Wasp Control for Belgrave Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises
A busy kitchen produces sugar, grease and warm bins all day, and wasps notice. Here is how to spot a nest near the back of house and deal with it properly.
Why the back of house draws wasps first
Most restaurant managers meet the problem at the rear of the building before they see it in the dining room. Bins, grease bins, crates of empty bottles, sticky drinks cartons and food waiting for collection all give off the sweet and savoury smells that adult wasps follow. From midsummer onwards the workers are looking for sugar for themselves and protein to carry back to the nest, so a rear yard can look like a shop to them.
If wasps are only visiting the bins, the nest may be some distance away. If you see a steady line of wasps flying in one direction and returning along the same path, the nest is probably close, and it is worth following that line with your eyes from a safe distance rather than your feet.
Belgrave is a suburb of Leicester, and plenty of kitchens there have a yard, an alley or a small garden at the back. Whatever your layout, the same logic applies: the nest is usually within sight of where the traffic of wasps is thickest.
Signs there is a nest on or near your premises
A few wasps drifting over an open bin lid is a nuisance. A nest is a different matter, and these are the signs that point to one:
- Wasps repeatedly entering a small gap in brickwork, a soffit, a fascia board or a hole in the ground, with little traffic in the other direction at first and then plenty coming out.
- A faint scratching or papery rustling inside a wall cavity, an extractor duct housing or the roof space above the kitchen, particularly on warm afternoons.
- A grey, papery patch showing at a vent, air brick or under a canopy.
- Staff reporting wasps in the prep area that were not there in June, and the numbers rising week by week.
- Wasps clustering at one door every time it is propped open for deliveries or ventilation.
Nests begin in spring, from about late April depending on how mild it has been, and the colony grows through the summer to a peak in August. A nest the size of a fist in June can hold thousands of wasps by the end of summer, which is why early action in a food business pays off.
What to do in the kitchen while you wait for the visit
Your first job is to make the premises less interesting without putting anyone at risk. None of this replaces treatment, but it keeps numbers down on the day you book.
- Keep bin lids shut and wipe down the rims, sides and the ground around them.
- Rinse bottles, cans and juice cartons before they go into recycling, and move them away from the door.
- Keep sweet items such as syrups, cake slices and open sugar bowls covered during prep.
- Prop doors open only when a staff member is standing by, or use a fly screen strip.
- Tell all staff where the nest seems to be so nobody goes there to stack crates or take a cigarette break.
Do not swat at wasps near the nest, and do not block the entrance with a cloth or sealant. Blocking the entrance often sends the wasps looking for another way out, which can be through a ceiling or wall and into the building. Please also keep shop-bought wasp products well away from food, work surfaces and extraction equipment. Contamination of a food area is a bigger problem than a few wasps.
What happens when the technician visits
We treat domestic and commercial premises alike, and the technician is trained and fully insured. The price for a nest is a fixed £95 per nest, and a second nest on the same property is £35 per extra nest. There is no call-out charge, and we are open seven days a week with same-day service offered. The price is confirmed with you on the phone before anyone comes, and no work starts until you have agreed to it.
When you book, tell us where the wasps are going in and out, which doors customers and staff use, and whether anyone on site is allergic to stings. The technician will look at the access, treat the nest and explain what to expect afterwards. If you would like the empty nest removed once it is no longer active, ask when you book and the technician can tell you what is possible.
In a working kitchen it helps to have a member of staff who can show the technician the spot and keep others away from it. Protect any uncovered food in that part of the building before the visit starts.
Booking as a manager
A manager is usually deciding between a quick fix and doing it properly. Wasps near food are a hygiene concern, a customer comfort concern and a staff safety concern at the same time, so there is little to be gained by waiting for a quiet period that may never come. Phone 0116 214 9259 or use the online booking form on the contact page, and give us the premises address, the likely position of the nest and a name for the technician to ask for on arrival.
After treatment, keep up the bin and drink habits above through to autumn. Wasps from a neighbouring nest can still wander in looking for food, but a clean yard will give them far fewer reasons to stay.
Cleaning habits that keep the rear yard unattractive
A short closing routine does more than any one-off clean. At the end of service, hose or wash down the area where bins stand, because grease and sugary liquid that soaks into paving carries a smell into the next morning. Check that bin bags are tied, that none have split in the heat and that skips and food waste containers close properly.
Store empty fizzy drink bottles in sealed crates indoors rather than leaving them by the door. If a delivery arrives mid-service, ask the driver to stack boxes away from the entrance, and check that nothing sweet is left in the open while the door is held ajar.
Wasps on your property in Belgrave?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.