Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Borley Home? Common Causes and Solutions

Hovering is one of the most misunderstood wasp behaviours, and reading it correctly can save you needless worry or catch a nest early.

Why wasps hover

A wasp hanging in the air near a surface is doing one of several things. It may be inspecting a surface for food, looking for a gap to enter, gathering building fibres, or orienting itself near its own nest. The behaviour looks the same from a distance, but the cause differs.

Watching for a few minutes usually shows which it is.

Distance is a good guide. A wasp that hovers at arm’s length from you is probably curious about a smell, such as perfume or food on your clothes. A wasp hovering at a wall, a window sill or a bin is more likely to be investigating the surface itself.

Another reason for hovering is mating behaviour late in the season, when new queens and males leave the nest. They hover and cruise near trees and walls in the sun. This is brief and does not mean a nest is on your property.

Feeding or foraging

A feeding wasp lands. It will settle on a sticky patch, a damp spot or a leaking tap and stay for a while. It may crawl across the surface and take what it finds. It tends to be alone and the visit is short.

Typical places for feeding are windows with sweet residue, outdoor taps, bird baths, the rim of a bin, and the base of a wall where a drink has spilt. If there is something sweet or damp at the spot, that is the likely reason.

Pay attention to the surfaces. Wasps are often seen at wet spots, such as a dripping tap, a puddle by a drain or the edge of a pond, where they drink water to take back to the nest. This is a different behaviour from feeding, and it can happen in cool, dull weather too.

If a wasp is hovering above your plate or glass, cover it. A lid is far more effective than waving. Move the food indoors if you can.

Gathering wood fibre

Wasps make their nests from chewed wood fibre. You may see one on a fence panel, a garden shed or an old windowsill, scraping the surface with its jaws. The sound is a faint rasping. After a minute it flies off with a small ball of material.

This is a sign that there is a nest somewhere within flying distance, although not necessarily on your property. The wasp is not interested in you.

The wood on which they scrape tends to be weathered and grey. After a while you may notice faint pale lines on a fence or garden bench where fibre has been taken. Those marks are harmless in themselves, but they tell you that wasps are active nearby.

Any gap in a fence or shed panel where the wood has been stripped is a hint of active gathering. Check these spots a few days later to see whether the scraping continues.

Guarding or orienting at a nest

A wasp that hovers briefly in front of a small hole and then enters is returning to a nest. Others come and go in the same way. The hovering is a brief orientation, and the flow of traffic in and out is steady.

Signs that it is a nest entrance include:

• Several wasps using the same spot.
• Wasps entering and leaving without landing to feed.
• A flight line that leads away from the spot in one direction.
• A faint hum from behind the surface.
• A hole or gap at the place where they disappear.

If you see this, stay well away. Colonies can reach 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more by August and defend their entrance.

One test is the direction of departure. A wasp collecting fibre or food flies away with purpose, but may take a different line each time. A wasp that comes from and returns to a nest will use the same route over and over again, like a commuter.

A close watch from a window with a notebook can answer the question within half an hour. Mark the time, the number of wasps, the direction they leave and whether any land.

What to do next

If it looks like feeding, remove the source. Wipe the surface, fix the leaking tap and clear the bin. If it looks like a nest, keep your distance, keep others away and note the position.

Do not wave at, swat or spray the wasps. A hovering wasp that feels threatened is more likely to sting.

If you have children, show them how to watch from a distance, and do not allow them to approach to look. A clear, safe distance is at least several metres, more if the wasps appear agitated.

Unusually large numbers of hovering wasps near a window, sill or wall are worth reporting, since they may be searching for an entrance into the building.

Booking in Borley

Wasp Nest Removal Essex deals with wasp nests at domestic and commercial properties. The fee is fixed at £90 per nest, one visit guaranteed, plus £35 for each extra nest at the same property. It is fully insured, open seven days a week and offers same-day service.

In Borley, ring 01245 327274 or use the booking form on the contact page. Tell the business about any wasp allergy so the booking can be prioritised. Whether the empty nest can come down afterwards is worth asking at booking.

If you are unsure what you have seen, describe it as clearly as you can on the phone. The business can help you decide whether a visit is needed.

There is no need to go near the spot to take a photo. A clear description of the wall, the height and what is nearby is more useful than a blurred image taken at close range.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Borley