Wasp nest in loft - removal?
Discussion
Me and the missus went away for about four months last year and missed the great british summer. When we got back in early autumn there were a load of dead wasps in a couple of the upstairs rooms, and they'd also got into the halogen downlighters from above (which feed directly into the loft). No activity to be seen, but clearly there must have been a nest up there over the summer.
We have just noticed some more activity, I put a load of junk in the loft last week and didn't spot anything but I stuck my head up there last night and there were a couple flying around in there. I am a waspophobic (I'm addicted to waspophobe!) so rather than bravely finding the source of the infestation, I squealed like a ten year old girl and ran back down the ladder.
Spoke to Rentokil this morning, it's £90 to get someone out to exterminate them, but they're not sure if they'll be able to do anything. They say wasps never return to the same next twice, so if there was a nest up there from last year it will be empty; but it's too early for them to have got far with building a new nest this year so they might present a difficult target.
Any PHers with any thoughts as to the best way to proceed? (Bearing in mind I have never been stung by a bee, wasp or hornet and intend to keep it that way!)
We have just noticed some more activity, I put a load of junk in the loft last week and didn't spot anything but I stuck my head up there last night and there were a couple flying around in there. I am a waspophobic (I'm addicted to waspophobe!) so rather than bravely finding the source of the infestation, I squealed like a ten year old girl and ran back down the ladder.
Spoke to Rentokil this morning, it's £90 to get someone out to exterminate them, but they're not sure if they'll be able to do anything. They say wasps never return to the same next twice, so if there was a nest up there from last year it will be empty; but it's too early for them to have got far with building a new nest this year so they might present a difficult target.
Any PHers with any thoughts as to the best way to proceed? (Bearing in mind I have never been stung by a bee, wasp or hornet and intend to keep it that way!)
fatboy b said:
I think that the council come and do it for free if they're in the house (I could be talking bollux though).
No your right, had a wasp nest in a kitchen wall (yep wall) last year and the council came around and removed it. Although I have seen a few recently buzzing around again, and there's the insect dude telling me they never return to the same nest, yep right.My local authority send someone for £40 but take a few days.
Like you, I'm **** scared of the things.
Chap in the yellow pages/ Thompson local came out for £60.
From his explaination, they cannot live without the Queen. He pumped some powder into the nest entrance and said that it would take a few hours for them to be gone.
Like you, I'm **** scared of the things.
Chap in the yellow pages/ Thompson local came out for £60.
From his explaination, they cannot live without the Queen. He pumped some powder into the nest entrance and said that it would take a few hours for them to be gone.
Edited by Vee on Monday 17th March 11:00
Excellent timing. We bought a house last year and there were always a few wasps around. I went up in the loft about as week ago and where the sloping part meets the insulation, there is a nest about 1ft across. Obviously want to get rid of it before the little b
ds get lively and had resolved to smear myself in syrup and poke the nest with a stick to encourage them out. For 90 quid I'll avoid this hilarious but potentially lethal course of action. Any other recommendations than rentokil?
ds get lively and had resolved to smear myself in syrup and poke the nest with a stick to encourage them out. For 90 quid I'll avoid this hilarious but potentially lethal course of action. Any other recommendations than rentokil?Ring the council up and let then know about the situation, then tell them you live near a large group of children and you really don't want one of them to be stung (think of the children mentality made useful), they usually will be out to save the world in no time.
My nan did this when she found a huge wasps nest in her shed. The house just happened to back onto a playing field with a play park in it. The council were out sharpish.
My nan did this when she found a huge wasps nest in her shed. The house just happened to back onto a playing field with a play park in it. The council were out sharpish.
I hate wasps too
You can buy some clever wass nest killing foam which you spray from around 10 feet away, so you might be able to stand on the loft ladders and spray it before beating a hasty retreat. It works on little ones but not well on big ones.(we had one more than two feet accross last yr)
Even if it doesn't work its worth £5 to know you have really irritated them
You can buy some clever wass nest killing foam which you spray from around 10 feet away, so you might be able to stand on the loft ladders and spray it before beating a hasty retreat. It works on little ones but not well on big ones.(we had one more than two feet accross last yr)
Even if it doesn't work its worth £5 to know you have really irritated them
definitely get an expert out. Our current house has at last count 20 "dead" wasp nests in, so while they may not return to the actual nest, it does not mean they won't return to the same location - in fact returning to the same location seems their preference!
Although at least half of the nests in our roof are no bigger than tennis balls, one is the size of a beach ball and the worst nest (which was killed just before we bought the place) had a contact area to the eaves about 2 sqm
No way I'd be messing with a colony that big...
Although at least half of the nests in our roof are no bigger than tennis balls, one is the size of a beach ball and the worst nest (which was killed just before we bought the place) had a contact area to the eaves about 2 sqm
No way I'd be messing with a colony that big...hatefull, detestable creatures... If the nest is accessable you can get some wasp/bee nest killer spray from a hardware store, its a foamy type of stuff, give the nest a liberal coating with a couple of cans and hang a vapona fly/wasp killer in the loft, it worked at my old house. (the vapona has the side effect of getting rid of all bugs as far as i could see, including spiders). Alternately call the experts out.
Different Councils have different policies re: pests. AFAIK they will all deal with rats FOC, but only some will deal with wasps for free, mine, Mid-Beds, charge for wasps.
I have to have nests treated every year. They should be dealt with when they reach the size of a tennis ball. The old nests don't get reused.
I use a local pest controller who sprays powder in all the areas of wasp activity using a 20ft pole device from outside the house.
Keep an eye out where they are accessing your loft, and get those areas treated, usually gaps in tiles or through the eaves. I pay about £40, using a local guy who I found in Yellow Pages.
I have to have nests treated every year. They should be dealt with when they reach the size of a tennis ball. The old nests don't get reused.
I use a local pest controller who sprays powder in all the areas of wasp activity using a 20ft pole device from outside the house.
Keep an eye out where they are accessing your loft, and get those areas treated, usually gaps in tiles or through the eaves. I pay about £40, using a local guy who I found in Yellow Pages.
Urggg this makes me feel sick just reading the thread.
I hate wasps, I can deal with rats, mice, spiders no problem but not wasps.....
We kept finding dead wasps on our front bedroom window ledge, got the pest guy in and there were six nests in the loft which he got rid of. We found a few more wasps last year so I guess we might have to get him back again - I'm not going ANYWHERE near the loft...
I hate wasps, I can deal with rats, mice, spiders no problem but not wasps.....
We kept finding dead wasps on our front bedroom window ledge, got the pest guy in and there were six nests in the loft which he got rid of. We found a few more wasps last year so I guess we might have to get him back again - I'm not going ANYWHERE near the loft...
Thanks for all the advice guys, I rang the council and booked it through their pest controllers, £50 charge but that's half what Rentokil waned. It sounds like it may be neccessay to tackl the problem in stages but just have to see how it goes.
I hope the guy is not risk averse though; my loft is four feet high, unboarded, and crammed full of stuff so no chance of moving quickly if 10,000 wasps go insane in their lust for sweet, sweet human flesh.
I hope the guy is not risk averse though; my loft is four feet high, unboarded, and crammed full of stuff so no chance of moving quickly if 10,000 wasps go insane in their lust for sweet, sweet human flesh.
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