Wasp Control for Great Wakering Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises

Behind the bar, wasps find sugar, grease and warmth, so landlords need a back-of-house routine as well as a plan for the garden.

The part customers do not see

When people think of wasps at a pub, they picture the beer garden. The back of the building can be just as attractive: the cellar hatch left open for a delivery, the kitchen door propped for ventilation, crates of empties stacked outside, and a bin store that smells sweet in warm weather. A nest within foraging range finds these quickly.

The trouble with back-of-house wasps is that staff meet them in tight spaces, carrying trays or barrels, with no room to step back. A sting under those conditions can be worse than a sting on a patio, so it is worth being careful.

Another point is that pub staff rarely stop. A person carrying a keg through a door is not going to notice a small nest in the frame above them, which is why a quick outside check by the manager is worth doing before the busy months.

Cellar hatch and delivery door

Delivery times are when doors stay open longest. Wasps look for sheltered, humid spaces, and cellars offer exactly that. Ask your delivery drivers to keep the hatch open only as long as needed, and put a lid on any crate of sugary mixers. If you notice wasps in the cellar itself, do not poke around. Report where you see them, because they may be entering through a gap or an air brick rather than coming from the door.

Keep an eye on the area around pipework, vent grilles and the underside of the hatch. Staff who work down there should know to leave if they hear a buzzing in the wall.

Barrels and kegs are heavy, and handling them leaves no hand free to swat or shield. That is one reason to keep wasps out of the delivery area altogether. Plan for the drayman to bring the barrels in one run rather than with repeated trips if you know wasps are about, and keep the door shut between trips whenever you can.

If wasps are entering through a gap beside the cellar door, note the position but do not stuff anything into it. Packing a hole can push the wasps to find another route out, and that can be into the cellar itself.

Kitchen and bin hygiene

A busy kitchen produces plenty of food waste. Some simple habits help:

• empty food bins and recycling at the end of every shift
• rinse bottles and cans before storing them
• wipe the floor around the bins, where syrup and grease collect
• keep ripe fruit for cocktails covered and in the fridge
• use self-closing lids where you can

These habits make the premises less appealing, but a nest in the area will keep producing wasps. Think of the housekeeping as buying time while you arrange treatment. Do not use household sprays near food preparation surfaces; they are not the answer to a nest and may cause problems of their own.

Cleaning routines also matter. Mop floors at the end of each session so that sticky patches are gone before the next morning. Take glass and bottle bins out before they overflow, and wash the bin area down occasionally. Small, regular actions make the building less rewarding to a foraging wasp.

Booking with a kitchen to run

Kitchens run to timings, and a booking that disrupts service is a worry. The business covers domestic and commercial premises, is open seven days a week and offers same-day service. It is fully insured. Each nest is treated for a fixed £90 with one visit guaranteed, and any additional nest on the same property costs £35 extra.

When you ring 01245 327274 or use the online form on the contact page, explain that the nest is close to the kitchen or cellar and say when the area is least busy. The technician can then plan to work at a quieter point. If a member of the team is allergic to wasp stings, say so at booking so that the visit can be prioritised.

You may also ask the person on the phone about the empty nest. Whether it can be taken down afterwards is something to raise at booking rather than on the day.

Staff safety in tight spaces

Brief everyone who works at the back. Say where the wasps are thought to be coming from, and agree a simple routine: if you see wasps in the cellar, step back, close the hatch behind you and tell the manager. Do not try to sweep them out with a cloth or a tray.

If someone is stung, wash the area, remove the sting if it is visible and apply a cold pack. Swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing, difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash means 999. Anyone with a known allergy should speak to their GP, and should not be sent into the cellar or bin store while a nest is active.

A short briefing at the start of a shift is enough. Name the area, say who has been told, and ask that anyone who sees a new nest or heavy traffic reports it straight away. Staff are usually good at spotting problems if they know someone will act on what they say.

Looking ahead

Wasps begin nests from late April depending on the weather, and by August the colony can hold thousands. A short check of the outside of the building every few weeks from spring, covering eaves, outbuildings, air bricks and the base of hedges, will spot most early nests. If you find one, keep clear and book. It is a straightforward job early in the season, and a much bigger worry once the pub is full of summer customers.

Landlords in Great Wakering and everywhere else will find that a tidy bin store and a vigilant eye are the best defence between treatments.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Great Wakering