Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Montford Home? Common Causes and Solutions
Many wasps in the house were first drawn to the bin or the garden, so tackling the outside food sources often stops the problem at the door.
Food sources outside the house
Before wasps reach your kitchen they often visit the outdoor bins, a compost heap or an apple tree. These places smell of sugar and decay, and wasps can find them from some distance. Once a wasp has located a good source, it flies back to the nest and others follow.
Montford, a village near Shrewsbury, has gardens where fruit trees and compost bins are common, and the same advice applies wherever you live.
Wasps are scavengers as well as hunters. In summer they take insects to feed their young, and in late summer they switch to sugar. If your bin or compost stands near the house, that switch brings them close to the door at precisely the time when they are most numerous.
Keeping the food sources away from the house is one of the simplest ways to reduce visits.
The bin area
Check the wheelie bin first. A lid that does not shut, a split bag or drips of juice around the rim all draw wasps. Rinse cans, bottles and cartons before recycling and keep the lid closed. If you put out a bag of rubbish, tie it tightly.
Practical points:
- rinse drinks cans, jam jars and yoghurt pots
- wash the bin occasionally and let it dry
- keep it away from the back door where possible
- empty the kitchen caddy before it overflows
Bins that have been rinsed and closed present far fewer opportunities.
If you have more than one bin, such as a green waste bin and a general waste bin, check both. Garden waste containing fruit or flowers can attract wasps as much as kitchen scraps. A brown bin with grass cuttings and fallen apples is a prime example.
Keep wheelie bins on a firm base and check the seals on the lids.
Remember that wasps can detect a smell from some distance and are drawn to fermenting sugar. A bin that has been standing in the sun for a few days will smell stronger than one kept in the shade, so move it to a shady spot if you can.
If you are going away for a few days in summer, empty the kitchen caddy and bin before you leave rather than letting food waste sit.
Fruit and the garden
Fallen apples, pears and plums are a magnet, especially when they split and ferment. Pick them up daily in late summer and dispose of them in a lidded container. Do not leave fruit in a bowl on a garden table.
Compost heaps need a covering. Put kitchen scraps below the surface and cover them with dry material. Bird feeders that hold sugary mixes can also bring wasps, so consider moving them away from the house.
Some people hang fruit-based bird food near the kitchen window. Move it further down the garden, or take it in during hot spells. A water dish placed near the house can also draw wasps in dry weather, so site it away from the door.
A heap of grass cuttings left on the lawn, a pile of weeds on a sheet or a barrow of mixed garden waste may also draw wasps. Keep them away from the house or remove them promptly.
Pet bowls, bird baths and water butts without lids can attract wasps looking for water, particularly in a dry spell. Cover butts and keep bowls indoors when not in use.
From the bin to the doorway
Wasps that gather around the bins may follow food smells into the kitchen. Door mats, wellington boots and shoes near the door can harbour spilled juice too. Keep the route from bin to door clear and clean.
If you carry rubbish out while wasps are about, move slowly and avoid sudden gestures. Close the lid at once and walk back.
Pay attention to the doorway itself. A wet mat, spilled drink or fruit peel caught under the step gives wasps a reason to land near the opening. Brush and rinse the area regularly in late summer.
If wasps continue to arrive at the door after you have cleaned up, wait a day or two and see whether the number drops. Food-driven visits usually fade once the source is removed, while nest traffic does not.
When it is more than food
If you have cleared the food and still see a steady flow, the wasps may come from a nest. Watch for a flight line, buzzing inside a wall or wasps appearing in one room. A nest can hold as many as 2,000 wasps by August.
Treatment is a fixed £80 per nest and one visit is guaranteed. An extra nest at the same property is £40 more. There is no call-out charge, and the technician is fully insured and qualified.
A pattern to watch for is wasps that arrive at the bin, take something and fly off in the same direction each time. They may be heading for a nest, and watching which way they go helps to locate it. Do this from a distance, and never follow them into undergrowth.
Gardeners sometimes leave a dish of jam or beer out as a decoy. We do not recommend this. It can draw wasps closer to the house and does nothing about a nest.
Booking
Call 07916 322 280 or fill in the form on the contact page. Open seven days a week, with same-day service and evening and weekend appointments.
Customers can ask for a quote and book online. If anyone in the household has a wasp allergy, say so when you book so the booking can be prioritised, and keep them away from the bin area and the garden until the wasps have gone.
Wasps on your property in Montford?
Fixed price £80 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.