Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Great Warley Home? Common Causes and Solutions

Wasps that appear to come from nowhere may be flying from a hole in the ground, and the traffic is easy to mistake for ordinary garden visitors.

Wasps that live below the surface

Many people picture a wasp nest as a grey paper ball hanging in a tree. In reality, a good number of colonies are built underground. A queen takes over an old burrow, a hollow under a root or a crack beneath a patio, and the colony grows out of sight. The only visible clue is a small entrance, often no larger than a coin, with a steady flow of wasps going in and out.

This is how a garden nest comes to be linked to wasps in the house. Workers fly from the hole in a line, and your back door or kitchen window may lie on their route. The same insects can end up wandering inside after drinks, food or bright light.

A mild, dry spring helps queens start early, but a nest can begin at any point from late April depending on the weather. The first cells are tiny, and for a few weeks the colony consists of one queen and a handful of workers, so it is easy to miss. By midsummer, the numbers have multiplied many times over.

The entrance is often surrounded by a small patch of loose, crumbled earth, and in dry weather you may see a faint trail of bare soil leading to it. That subtle clue is worth looking for when you scan the lawn.

Finding the entrance safely

You do not need to go close to find it. On a warm afternoon, sit at a window or stand on the patio and scan the lawn, borders, rockery and the base of hedges and trees. Look for a point at ground level where wasps repeatedly land and disappear, or where they seem to emerge and take off.

Typical places include:

• Bare patches in the lawn, especially along edges.
• Slopes and banks with loose soil.
• The foot of an old tree or fence post.
• The gap under a shed base or a patio slab.
• Rockeries, log piles and compost heaps.

When you find a likely spot, stop and note it. Put a garden cane in the ground well away from the hole as a marker, approaching from the side and not in the line of flight.

Ground nests are often found by watching where wasps land after leaving the patio or the compost heap. If a wasp lands on bare soil and walks briskly across before vanishing, follow its path with your eyes and mark the place in your mind, not with your feet.

The hazards of a ground nest

A ground nest is more dangerous than it looks because it is so easy to step on or mow over. Vibration from a lawnmower, strimmer or footsteps can set off the colony, and wasps defend the entrance fiercely. A colony may contain 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more at its peak in August.

Keep children, dogs and visitors away from the area. Do not mow near the hole until it has been treated. Do not pour boiling water or any liquid down it, since this tends to enrage the colony and cause stings.

Keep in mind that other insects also live in the ground, including ants and solitary bees. A solitary bee has a small mound of soil at its burrow and visits one at a time, with no swarm. If you think you have bumblebees, contact a local beekeeper or bee organisation, because this business deals only with wasps.

Reducing the effect on the house

While you wait for treatment, shut windows on the side of the house closest to the nest and keep doors closed as much as you can. A fly screen over an open window helps, as does moving outdoor seating to the other side of the garden.

Keep food covered, and clear up pet bowls, cans and bottles promptly. This does not remove the nest, but it reduces the number of wasps that come in search of an easy meal.

Be alert to disturbed ground after heavy rain or when a fox or badger has been digging, since a nest that has been exposed can send out wasps in great numbers. In such a case, keep everyone indoors and ring for help.

Calling for treatment

A technician can find the entrance quickly if you give a clear description. Wasp Nest Removal Essex charges one fixed price of £90 for each nest, with one visit guaranteed, and £35 for an additional nest at the same address. It is fully insured, takes domestic and commercial work and runs seven days a week with same-day service offered.

For Great Warley, ring 01245 327274 or use the booking form on the contact page. Say where in the garden the hole is, and mention any wasp allergy in the household so that the booking can be prioritised.

If you wonder whether the nest can be dug out or removed afterwards, ask at the time of booking. It depends on where it is.

The technician will need to know how to reach the hole, so tell them if there are locked gates, a dog in the garden or a steep slope.

Spring check

From late April, queens start looking for sites. Walk the garden each week in spring and look for small holes with a few wasps coming and going. Spotting a new nest early means you can arrange treatment while the colony is small.

A tidy garden helps. Fill old animal burrows only when you are sure nothing is using them, trim long grass at the edges of lawns, and avoid leaving piles of timber or rubble against fences.

Write down the date you first noticed the hole, because the colony grows through the season and the information tells the technician how established it may be.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Great Warley