you share a garden with others, ask them to do the same.
In a semi-detached or terraced house, a nest can be on a shared roofline or party wall. It may be on your side, theirs or in between. Agree with your neighbour that you will both keep watch and share anything you see, so that the colony does not grow unseen.
Reducing the chance of a repeat
After treatment, the useful steps are the same as for any wasp problem. Seal the entrance where it is safe to do so, keep bins closed, clear fallen fruit and walk the property each week from late April.
If you need us, we are open 7 days a week and offer same-day service for domestic and commercial customers. Call 0116 214 9259 or fill in the booking form on the contact page. Please tell us at booking if anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings.
Wasps on your property in Anstey?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.