Wasp Nest in a Hedge or Bush – What Scraptoft Garden Owners Should Know
Not every hedge nest is in the branches. Some are in the ground at the foot of the hedge, where a mower or strimmer finds them before you do.
The nest that is under the hedge, not in it
When people picture a wasp nest in a hedge, they imagine something hanging among the leaves. In practice, many nests are underground. Wasps use old burrows left by small animals, gaps beneath roots and hollows in the soil at the base of a hedge, where the ground is sheltered, dry and out of the wind.
The only visible sign may be a small hole, about the size of a coin or a little larger, with wasps going in and out. Grass and leaf litter can cover it almost completely. That makes the base of a hedge one of the easiest places to disturb a nest by accident.
If you live in Scraptoft, on the eastern edge of Leicester, and you have a hedge along the back or side of your garden, the strip of ground at its foot deserves a careful look before the mower or strimmer goes anywhere near it.
How the mower and strimmer set it off
Wasps respond strongly to vibration through the ground. A lawn mower running beside a hedge, or a strimmer cutting grass at its edge, can pass a shudder straight into the soil above the nest. The guard wasps pour out in seconds and head for whatever is making the noise, which is you.
This is a different situation from a nest high in the foliage. At ground level, you are standing directly over the entrance, with your legs and feet exposed. People often only realise there is a nest when they are already being stung.
If this happens, drop the machine, move away at once and go indoors. Do not try to switch the machine off or retrieve it. For the sting itself, wash the area, take out the sting if visible and use a cold pack, and call 999 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, breathing trouble, dizziness or a widespread rash.
Spotting a ground nest before it finds you
The best defence is looking before you mow, especially from midsummer onwards when colonies are large. Walk the edge of the lawn along the hedge slowly and from a distance, watching the ground rather than the foliage.
- A small round hole in the soil with wasps flying straight in and out.
- A patch of ground where the grass is thin or the soil is slightly crumbled.
- Wasps hovering low at the foot of the hedge rather than visiting flowers.
- A dry, quiet gap beneath roots with steady traffic on warm days.
Do not stand over the hole or drop something into it to check. Do not block it either. Wasps that cannot get in will find another way out, and that other way is often through the lawn or towards you.
Mark the spot from a distance with a garden cane or a stone if you can do so without going close, so that the technician can find it, and keep everyone else off that stretch of lawn.
Pets and small children are the most likely to find a ground nest by accident, since they sniff and poke at holes. If a dog has been interested in one patch of the lawn, take that seriously and watch the area from a distance. Keep a young child out of the garden if you have any doubt at all, and be firm about the hedge edge until the nest has been dealt with. A short delay costs nothing, and it keeps a sting from ruining an afternoon outside, especially in the warm months when colonies are at their largest and most defensive.
Tell people, then wait
Until the nest has been treated, that strip of the garden should be treated as closed. Let anyone else who uses the garden know, including a gardener, a neighbour who helps with the lawn, or children playing nearby. Pets are particularly at risk because they sniff at holes.
Wasps start building from late April depending on how mild the spring is, and the colony grows until August, so a ground nest that was an unnoticed handful of wasps in May can be a large one by high summer. The earlier it is reported, the less there is to disturb.
Resist the temptation to deal with it yourself by pouring things down the hole or filling it in. Neither is safe and neither is something we would suggest.
Edges, verges and other low-lying spots
The foot of a hedge is not the only place wasps dig in. Banks, the shady side of a compost heap, gaps under garden sheds and the soil beside a retaining wall can all hold a nest. The common feature is a sheltered, dry hollow with a small way in.
If you are clearing an overgrown area, such as a neglected corner behind the hedge, look at the surface before you start. Tall grass and brambles hide holes completely, and you will be standing in the middle of it when you find out.
Use a long stick only to push the grass aside from a safe distance if you must, and never reach in with a hand. If you see wasps rising from the ground at any point, stop and walk away without swatting. It is far easier to report an unfinished corner than to explain a swarm.
Booking and getting back to the lawn
Our fixed price for treating a wasp nest is £95 per nest, with no call-out charge, and a second nest on the same property is £35 each. We are open seven days a week, offer same-day service, and the technicians are trained and fully insured. We cover homes and commercial sites and also visit nearby villages.
Call 0116 214 9259 or use the booking form on the contact page and describe where the hole is in relation to the hedge. The price is confirmed on the phone before the technician visits, and nothing happens without your agreement. If anyone at home is allergic to stings, say so when booking.
After treatment, the technician will tell you when the lawn edge is safe to cut again. Until then, leave the mower where it is.
Wasps on your property in Scraptoft?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.