How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Cropston Property
Before assuming a wasp nest, make sure the insects are wasps at all. Bees, hoverflies and other visitors look similar but behave differently, and it changes what you should do.
First, are they actually wasps?
Many calls about wasp nests turn out to involve a different insect altogether. In summer, gardens fill with flying things in yellow and black, and from a window it can be hard to tell them apart. Getting the identification right saves time, avoids unnecessary worry and, in the case of bees, protects insects that are valuable to gardens.
Wasps are slim-waisted, with a clearly narrow join between thorax and abdomen. They have smooth, shiny bodies with bold yellow and black banding and very little hair. They fly with a quick, direct, slightly aggressive manner.
This article walks through the common lookalikes and then explains how nest behaviour confirms that wasps are the problem.
Common lookalikes in a garden
Honeybees are a golden brown, rounded and fuzzy, and usually busy among flowers rather than hovering over food. Bumblebees are large, plump and very hairy, with soft bands of colour and a lumbering flight. Both are gentle if left alone, and neither builds a papery nest in a wall.
Hoverflies are the real fooler. They wear yellow and black stripes but have only one pair of wings, big eyes and a habit of hanging motionless in the air before darting off. They are harmless, and they do not sting.
- Wasps have a narrow waist, a smooth body and fold their wings lengthways at rest.
- Honeybees look furry and amber, and carry yellow pollen on their legs.
- Bumblebees are round and hairy, usually with a soft, fluffy tail.
- Hoverflies hover in place and have short antennae and big eyes.
If the insects are bees, we do not treat them, and the right step is to contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, who can advise on honeybees or bumblebees. Our work is with wasps.
Behaviour that points to a wasp nest
Once you are fairly confident the insects are wasps, behaviour tells you whether a nest is close. A nest means repeated, purposeful flights to and from a single gap, with no interest in flowers along the way. The insects go in empty-footed or carrying small loads, disappear for a moment and emerge again.
Wasps that merely circle a drinks table, a bin or a ripe fruit tree are feeding. They are a nuisance, but they may be from anywhere. Think of the difference between customers wandering a shop and staff using the staff door: one is random, the other follows a route.
Spend a few minutes on a warm day, from a distance, following the line of one or two wasps as they leave. If several set off in the same direction, and others return from it, a nest probably lies along that line.
Other signs that settle the matter
Several features of a wasp nest are different from anything a bee does. Wasps build with grey paper made from chewed wood, so a thin, rippled, papery edge at a gap is a wasp sign. Bumblebees nest in tufts of grass or old burrows and honeybees build wax comb, neither of which looks like paper.
Sounds can help too. A wasp nest in a cavity gives off a soft rasping or crackling as the colony chews and builds, quite unlike the steady hum of a bee swarm.
Also consider the season. Wasp colonies begin in late April and grow through the summer, peaking in August with thousands of insects. A cluster of bees hanging in a ball on a branch or a fence in late spring or early summer is more likely a swarm of honeybees than a wasp nest, and should go to a beekeeper rather than a wasp technician.
Other things that get mistaken for a wasp nest
It is not only the insects themselves that cause confusion. Several other things are regularly taken for wasp nests, and knowing them can save an unnecessary alarm.
- Old bird nests in eaves or hedges, which look untidy and grassy rather than papery.
- Leaf galls and plant growths, which can resemble a small paper ball on an oak or rose.
- Cobwebs in a roof corner, which are fine and sticky, not layered.
- Hanging baskets or fallen leaves bundled in a branch, especially in winter.
- Discarded wasp nests from earlier years, dry and empty, still stuck to a rafter.
The best test for any of these is to watch for traffic. A structure with nothing coming or going is probably not an active wasp nest. Even so, if it looks like paper and you are unsure whether it is old or new, do not touch it.
Photographing it from a distance and asking for advice is better than guessing. If it turns out to be old and empty, you can ask the technician at booking whether it can be taken down.
If it is wasps
When the evidence points to a nest, stay back from the entrance, keep children and pets indoors or well away and avoid blocking the hole. A colony can hold thousands of wasps and defends itself if it feels threatened.
Wasp Exterminator Leicestershire treats wasp nests for homes and businesses in Cropston and nearby villages. The price is a fixed £95 per nest, with £35 for an additional nest on the same property, and no call-out charge. We confirm it on the phone first and do nothing without your agreement. Technicians are trained and fully insured, working seven days a week, and same-day service is offered.
If you are not sure what you are looking at, describe it when you ring 0116 214 9259 or send details through the contact page form, and we can talk it through. Mention any wasp sting allergy in your household.
Wasps on your property in Cropston?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.