Wasp Control for Ardleigh Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises

Harvest time brings extra staff, ripe fruit and the peak of the wasp season together, so growers need a clear plan to protect workers and produce.

Harvest and wasps peak together

The weeks when fruit is ripest are the same weeks in which wasp colonies are largest. Fallen or damaged fruit, juice from crates and the sugary water on a washing line all attract foraging workers. A grower with seasonal pickers, often new to the site, faces a real challenge: protecting people who do not know the ground.

It makes sense to find and deal with nests early, ideally before the harvest begins, and to have a clear instruction for staff for the weeks when it is in full swing.

Fruit growing also leaves ground cover and windfalls under trees and bushes, which attract wasps at ground level. A picker reaching under a bush for a fallen crate can put a hand directly into a ground nest without any warning.

Walking the site before harvest

A pre-season walk with a manager or foreman can save a lot of trouble. Look at:

• banks, headlands and ditches where holes may be hidden in the grass
• old posts, pallets and crates stored on site
• the packing shed, cold store and loading area
• hedges and windbreak trees
• the roof edges of outbuildings and any accommodation blocks
• compost and waste heaps

If you see wasps flying to a single spot, mark it with a flag or a cone from a distance and tell the team. Never walk up to examine it.

Keep a note of the places where wasps were seen in previous years, since old burrows and sheltered banks often attract new nests. Mark any suspect holes with a stake so that staff know to keep away, but only after the technician has confirmed the position and says it is safe to approach.

Briefing pickers and packers

New workers often have no idea what to do about a nest. Give them a short, clear briefing at induction. Tell them to leave wasps alone, stop work and walk away if they see a nest, and report it to the supervisor. They should not hit it, fill the hole or attempt to move crates near it.

Show them where the first aid kit is kept and who is the trained first aider. Make sure they know to tell the supervisor if they are allergic to wasp stings, because a person who is allergic should not work close to a nest.

Where language is a barrier, use pictures or demonstrate rather than relying on a long speech.

Supervisors should walk the rows before each shift for the first few days of picking. If there is a nest in a row, move the team to another and mark the first row off. A few minutes at the start can save a worker from being stung.

Cleanliness in the packing area

Packing sheds are warm, sweet and busy. Reduce the attraction by emptying waste crates often, removing damaged fruit, washing down floors and tables and keeping lids on any juice or compost bins. Keep doors closed or fitted with a strip curtain if the shed allows it.

Do not spray inside a food area. It is no use against a nest and may cause problems with the produce. Focus on the source.

Machinery such as tractors and mowers should not be operated close to a suspected nest. Vibration can provoke the colony, and a driver can be in trouble before they know why.

Water used to wash crates or the floor should drain away from the doors, because a wet, sugary patch at the threshold draws wasps right to the entrance.

Booking in good time

Wasp Nest Removal Essex works at homes and commercial premises, including farm and grower sites. Open seven days a week, the business is fully insured and offers same-day service. The price for a nest is a fixed £90 and one visit is guaranteed, and another nest at the same property costs £35 extra. For a large site, that second figure can be useful.

The booking line is 01245 327274 or fill in the booking form on the contact page. Describe where the nest is, whether it is in the ground, a bank or a building, and how to get there by vehicle. The village and surrounding villages are covered by the technician. If any worker or visitor is allergic to stings, say so when booking so that the visit can be prioritised.

Accommodation blocks for seasonal staff also need attention. Check roof edges and soffits there, and make sure bins are lidded.

Stings and the season ahead

For a sting, rinse the spot, take out the sting if it is visible and hold a cold pack against it. Swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or trouble breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash needs a 999 call straight away. Anyone who is known to be allergic to stings should speak to their GP.

Wasps start building from late April depending on the weather, and growers who treat nests in spring or early summer rarely have to cope with large colonies at harvest. A grower in Ardleigh, like any other, will find that a walk around the boundary and outbuildings in May is the best time investment of the year.

Imagine a grower who walks the orchard edge in late May and sees a thin line of wasps entering a bank beside the gate. A stake is put in the ground at a safe distance, the foreman is told, and the booking is made that day. By the time picking starts, the area is safe and nobody has to think about it. Compare this with the grower who learns about the bank when a picker steps on it in August.

It is a small difference in effort and a large one in outcome.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Ardleigh