Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Abbess Roding Gardens

Food, drink and a crowd on the lawn make a late-summer event a magnet for foraging wasps, and a little planning keeps the day calm.

Why events attract wasps

A summer party puts out sugary drinks, fruit, sauces, desserts and meat, all in one place and in the open air. For foraging wasps in July and August, that is an irresistible spread. They arrive in numbers, and anyone who flaps at them risks a sting.

None of this has anything to do with last year’s nest, which was abandoned in the autumn. The wasps at your party come from this year’s colonies, and they may be from a nest several hundred metres away.

If you are planning an event in Abbess Roding, or anywhere else, the sensible approach is to reduce the draw and check the grounds in advance.

The wasps that ruin a party are almost never the ones that nested nearby by chance. They are foragers drawn by smell, and the smell of cooking meat and sugary drinks carries a long way on a warm evening.

Check the venue a week before

Walk the garden or field a few days before the event. Look at eaves, sheds, hedges and the ground for signs of a nest. Watch for a couple of minutes at the warm part of the day. If you see a stream of wasps going in and out of one spot, mark it from a distance and arrange treatment before the event.

• Look at the places where guests will sit and queue.
• Check tent poles, marquee lines and ground sheets.
• Look at the area where bins and food will be set up.
• Check any outbuildings guests might use.

Do this early, because bookings can fill up.

If the event is on land that you do not own, such as a hired field or a friend’s garden, ask the owner whether they have seen any wasp activity, and ask permission to walk the area. A polite request is usually welcomed. The owner is the one to arrange treatment if a nest is found, and the timing is worth agreeing together.

Do not leave it until the morning of the event. A nest found at breakfast leaves little time, though we offer same-day service where we can.

Setting up the food

Keep food covered until it is time to eat. Use lids on drinks, or serve in bottles with straws. Provide closed bins away from the seating, and empty them during the event. Clear plates promptly and wipe up spills.

Put sweet items out last and take them in as soon as people have finished. Offer a place to put cans and cups where wasps cannot crawl into them. A can with a wasp inside is a common cause of stings in the mouth.

Set up a separate drinks station away from the main food area, so that wasps are drawn to a small, controlled spot. Keep jugs covered with a cloth or a lid, and use clear cups so people can see inside. Offer straws to children, who are the most likely to take a mouthful of wasp from an unattended cup.

Bin lids should close tightly. Bags put out at the end of the night should be taken away from the garden if you can, and not left by the back door.

Dessert tables are the first thing wasps find, so keep trifles, cakes and fruit salads under domes or nets until the moment they are served.

Wipe tables between courses.

Marquees and tents

Marquees are warm and shaded, and wasps will fly in. Keep side panels open for airflow, but make sure food tables are not near the gaps in the canvas. Check folded canvas and ground sheets when you pack them away, in case an insect has settled in.

If your marquee is hired, ask the supplier how it is stored, and look inside when it arrives.

Pack down the marquee with care. Open the doors and sides, shake out the canvas from a distance, and check the folds. A queen or a handful of foragers may have found a snug fold, so allow time for them to leave before bundling the whole thing into a van.

Keep a bucket of water well away from food tables, for rinsing sticky hands.

Provide wipes for children.

What to tell guests

A brief word at the start is plenty. Ask guests to stay calm if a wasp lands, not to swat, and to check drinks before sipping. For guests with known allergies, make sure they know where help is.

If someone is stung, wash the sting, remove the sting if visible and apply a cold pack. Call 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing, difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash.

If you are organising a larger gathering, such as a fete or a school event, tell your first aiders about the plan and where the nearest phone signal is.

Children should be told what to do if a wasp comes near: stay still, or walk away calmly, and do not wave their arms.

If you find a nest before the day

Do not wait. Contact Wasp Nest Removal Essex on 01245 327274 or use the booking form on our contact page, and tell us the date of your event. A single nest is a fixed £90 per nest with one visit guaranteed, and a further nest on the property is charged at £35 per nest.

Seven-day availability, same-day service and full insurance apply to domestic and commercial jobs alike. You can ask about an empty nest at the same time.

If someone attending has a known allergy, tell us when booking so the visit can be prioritised.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Abbess Roding