Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Houghton on the Hill? Here's What to Do
Knowing what a technician does and needs on arrival takes the worry out of a loft nest visit, and a little preparation helps the job go smoothly.
Before the technician arrives
The visit starts with the phone call. We ask where you hear or see the wasps, where they seem to enter the building and how the loft is reached. Those answers shape the plan. If the hatch is on a landing with a fixed ladder, that is one kind of visit; if it is inside a cupboard above a stack of shelves, it is another.
The price is fixed at £95 per nest and confirmed on the phone before anyone comes out. If you are told that figure, that is the figure. Nothing happens on site until you have agreed to go ahead, and there is no call-out charge. Should a second nest be found at the same address, that one is £35 extra.
Residents of Houghton on the Hill and neighbouring villages are covered, and same-day service is offered, which means a nest does not have to sit above you for days.
If you have a rough idea of how big the nest is, say so, though a guess is quite enough. The fixed price does not depend on size; what matters to the planning is the position and the route to it.
You can use the call to ask anything you are unsure about, from parking to how the technician will reach the hatch.
Preparing the access
Good access is the biggest single factor in how quickly a loft job goes. You do not have to do anything heroic, but a few simple steps help.
- Clear the floor beneath the hatch of furniture, laundry baskets and ornaments.
- Make sure the hatch can be opened freely and is not painted shut or blocked by a stack of boxes.
- If the ladder is fixed, check it is not obstructed. If it is a pull-down ladder, leave it as it is.
- Light the landing, so the technician can see clearly.
- Leave pets in a closed room, and keep children away.
Do not go into the loft yourself to tidy up in advance. A disturbed nest is a hazard, and the technician is trained to approach it the right way.
If the hatch opens into a very full loft, mention that when you book. Moving a few boxes yourself, only from beneath the hatch and with the hatch closed, can save time, but do not go up to move anything that sits near the roof slope.
Who needs to be there
Someone should be available to let the technician in, show them to the hatch and agree anything that comes up on the day. For a rented or managed property, the person who gives access should know the details of the booking.
If anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings, tell us when you book. That allows us to take it into account and for you to decide where that person will be while the work is carried out. With a known allergy, staying elsewhere for the visit is a sensible plan.
On business premises, tell us about opening hours, alarm codes and who will meet the technician. We work with domestic and commercial customers, so the process is the same, but the practicalities differ.
During the visit
The visit itself is straightforward from your point of view. The technician, who is trained and fully insured, goes to the loft, finds the nest and treats it. You may be asked to stay in a particular room or stay away from the landing while this takes place. Please follow those instructions, because wasps can be agitated close to the nest.
We do not describe the method in detail, and you do not need to know it to benefit from the result. What matters is that the colony is treated and the risk is dealt with.
If you would like the empty nest taken down, raise this when booking, because whether that is possible depends on where it is and how it is attached. Treatment is the essential part, and removal is optional.
If you have questions during the visit, ask them. The technician would rather explain than have you worry, and you are free to decline any part of the work before it starts.
Questions worth asking when you book
A phone call is the best moment to settle any worries, so it helps to have your questions ready.
- Can the empty nest be taken down afterwards, or will it stay in the loft?
- Is there anything I should move or clear before the technician arrives?
- Where should the family and pets wait during the work?
- When is it safe to use the landing and the hatch again?
- Is there anything different about a second nest on the same property?
The answers depend on your house and your loft, which is why they are worth asking directly rather than guessing. A short conversation beforehand usually means a simpler, calmer visit.
Clear-up and what to expect next
In the days after treatment, stragglers may appear near the old entrance or the hatch. They are workers that were out when the colony was treated. Keep the hatch closed and the nearby rooms quiet until things settle.
When activity has ended, vacuum dead wasps from the floor, empty the bag outside and put it in the bin. If there are dead wasps in the loft, wear gloves and clear them carefully when you next have reason to go up.
The nest paper left behind is harmless. To book a visit, phone 0116 214 9259 or use the online booking form on the contact page; we are open seven days a week.
Keep the booking details somewhere handy in case you need to refer back to them, and note the date of the visit so you can tell how long it has been if wasps are seen again.
Wasps on your property in Houghton on the Hill?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.