When Is Wasp Season in Ashen?

Chimneys and vents were made to let air pass, which makes them useful to wasps, and a spring check of these openings avoids many problems.

Openings that were made on purpose

Buildings need to breathe. Chimneys, airbricks, extractor outlets and roof vents all exist to let air in or out. That function also leaves openings in the outer shell of the house that wasps can use. Anyone in Ashen with a chimney or vents will find the following useful.

Gaps in eaves, walls and chimneys are among the places wasps build, and the openings described here are part of the same picture.

This guide goes through the year with these openings in mind, from winter repairs to the sounds you might hear in summer.

Winter: the best time to look

With no wasps flying, winter is a good time to inspect the openings in your building. From the ground, look at the chimney pot and cowl for damage. Check the airbricks for broken covers or missing mesh. See if extractor and boiler flues have intact grilles, and that roof vents are in good order.

Leave anything that involves working at height to a qualified tradesperson. They can replace a damaged cowl, fit mesh to a vent or repair a crumbling mortar joint. Booking this in the cold months means you are not competing with spring demand, and you avoid disturbing a nest.

If you have a wood-burning stove or open fire, an annual sweep is a standard part of safe use. Combine the sweep with a check of the cowl and pot, and ask the tradesperson to report any damage or signs of a previous nest.

Late April and May: watch the openings

Once the building season begins, usually from late April depending on the weather, look at these openings on warm afternoons. You are looking for a wasp that goes into a vent or past a cowl and does not come out for a while, or one that repeatedly returns to the same airbrick.

• Watch each opening for a couple of minutes.
• Compare the traffic with a nearby control point, such as a window.
• Listen at the inside of the vent, if accessible from a safe place, for a dry buzzing.

Do not block an opening that wasps are using. Stopping the entrance can drive them into the house through other gaps.

Airbricks are often placed near the ground, below floor level. A line of wasps entering one at the base of the wall suggests a nest in the cavity or under the floor. Stay away from it, and keep pets and children clear.

Summer: chimneys that hum

A chimney can magnify sound. If you hear a buzzing in a fireplace or flue in July or August, a nest may have been built inside the stack or the breast. At the peak the colony can hold from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps, so you do not want to open a closed fireplace to look.

Keep the fire surround closed, and do not light a fire. Wasps could come down into the room, and the smoke will not clear them safely. Tell the booking team which chimney and room, and whether the flue is in use.

Roof vents and soffit vents can have mesh that is rusted, bent or missing. A small tear is enough for a wasp to pass. When a vent is found to be damaged, mention it to a roofer, and plan the repair for the winter months.

Keep a record of any repairs and the date they were done. If wasps return to the same stack or vent, you will know how long the repair held and what to ask the tradesperson to look at.

Autumn: the empty stack

When the nest is treated and the wasps have gone, ask the technician whether the empty nest can be taken down. A chimney that is to be used in winter should be checked by a qualified chimney sweep or tradesperson before lighting a fire, as the debris can block the flue. That is advice for any chimney, not just one with a nest.

Take this opportunity to fit a cowl or mesh at the top of an unused flue, if suitable, so that the same route is closed next spring.

Remember that you should never push a stick, a broom handle or a hose into a vent or flue to see what is inside. That is the quickest way to bring a swarm out.

If a previous owner capped a chimney or fitted a vent, you may not know what is underneath. A survey by a chimney specialist can tell you, and it is wiser to find out in winter than in July.

Booking help

If you hear or see signs of wasps using a chimney or vent, do not wait. Treatment is a fixed price per nest, and the earlier it is done, the simpler it will be. Give the booking team a clear description of the position, the height and how the roof or stack can be reached.

After treatment, ask for the vent or chimney to be repaired at a suitable time. A repaired opening is the best defence against a return visit in the spring.

For a nest on your property, Wasp Nest Removal Essex charges a fixed £90 per nest, and the price graphic promises one visit guaranteed, while a second nest at the same address adds £35 more. Private homes and commercial buildings can both be treated, the work is fully insured, and bookings are taken seven days a week with same-day service offered.

Telephone 01245 327274 or fill in the online booking form on the contact page. As part of the booking, find out whether the technician can take the empty nest down.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Ashen