How to Tell If You Have an Active Wasp Nest on Your Great Bardfield Property

A vegetable patch has everything a wasp colony could want, from caterpillars to shelter, and the routines of growing food can bring you very close to a nest.

A busy corner of the garden

The vegetable plot is where gardeners spend hours bent over, handling soil, canes and netting. It is also rich in what wasps need. Caterpillars on brassicas, aphids on beans, ripe fruit on canes and bushes, and plenty of nooks in the structures that surround the growing area all make the place attractive. Wasps visit constantly, and a good number of them are doing useful work as pest hunters.

That is why the signs of a nest need to be read with care. A lot of wasps on a veg plot is normal. A lot of wasps heading to and from one particular spot is not. The difference is the pattern, and it is worth knowing before you bend down to pick the beans.

Think about the plot as a set of zones, and walk each of them before you start work: the beds, the fruit area, the structures, the compost and the boundary. A slow circuit of five minutes at the start of a session will show you where the wasps are concentrated and whether any of them are heading for a particular spot. Do it when the sun is on the plot, since a cool, shaded circuit may miss the busy hours.

Greenhouses and cold frames

A greenhouse is warm, dry and full of gaps. The staging, the door runners, the corners of the glazing bars and the space under the benches can all hold a nest. Cold frames have lids and sides that wasps can slip under. A frame left shut for a few weeks is exactly the sort of undisturbed place a queen looks for.

• Watch the door and vents from outside for wasps going in and not coming out through the same gap.
• Look at the base of the structure for gaps, where wasps might enter.
• Listen for a hum from within before opening the door.
• Check under benches and behind pots from the doorway before stepping in.

If you hear a hum or see traffic, do not go in. Keep the door shut, and tell others who might use it.

Compost, canes and netting

The things used in growing are also hiding places. A heap of bamboo canes has hollow stems and gaps between them. A roll of fruit netting stored against a wall can shelter a nest in its folds. Bags of compost, stacks of seed trays and old buckets create dark recesses.

Before reaching for any of these in summer, look from a distance for wasps landing on or near them. Move things slowly and lift them from the outside edge, not the middle, so that you can see underneath. If you spot a nest, put the item down carefully and walk away. Do not shake out netting or tip a bucket to see what is in it.

Ventilation is another thing to be wary of. Greenhouse vents are propped open on warm days, and wasps may come and go through them. Seeing wasps on the glass is not unusual; seeing them go down behind the staging or into a corner post is. Keep an eye on the base of the frame, where the timber meets the soil, as a ground nest beside a greenhouse can use the structure as shelter.

Watering by hand can be a disturbance too. Cans knocking against staging, hose reels dragging along the floor and doors banging in the wind all produce vibration. If you suspect a nest, put off watering until it has been dealt with, or water from a distance with a long lance.

Fruit, bins and the attraction problem

Soft fruit, plums and windfall apples attract wasps in numbers. A heap of windfalls is a feast, and wasps gather at it from all around. This can look alarming but it does not mean there is a nest on your plot. Clearing fallen fruit regularly and keeping the compost caddy covered helps keep numbers down.

To tell foraging from a nest, see where the wasps go when they leave. If they scatter, they are foragers. If they head off in a consistent direction, a nest is in that direction, and it may be some way off. If they vanish into the ground, a wall or a structure on your plot, it is on your land.

Harvesting in summer calls for care. Raspberries, currants, plums and apples are all wasp magnets, and a wasp hidden in a fruit you have just picked is a common cause of stings. Look into each fruit before eating it and shake out a bucket of picked fruit gently away from you. Wear shoes, gloves for tying in, and avoid brushing against low bushes.

Pea and bean rows deserve an eye as well. A thick wigwam of runner beans can hide a ground nest at its base, and the first you know of it is when you reach in to pick.

Working safely around a suspected nest

If you suspect a nest, avoid the area while you carry on with other jobs. Leave weeding, digging and harvesting near the nest until it has been dealt with. Do not hoe or dig near a bank or a bed where wasps are entering the soil. Water the other parts of the plot from a distance, as splashing water close to a nest is a disturbance.

Allotments and shared growing areas need a note of caution. If you grow on a shared site, tell the site managers, so that other plot holders are warned. Who arranges and pays for treatment on a shared site depends on the rules and agreements that apply, so check them.

Booking

For reference, Wasp Nest Removal Essex treats nests for a fixed £90 only, with an additional nest on the same property at £35 only. The work is fully insured, and you get one visit guaranteed. Our technician covers Great Bardfield and the surrounding villages, and same-day service is offered seven days a week for domestic and commercial customers.

Call 01245 327274 or request a visit through the contact page. Say whether the nest is in a greenhouse, frame or the soil, and where on the plot it is.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Great Bardfield