Wasps Around Your Guttering and Fascias? How to Find the Nest in Dengie

Garages, porches, sheds and lean-tos have eaves and fascias just like the main house, and wasps use them just as readily, often with less notice from the household.

The forgotten rooflines

When people think about wasps in guttering, they picture the main house. In practice a surprising number of nests turn up at the edge of a garage roof, over a porch, along a conservatory edge or behind the barge board of a garden shed. These smaller structures are visited less often, nobody looks closely at their eaves, and they may have gaps left by years of weather.

They are also close to places people use every day. A porch roof is next to the front door. A garage eave overhangs the spot where you park, collect bins or load the car. A shed is where you go to fetch the lawnmower. That closeness is what makes a modest nest a real problem: it sits right in the path of the household.

Wasps may begin building from late April, so by midsummer a nest under a garage roof can be thriving without anyone having walked closely past it.

Looking at outbuildings from the ground

Low roofs invite the idea that you can reach up and inspect them. Please resist it. A garage eave can be at head height or just above it, which puts your face close to the entrance, with nothing between you and the colony but a short stretch of air.

Instead, observe from several metres back. Watch the edge of the roof for a stream of wasps in and out of one spot. Look at the fascia ends, the junction with the house wall and the underside of any overhang. On a flat garage roof with an edge trim, check the point where the trim meets the wall, because a loose end is just the right size.

• Is the traffic at one point or spread along the edge?
• Is it the main roof or a separate lean-to?
• Is the building in daily use, or stored and left?
• Is the entrance above a door or a window?

Why the building's use matters

If the building is a garage you drive into daily, the vibration of the door can disturb a nest in the eaves above it. If it is a porch, the opening and closing of the front door does the same. Wasps respond to movement and shaking, so a nest in a heavily used spot will be unusually irritable.

That is a good reason to stop using that door where possible while waiting for the visit. If you must use it, move calmly, do not slam it and avoid standing under the entrance. Keep children from playing in the porch or garage mouth, and keep the dog on a lead in the area.

For commercial premises such as a workshop, store or small unit, the same applies, and staff and visitors should be steered away from the affected entrance. We work on domestic and commercial properties alike.

Sheds, summerhouses and timber cabins

Timber buildings are particularly attractive because the wood is soft, weathered and full of gaps at the joints. A nest may be under the roof felt overhang, behind the barge board or in a hollow between the wall and the roof. In the autumn, when the colony dies back, it is tempting to think the problem has solved itself. It has, for that year, but an empty nest does not stop another wasp choosing the same sheltered space next spring.

If you are storing items against the walls, wasps may also find a space behind them. Do not shift stored items while wasps are active. Wait until the nest has been treated, then clear the space and look for the gap.

A cabin that is not used over the winter can hide an old nest from the previous summer. Old nests are not reused, but leaving the debris can make it harder to see what is happening in the new season. Clear it after treatment, and wear gloves.

When the technician arrives

The technician for Dengie will ask which structure the wasps are using and will confirm the entrance for themselves. Because the roofs are often lower than the house, the access is usually simpler, but the nest itself is just as busy. Treatment is carried out at the nest and you will be told what to expect after the visit.

You can ask whether the empty nest can be taken down when you book. For outbuildings that are old or fragile, mention it, because the technician may want to avoid pressing on a weak board.

Not every flying insect at a shed or garage roof is a wasp. Honeybees and bumblebees may investigate cavities in timber, and if what you are watching is a bee, we are not the right service. In that case, contact a local beekeeper or the relevant bee organisation, because bees are valuable and should not be harmed. Wasps are slimmer, with a narrow waist, bright yellow and black markings and a smooth, shiny body, and they fly in a quick, darting way.

If you are not sure what you are looking at, take a clear photo from a distance and describe the behaviour: a steady stream into one hole in the roofline is the thing that points to a wasp nest. The technician will be able to confirm it, and will tell you honestly if it is something else.

Booking and making good

Our fixed price is £90 per nest, with one visit guaranteed. A second nest on the same property, perhaps on the garage as well as the house, is £35 more. We are fully insured, open seven days a week, and can often offer same-day visits. Call 01245 327274 or use the online booking form on the contact page.

Afterwards, deal with the weak points: refit the loose trim, fill the gap between the roof and the wall, replace a rotted board end, and look at the felt overhang. A small repair now saves a repeat next spring.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Dengie