Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in West Felton? Here's What to Do
Before you book anyone, it pays to be sure what is living in your roof space, because wasps, bees and other insects need very different handling.
Why identification comes first
Not every flying insect in a loft is a wasp. Honeybees and bumblebees sometimes use roof spaces, and the wrong response could harm a useful insect. The business treats wasps. For honeybees or bumblebees, the right call is to a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation.
Getting this right matters because the approach is completely different. Wasps defend a papery nest and are best dealt with quickly. Bees are often better relocated by someone who understands them.
If you are unsure, describe what you see to the business when you call, and the staff can tell you whether it sounds like wasps.
Mistaken identity is common because the insects fly in the same warm weather and many people only catch a glimpse. A quick look from a distance, with binoculars if you have them, is far better than a close look with a jar.
Never try to catch an insect for identification. A cornered wasp stings, and a bee that is handled roughly can be harmed.
Telling a wasp from a bee
A few visible traits help, as long as you look from a safe distance and do not try to catch one.
- Wasps are smooth and sleek, with a narrow waist and bright, sharply banded yellow and black bodies.
- Honeybees look softer and slightly furry, with duller brown-gold colouring.
- Bumblebees are large, round and plainly hairy.
- Wasps move in quick, darting flights and often hover around food and drinks.
- Bees tend to drift from flower to flower and mostly leave people alone.
Colour alone can mislead, so combine it with behaviour. A stream of sleek, striped insects entering a gap at the roof edge is far more likely to be wasps.
Another giveaway is the way wasps treat food. They land on jam, meat and fizzy drinks, and they often buzz around bins. Bees show little interest in any of this and stay with flowers.
Size can also help. A common wasp is roughly the length of a thumbnail, whereas a bumblebee looks noticeably chunkier, and a hornet is larger again.
What the nest itself looks like
You should not go and look, but descriptions help. A wasp nest is made of thin, grey-brown paper, layered like a crumpled sheet, with a rough, rounded shape. It has no waxy honeycomb, no smell of honey and no stored sweet stuff.
If you have already glimpsed something in the loft, or if a technician sends you a photo to compare, think paper rather than wax. A papery ball tucked beside a rafter is characteristic of wasps.
Sometimes people find fragments of the paper on the floor or a window sill, which gives the game away without any need to approach the nest.
If you are lucky enough to have a photograph from a safe distance, it will usually show the nest shape clearly enough to tell the difference.
Remember that you do not need to prove it is wasps before ringing. Describing the insects, the entrance and the noise is enough for the business to say whether it sounds like a job they can do.
Other things that sound like wasps
Two or three other possibilities are worth mentioning, because they cause false alarms. Large flies can buzz loudly in a loft and are often confused with wasps. Hoverflies imitate the stripes of a wasp without a sting. Hornets are bigger than wasps, and this business does not offer treatment for them.
If you think the insects are bigger than usual or behave differently, say so when you call. An honest description is far more useful than a confident guess.
The same applies to other pests. The business covers wasps only, so if you have rodents or birds, you will need a different service.
If it is wasps, what next
Keep the hatch closed, avoid the loft and leave any exit holes unblocked. Watch the outside of the roof from a safe distance for a few minutes, because a line of wasps going in and out of one gap is the best confirmation you can have.
A visit by a technician from the business is fully insured, qualified and safe and effective. The charge is £80 per nest and £40 for an additional nest on the same property, with no call-out charge and one visit guaranteed. West Felton and the surrounding villages are covered, and the business is open seven days a week.
Phone 07916 322 280 or use the online booking form. If anyone is allergic to wasp stings, say so first so the booking can be prioritised.
Allow for the fact that wasps may be entering at more than one spot. A big colony can use several gaps along the same stretch of eaves, and noting every one you spot helps the technician.
Do not worry if your description turns out to be partly wrong. The technician will look for themselves on arrival.
After the visit
Expect some dead wasps in the loft and near the hatch over the following days. Sweep them up and put them in a sealed bag. If you keep seeing live wasps for more than a few days, let the business know.
Ask at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down, since the technician can tell you what is sensible. A small piece of papery nest left in the loft is harmless once the colony has been dealt with, but many people prefer it gone.
Keep the memory of this experience for next spring. A queen choosing a loft in April is the beginning of the same story, and a quick look at the roof edge each April gives you a head start.
Wasps on your property in West Felton?
Fixed price £80 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.