When Is Wasp Season in Whetstone?
The easiest wasp season is the one you prepare for before it starts, and this guide sets out what to do from winter through to the first warm weeks of spring.
Start before the first wasp
By the time you see wasps, the nest is already underway. Preparation takes place earlier, in the months when nothing seems to be happening. A bit of attention then makes the season easier and a nest easier to spot.
Nests are started from late April, depending on how mild the spring has been. If you live in Whetstone, in Leicestershire, your preparation window runs through winter and into early spring.
Preparation is not about expecting the worst. It is about making the property easier to read, so that if a nest starts you see it sooner. Most of what is described here costs nothing but a little time and a notebook.
The aim is a property where a nest has little chance to hide. That means fewer gaps, fewer cluttered corners and a habit of looking up and around now and then.
Winter: a quiet-month survey
In the cold months the building is easier to inspect because there are no wasps. Pick a dry day and look around.
- Walk round the outside and look up at the eaves, soffits and fascia.
- Note cracks, loose boards, gaps around pipes and missing vent covers.
- Check the chimney stack and roof edges from the ground, with binoculars if you have them.
- Look in the shed and garage for gaps in the roof or around the door.
- Look at the garden for holes in banks and lawns.
Do not climb on the roof or on a ladder to investigate. Make a list and consider whether a repair is needed.
Take photographs on your winter walk-round. A picture of each elevation of the house, the outbuildings and the boundary gives you a baseline. In spring, when you take new photographs, you can compare them side by side and see what has changed.
If you notice a broken tile, a gap beside a drainpipe or a missing airbrick, speak to a builder or your landlord. Whether repairs are your responsibility depends on your situation and on any tenancy agreement.
Early spring: repair and tidy
In March and early April, with the survey done, you can decide what to fix. Gaps that are easy to seal from the ground or a safe step can be dealt with then, before any wasps arrive. Larger jobs are better left to a builder.
Tidy up while you are at it. Clear the shed so you can see the roof and corners, empty the old compost and remove stored items that block access to the eaves. A tidy property gives a queen fewer places to start a nest, and gives you a better view.
There is a balance to strike with sealing. Closing a gap in March is sensible, because no wasps are using it. Closing it in June, after wasps have moved in, is not. Time the work for the cold months and use a professional for anything high up.
Check the loft too, if you can do so safely. A torch from the hatch will show whether there are light gaps in the roof or any signs of old nests. Do not step off the joists or disturb insulation.
Take care with products you buy for sealing. Choose weatherproof fillers suitable for the material, and follow the manufacturer's directions. If a gap is large or the structure looks damaged, leave it to a builder instead of patching it yourself.
Late April onwards: switch to watching
Once the weather warms, change from repair to observation. Walk the outside once a week, looking for a wasp that repeatedly enters one spot. Early nests are small, so the signs are subtle.
Put a reminder in your diary now. Many people only think of wasps in August, when a nest can hold 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more. A weekly look in spring gives you months of warning.
If you find activity, do not try to deal with it yourself. Note the location and book a treatment. The fixed price of £95 per nest is the same in May as it is in August.
A weekly check can be fitted around other routines: when you put the bins out, take the washing in or let the dog out. Pick one fixed spot and look up at the roof edge each time. After a few weeks it becomes second nature.
Include family or colleagues in the routine. Ask each person to tell you if they see a wasp repeatedly entering a gap, and note it in the same place. More pairs of eyes make an early nest harder to miss.
What a plan for a business looks like
For a shop, office or yard, write the plan down. Name the person who does the checks, the dates for each walk-round and the person to call. Keep a record of where nests were found in past years.
Share the plan with staff so they know to report wasps that keep returning to the same place, and to keep customers away from any nest. We work on domestic and commercial premises.
Landlords and managing agents can use the same plan across several properties. A short checklist for each, with dates and a named person, makes the season easier for tenants and cheaper to manage.
When you are ready to book
Phone 0116 214 9259, or use the online booking form on the contact page. An additional nest on the same property is £35 extra, and the price is confirmed on the phone before a technician visits. There is no call-out charge, same-day service is offered and we are open seven days a week.
Technicians are trained and fully insured. If anyone in your household is allergic to wasp stings, tell us when you book. Ask too whether an empty nest can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Whetstone?
Fixed price £95 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.