Wasp Control for Clavering Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises

Wasps follow a seasonal pattern, so a business can plan its checks around the year rather than reacting when the first customer is stung.

A calendar approach

Wasp trouble does not appear overnight. Wasps start nests from late April depending on the weather, the colony grows through early summer and peaks in August, with 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more in a nest. A business that knows this pattern can match its checks to it, and avoid being caught out.

The calendar below is a general guide and assumes no particular type of premises, so adapt it to your own building and site.

A calendar also helps with shared responsibility. If your business has several staff, put the checks on a rota, so that one person does them each month and signs them off. It is a small habit that makes it far less likely that everyone assumes someone else has looked.

Late winter and early spring

Use the quiet weeks before the season to prepare. Check the outside of the building for gaps and damage that might offer a sheltered spot, such as loose fascia, missing mortar or holes in cladding. Do not attempt anything that involves ladders or working at height by yourself. Report problems to a builder.

Tidy storage areas, sheds and bin stores. Stacked boxes, pallets and old equipment against a wall create hiding places. Move them away from the wall if you can do so safely.

Make a checklist for your own premises, with the main spots for your building: roof edges, porch, shed, store, bin area, hedges and any outbuilding. Add anything particular to your own site, and tick each item as you go.

Keep any notes you make from this stage. If a gap is found and fixed, write down when. If a gap cannot be fixed yet, put it on the list for a builder before April.

Late April to June

This is the period when nests begin. Do a short walk around the building every couple of weeks, looking at eaves, door frames, sheds, hedges and any holes in the ground. Early nests may involve only a few wasps. Watch from a distance for a minute or two at each spot.

• if you see a single wasp, it is probably foraging
• if you see several going in and out of one place, it is a nest
• if you see a small papery lump, keep away and call

An early nest is the best time to treat. Booking in May means the nest has few wasps and you avoid the summer rush.

Do not worry about a sighting of a lone wasp in spring. A single wasp in spring is probably just looking around. What matters is repeated traffic to one place.

Make a point of checking after warm spells, because that is when new activity tends to show itself. If the weather has been mild in early spring, begin your walks earlier.

Remember that the nest is not always in the building. A hedge, a tree stump or a bank at the edge of the car park is as likely as the roof edge.

July and August

This is peak season. Foraging wasps are numerous, they are drawn to sugar and they are quick to defend a nest. Keep food covered, bins closed and doors shut where practical. Tell all staff and contractors where any known nest is. Do not allow hedge-cutting, strimming or pressure washing near a nest.

If you have not found a nest but wasps are everywhere, watch their flight lines and record the time and place. When you ring to book, describe what you have seen.

If you are planning events in these months, such as outdoor weddings, garden days or open days, add a nest check to the planning list a week beforehand.

Agree who is responsible for telling contractors. Roofers, painters, cleaners and gardeners should be told about any known nest before they start work. A written note given to them in advance is better than an assumption that they will have noticed.

September and autumn

As the season goes on, keep up your tidying habits, because wasps are still likely to visit food and drink areas. Make a note of where nests were found in the year, and put it in the premises file for the following spring.

If you find an old nest in an eave or shed, do not touch it. Ask the technician at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down.

A final review of the year is a good idea. Put the dates, places and actions on a single sheet and keep it with the premises records.

Booking when you need it

This service accepts bookings for domestic properties and for commercial premises. The work is fully insured, and the team is open seven days a week with same-day service on offer. Treating a nest costs a fixed £90 and that includes one visit guaranteed. An additional nest at the same property costs £35 extra.

Bookings are taken on 01245 327274 or send a request through the online booking form on the contact page. If anyone on the premises is allergic to stings, say so when you book so that the visit can be prioritised. When someone is stung, clean the area, remove any visible sting and apply a cold pack. Phone 999 immediately if there is a widespread rash, dizziness, wheezing or difficulty breathing or swelling of the face, lips or throat. A business in Clavering, like any other, benefits from a calendar kept somewhere visible.

If you want a one-page version, write the four seasonal headings on a sheet and pin it by the staff door. A glance on the way past is enough to remind the team what they should be doing that month. Update it each autumn with anything you learned, such as which hedge needed checking or which shed proved a favourite.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Clavering