Are Wasps Dangerous? Understanding Stings and Nest Disturbance in Stoughton
If you have just walked into a nest, you will want clear steps for the next ten minutes and the next few days, and a calm plan matters more than anything else.
You have just disturbed a nest
It happens in a moment. You brush a hedge, lift a paving slab, put a foot near a hole or pull open an old door, and suddenly there are wasps all round you. Your heart is racing and your first instinct is to flap and run. This section gives you a plan for the minutes and days that follow.
It is general advice and not medical advice.
Whatever the cause, you have done nothing unusual. Many nests are in places that give no warning, and the colony reacts to the vibration or movement long before you see it. The useful question is what you do next.
The first minute: leave
Do the following, in this order.
- Walk away, quickly but steadily, in the direction you came from.
- Keep your arms low and your hands over your mouth and nose if you can.
- Go into a building or a car and close the door or window behind you.
- Take any children or pets with you, or call them to come. Do not stand and look for them in the wasps.
- Do not stop to retrieve anything. Tools, bags and toys can wait.
Wasps may follow for a short distance. Once you are indoors with the door closed, they usually lose interest.
If you cannot get indoors, move well away from the nest, at least to the other side of a building or a fence, before you stop. Do not hide in a bush or crouch down near the nest, as that keeps you within reach of the guards.
The next ten minutes: check everyone
When it is calm, check each person for stings. Look at the head, neck, hands, arms and ankles, and in clothes and hair. Wasps can get trapped in clothing, so shake it out carefully rather than slapping it. Children may not mention a sting until later.
Wash each sting with soap and water, apply a cold pack and keep the person still for a while. Look out for a sting in the skin, and scrape it out if there is one.
Call 999 if anyone has swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheeze or difficulty breathing, dizziness or collapse, or a widespread rash. If a person has been stung many times, watch them particularly closely, and speak to a pharmacist or your GP for advice even if they seem well.
Keep a note of how many stings each person had and roughly where. If you need advice from a pharmacist, GP or 999, this is the first thing they will ask. Give children plenty of reassurance, as the fright can be as upsetting as the pain.
The next hours and days
The nest will probably stay on alert for some time. Keep clear of the area, and make sure everybody in the household knows where it is. Close windows on that side of the house, and think about alternative routes to the shed, bins or gate.
- do not return to see what happened, or to fetch items you left behind;
- do not try to block the hole or hit the nest;
- keep pets inside or on a lead away from the area;
- warn neighbours, delivery people and visitors if the nest is near a shared path;
- watch any stings for signs of spreading redness, heat or fever, and ask a pharmacist or GP if you are unsure.
A disturbed nest can stay agitated for a time. Wasps start building from late April depending on the weather, and by August a colony may hold thousands, so it is worth getting help rather than waiting for things to settle.
If you are not sure where the nest is, write down what you saw: the type of spot, the direction the wasps came from and the time of day. It helps a technician find the entrance without having to search around.
Why a second disturbance is the real risk
Having once been stung near a nest, the temptation is to go back and see where it was, or to try to finish the job that led you there. That is when people are stung a second time, often more badly, because the colony is already alert. In Stoughton, as elsewhere, a second visit to the nest is best avoided altogether.
If you were doing a job, such as clearing a border, cutting a hedge or repairing a fence, stop it until the nest is gone. Tell anyone else who might do it, such as a gardener, a builder or a family member.
People sometimes feel embarrassed about having blundered into a nest, but there is no need. It is the most natural thing in the world, and the right response now is calm and sensible.
Booking the treatment
Our price is fixed at £95 per nest, and £35 for any additional nest on the same property. There is no call-out charge. We confirm the price on the phone before a technician visits, and no work goes ahead without your agreement. Technicians are trained and fully insured, and we deal with domestic and commercial customers seven days a week with same-day service offered.
We take bookings on 0116 214 9259, and through the booking form on the contact page. Tell us what happened and where, and let us know about any allergy in the household so that we can take it into account. You can also ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
It is worth keeping the area free of children, pets and visitors until the technician has been, and leaving any repairs, cutting or clearing for after the nest has been treated. Once the wasps have gone, the spot can be used safely again.
If you notice a different part of the garden becoming busy with wasps afterwards, mention it to us, as it may be a separate nest.
Wasps on your property in Stoughton?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.