When Is Wasp Season in Grays?

Growers meet wasps at particular moments of the season, from early nest-building to the windfall fruit of late summer, and each calls for a different habit.

Growers see the whole wasp year up close

Anyone who grows fruit and vegetables spends far more hours outdoors than most, and sees the wasp season at close range. A gardener or allotment holder in Grays will usually notice the first wasps in spring, work alongside them in summer and clear up after them in autumn. Knowing which stage you are in tells you whether a wasp is simply passing or whether there is a nest worth worrying about.

The calendar is simple enough to remember. Nests start from late April, depending on the weather. Through the summer the colony keeps growing until August, when it is at its largest. Late in the season the wasps look for sweet things. Then numbers fall away in autumn.

It also helps to remember that the plot is a mixed environment. Compost heaps, water butts, sheds and fruit cages all create small, sheltered corners, so a nest can be tucked away in a place that you pass every day without really looking at it. A deliberate look, once a week, is worth far more than a hasty glance.

Spring: sowing, planting and the first nests

When you are digging beds and putting up canes in April and May, wasps are only beginning to build. This is the best moment to look at sheds, compost bins, water butts, old pallets and the hedge around the plot. You are looking for a wasp that keeps going back to the same hole or crack, rather than one that drifts past.

Holes in the ground deserve special care. A bare patch beside a path or a bank at the edge of a bed can hold a nest, and spades and forks are exactly the tools that disturb it. Before you dig a new area, stand still for a minute and watch the surface for traffic.

• Check the shed, greenhouse door frame and tool store.
• Look under overturned pots and compost bin lids from a distance.
• Watch banks and path edges for small holes.

Think about how you store tools. A hollow handle, a folded sack in the shed or a heap of old netting can all be used. Shake out nothing until you have looked at it from a distance. If you keep a wheelbarrow tipped against a fence, check beneath it before lifting.

Fruit cages and polytunnels are warm, and the doorways and joins can hide small gaps. Look at the frame work and the base boards on a sunny day, when activity will be easiest to see.

Summer: fruit starts to ripen

From June the colony is growing quickly and you will see more wasps about. Many of them are collecting food for the nest and are not interested in you. They do, however, become more of a nuisance when soft fruit is ripe. Strawberries, raspberries, plums and early apples all draw them in, and picking is where most stings happen.

Pick fruit carefully and look inside a bunch before you grab it. Wear gloves for the hardest-hit crops. Keep a lidded bucket for ripe fruit instead of leaving it uncovered on the path, and take overripe or split fruit away from the plot.

If you sell or share surplus produce, take care at the point of handing it over. Wasps can ride in boxes and baskets of soft fruit. Check the crates, shake them gently outdoors and cover them during transport.

Children helping on the plot should be taught to look into a punnet before reaching in. It takes a few seconds and saves tears, and it is a rule that applies to adults just as much.

August and September: windfalls and the peak

In August the colony peaks, and a nest can hold from 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps. Late in the summer they seem especially interested in sweet food, so a windfall under a plum or apple tree can be crowded. Never walk barefoot through grass beneath fruit trees, and avoid stooping to pick up fruit without looking first.

Clear windfalls often, preferably in a bucket with a lid. Do not leave rotting fruit in a heap beside the shed. If the wasps keep coming from one direction, follow the line from a distance and see where it leads.

Remember also that wasps feed on ripe and fermenting fruit, and the smell travels. A plum tree in full crop can draw wasps from a long way off, and the activity around it may not mean there is a nest nearby at all. The test is still the line of flight: if wasps arrive from the same direction every time, there is a source in that direction.

If you keep a compost heap near the fruit, cover fresh additions with a layer of dry material, because sweet scraps are a draw.

When to leave the plot alone

If you find a nest, whether in a shed, a tree or the ground, stop working in that area and warn others who use the site. Do not try to dig it out, block the hole or soak it with water. Wasps that are threatened can swarm and sting, and a nest at its peak is a serious hazard.

On shared allotment sites, tell the person who manages the site. Whether the cost falls on the tenant or the site owner depends on the tenancy or site rules, so check them. Mark off the area with canes and tape from a safe distance so that nobody wanders in.

Neighbouring plots will be affected by the same nest, so a quick conversation is courteous and practical. Wasps do not stop at the edge of a plot, and one treated nest on a site with several others close by may still leave activity coming from elsewhere.

Having a nest treated

When you book, say where the nest is on the plot and how people reach it. Ask whether the empty nest can be taken down afterwards, then tidy the area and note the spot for next April, when it is worth looking again.

Wasp Nest Removal Essex treats a nest for a fixed £90 per nest, one visit guaranteed, and £35 buys treatment of another nest on the same property. The firm works on both domestic and commercial premises, and the technician is fully insured, while the line is open seven days a week for same-day service.

You can ring 01245 327274 or, if you prefer, use the online booking form on the contact page. When you book, check whether the empty nest can be taken down after treatment. Anyone who is allergic to wasp stings, say so when you book so that the booking can be prioritised.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Grays