Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Ellesmere Home? Common Causes and Solutions
Ventilation is the most common reason wasps end up inside a home, and a few simple changes to windows, doors and routines keep most of them out.
Warm weather, open doors
On a hot day the back door is propped open, the kitchen window is on the latch and the bedroom window is wide for air. For a wasp, these are not simply openings; they are an invitation, especially if there is a smell of food, a sticky worktop or a warm room.
Most wasps that enter a home through an open window have no connection to a nest in the building. They arrive, look around, and either find the way out or settle on a pane of glass. The problem is that they are not always keen to leave.
Temperature plays a part. A warm room with a window open will pull scents outwards, and a wasp following a scent trail is much more likely to arrive at the sill. Sugary fragrance from a candle, a cake on the cooling rack or a glass of squash on the sill can have the same effect.
It follows that the safest rooms are those with nothing to smell. A bedroom with a closed bin and no food rarely draws wasps unless there is another reason.
Doors that open directly onto the garden, such as French windows, deserve the same care as the front door. A small gap at the bottom of a door lets in more than you might think.
Which openings are the main culprits
Think of the house as a set of entrances, and consider each in turn. The ones most often used are the kitchen window, the back door, patio doors and any bedroom window with a light on at dusk. Ellesmere homes are no different from others in this respect: wasps go where there is warmth, light and food.
Check:
- fly screens on windows that stay open, and whether they fit without gaps
- the door, which may be left open while carrying shopping or hanging washing
- trickle vents and air bricks without mesh
- gaps around loft hatches and extractor fan outlets
A small tear in a mesh is large enough for a wasp to pass through.
Skylights and roof windows are often forgotten. They open to the warmest air and sit near the roof line, so a wasp from a nest in the eaves will find them with ease. Fit a screen or keep them closed during the day.
Also think of cat flaps and dog flaps. A pet door left unlatched is another gap, and wasps will happily enter if food is out.
Fitting screens and changing habits
Fine mesh screens are the most reliable answer. They can be fitted to windows and to door frames, either permanently or as a removable insert. Where a door is used heavily, a fly curtain or a hanging bead screen can stop insects without limiting access.
Habits matter too. Open windows on the shady side of the house, not the sunny one, and close them in the early evening when lights go on. Keep food and drink covered while you cook or eat near the door. Put pet bowls away once your animals have finished.
Black or dark mesh is less visible than white, so it suits windows where you want to keep your view. A strip of draught excluder along the bottom of a door seals the narrowest gaps.
What to do if one has already come in
Stay calm. Wasps respond to sudden movement and to being swatted. Open the window or door as wide as possible, switch off any bright light in the room and give it time to find the way out.
If it will not leave, you can cover it gently with a glass and slide a card underneath, then release it outdoors. Do this only if you are comfortable, and leave it if you are not. If someone 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, dizziness or a widespread rash.
If you need to remove several, call a technician. Repeated visitors indicate that a nest is close and swatting one at a time achieves little.
When screens are not enough
If wasps keep appearing despite closed windows, or if you notice a stream of them near the outside of the house, the cause may be a nest in the eaves, wall or roof. Screens deal with visitors but not with a colony close by.
A nest can hold as many as 2,000 wasps by August, so do not wait. Wasp nest treatment is a fixed £80 per nest and an additional nest on the same property is £40 more. One visit is guaranteed, and there is no call-out charge.
Keep a note of how many wasps you find indoors over a week. A figure that stays at one or two suggests casual visitors, whereas a figure that climbs day by day points to a nest.
Wasps that appear regardless of open windows, in rooms far from the kitchen, are the ones to take seriously. Mention the rooms and times when you call so we can judge how likely a nest is.
Getting help
To arrange a visit, call 07916 322 280 or use the online form on the contact page. We are open seven days a week, offer same-day service and can arrange evening and weekend appointments. Technicians are fully insured and qualified, and work in homes and businesses.
Before the technician arrives, move any food from outdoor tables, close windows on the side of the house with the activity and keep pets inside. There is no need to be present for the treatment itself, though it helps to have someone available to point out where the wasps go.
Wasps on your property in Ellesmere?
Fixed price £80 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.