Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Nottingham? Here's What to Do
The first hour after you suspect a loft nest is when a few sensible actions make the biggest difference, so here is a plain, ordered checklist to follow.
Minute one: stop and stay calm
The moment you suspect a nest above your head, the most useful thing you can do is nothing dramatic. No climbing, no knocking, no looking in. A colony that has not been disturbed is a colony that is behaving normally, and every step you avoid is a risk you have removed.
If you are in the loft when you realise, back away slowly towards the hatch, climb down without sudden movements and close the hatch behind you. Wasps are defensive near the nest, and a rush of panic makes them more so.
Move everyone, including pets, out of the landing and away from the hatch while you collect your thoughts. In Nottingham as anywhere else, this simple pause is better than any gadget from a shop.
Think of the first hour as a sequence rather than a scramble. Each step makes the next one safer, and you do not need to finish them all before picking up the phone if you are worried.
Minutes five to twenty: confirm what you can
With everyone safe, find out as much as possible without going near the nest. Use the checklist below.
- Listen from the room beneath the loft for a hum or rustle.
- Look from the garden at the roofline for a steady line of wasps going to one gap.
- Check whether wasps are coming indoors, and through which gaps.
- Photograph the entrance from a distance if you can do so safely.
- Note the time and the weather, since wasps are busier when it is warm.
It is useful to know that wasps start nests from late April depending on the weather, and that a colony peaks in August with 2,000 to 10,000 or more inside. If your sightings are in late summer, the nest is likely to be large.
Writing your observations down, even on the back of an envelope, makes the phone call easier and means you will not forget a detail under pressure.
If you can hear the hum but cannot see any wasps outside, the entrance may be on a side of the house you cannot easily view. Say so on the phone and describe which room the noise is above.
Minutes twenty to forty: make the house safer
Now take a few practical steps inside.
- Shut the doors of rooms close to the nest and put a towel along the bottom edge.
- Cover food, sweet drinks and open bins.
- Close windows near the roofline.
- Keep the allergic, the elderly and young children in rooms furthest from the nest.
- Leave the outside entrance exactly as it is. Blocking it can drive wasps indoors.
Do not use shop-bought treatments in the roof space. They tend to leave angry survivors and make the later job harder. Leave the work to a trained technician.
If anyone is stung, wash the area, remove the sting if visible and apply a cold pack. Call 999 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing, dizziness or a widespread rash.
Keep a single room as a calm base, with the door shut, where everyone can wait. A tidy, quiet plan is easier to follow than a dozen rushed decisions.
Minutes forty to sixty: pick up the phone
By now you should have enough information to describe the problem in a minute or two. When you ring, say where you hear the nest, where the wasps are entering, whether wasps are inside the house and how the hatch is reached. Mention if anyone is allergic to stings.
The price for a nest is a fixed £95 per nest, confirmed on the phone before the technician visits, and an extra nest on the same property is £35 extra. There is no call-out charge, and the work is fully insured and carried out by a trained technician. Same-day service is offered, we work seven days a week, and homes and businesses are both covered.
No work will take place until you have agreed. That means you remain in control throughout.
Having a few answers ready makes the call short and productive. If you cannot answer everything, do not worry, because the technician can work out the rest on arrival.
Common mistakes in the first hour
Many nest problems get worse in the first hour because of well-meaning but unhelpful actions.
- Going up the ladder to take a closer look at the nest.
- Stuffing the entrance hole to trap the wasps.
- Hitting the ceiling or the roofline to see what happens.
- Leaving the hatch open to check on activity.
- Hosing the entrance, which only angers the colony.
All of these are understandable reactions, and none of them is helpful. The better course is to hold back, collect your facts and ask for help. A nest can usually be treated without any drama if the colony has been left alone until the technician arrives.
Stopping to think costs a minute, and it can spare you a night in a house full of wasps.
After the visit
When the nest has been treated, give the house a quiet day. Returning wasps may circle the old entrance and the odd one may enter the room below. Keep the room closed and be patient.
When activity has stopped, vacuum up any dead wasps and throw away the bag. The papery nest may remain in the loft. If you would like to know about taking it down, ask when you book.
It is wise to arrange repairs to the roofline once the wasps are gone, so a new queen has fewer places to settle next spring. To book now, phone 0116 214 9259 or use the online booking form on the contact page.
Wasps on your property in Nottingham?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.