Wasp Nest in a Hedge or Bush – What Lubbesthorpe Garden Owners Should Know
Once the nest has been treated, the next question is when you can pick up the shears again, and how to tidy the hedge without creating a new problem.
After the technician has gone
A treated nest does not mean the hedge is instantly back to normal. For a short time there can still be a few stray wasps around, and the area near the entrance is best left alone until the technician tells you otherwise.
This is a point that people often get wrong, in both directions. Some are so cautious that they leave a hedge uncut for months, and others are so keen to get on with the job that they head out before the technician’s advice has sunk in.
If you are in Lubbesthorpe, in Leicestershire, and you have had a nest dealt with in a hedge or bush, the sensible course is to follow what the technician says about timing, and then to approach the first jobs with a little care.
Asking the right questions at the visit
The technician is the best person to tell you when the area is fine again, because they have seen the nest and the situation. Before they leave, it is worth checking a few things.
- When can I go back to the hedge, and how close can I get today?
- Is there any part of the garden I should avoid for longer?
- Can the empty nest be taken down, and if so, who does it?
- What should I look for in the next few days that would suggest more activity?
Write the answers down if you can. It is easy to forget details after a visit, and having the instruction in writing helps if another household member wants to know what was said.
It is also fair to ask whether you should expect to see the nest drop out or break up. Sometimes the structure stays in the hedge for a long time after the colony has gone, and that is normal. Do not worry if it is still visible a week later, as long as the technician has told you the area is fine.
The first trim
When you do start cutting, go slowly. Begin at the far end from where the nest was, work in short sections, and stop to look at the hedge between each. If any wasps appear, step back and wait.
Use the same safety habits as you would at any other time. Wear sleeves and gloves, keep your route back to the house clear, and have a helper nearby if possible. Do not rush the section where the nest was, and look for loose material or debris before cutting into it.
If you find the old nest during trimming, do not be alarmed, as an empty nest is no danger. Even so, ask the technician beforehand whether it is fine to remove it yourself or whether to leave it, because they know what they treated.
Clearing the cuttings
Bag up the trimmings and the old nest material and put them in the bin rather than leaving a heap against the hedge. Piles of cuttings make sheltered gaps that attract insects and animals, and they can hide holes in the ground.
If the nest was at the base of the hedge, check the soil around the entrance when you tidy. A hole that has been used may still be there, and it is worth filling it with soil once the technician says it is fine, so that nothing else moves in.
Take care with ladders and tools near the spot for the first few days, and keep children and pets away from the cuttings until they have been cleared.
Keeping watch through the season
Treating one nest does not stop another colony choosing the same hedge, either later that summer or next spring. Wasps start building from late April depending on the weather, and a good habit is to look over the hedge every few weeks through the season.
If wasps return to the same spot, note it and call. Do not assume that the first treatment has failed. It may be a new nest, or it may be foragers still visiting the area for a day or two.
Dealing with the hole or gap left behind
If the nest was in the ground, you may be left with a hole at the base of the hedge. If it was in the foliage, there may be a bare patch where the leaves were chewed or stripped away.
Neither is a danger, but both are worth tidying once you have the all-clear. A hole can be filled with soil and firmed down, which stops it from becoming a home for something else. A bare patch will usually fill in as the hedge grows, and a light trim after the season will even it out.
Do not fill a hole until the technician has told you it is fine. Soil tipped into a hole that still has wasps coming and going will only make them angry.
If you are thinking of replanting or reshaping that stretch of the hedge, wait for the right season. A gap can look odd for a while, but it is not harming the rest of the plants.
Booking and what happens next
Our treatment price is £95 per nest, with an extra nest on the same property at £35 each, and no call-out charge is added. We are available every day of the week, can often visit the same day, and send trained, fully insured technicians to homes and commercial properties.
Call 0116 214 9259 or use the booking form on the contact page. The price is confirmed on the phone before a visit, and we do not begin until you have agreed to go ahead.
The technician will also tell you whether an additional nest nearby needs attention, in which case the second nest is charged at the same additional rate.
Wasps on your property in Lubbesthorpe?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.