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Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Mountnessing
A nest tells you more about its owners than the insects do, and recognising paper, wax or moss from a safe distance can settle the question.
Why the nest is the best clue
Individual insects move quickly and look similar at a glance, but a nest stays put and shows what is behind it. It is also the thing you will be paying to have dealt with, so knowing what it is made of helps.
The key point is that wasps, honeybees and bumblebees build in completely different ways. Once you learn the three styles you can usually name the occupant without ever seeing a single insect up close.
Whatever you find, remember that the golden rule is distance. Look from a few metres, never prod, and never block an opening.
The wasp nest: grey, papery and layered
Wasps make their nests from wood fibre that they scrape from fences, sheds and dead timber and chew into pulp. The result is a thin, paper-like material, usually grey or fawn, often with a swirled, scalloped pattern from the layers laid down one after another.
A nest in the open, such as in a shed or tree, can look like a rounded ball or an upside-down teardrop. Inside a wall, loft or soffit you will rarely see the nest at all and will only notice the entrance hole with wasps streaming in and out.
Nests start small in late April, depending on the weather, and grow throughout the summer. By August a colony can contain from 2,000 to 10,000 wasps or more.
Where to look for the entrance and the honeybee colony: wax comb
Not every nest is visible, so it helps to know where entrances tend to be. Wasps use gaps in eaves and soffits, spaces behind fascia boards, cracks in brickwork, cavities around chimneys, airbricks, sheds and garages, trees and bushes, and holes in the ground. Honeybees prefer enclosed cavities with a small opening, and bumblebees go for the ground or low, sheltered spots.
An entrance high on a house wall with smooth, slim insects pouring in is far more likely to be wasps than bumblebees. An entrance in a quiet corner of a border with large, hairy insects is more likely to be bees.
Do not block any opening. Insects trapped inside can chew or push their way through to another exit, which is sometimes inside the house.
Honeybees secrete wax and build neat hexagonal comb. You will only see this if the colony has settled in an open space or in a cavity with an accessible face, but the traffic gives it away anyway. Honeybees arrive at the entrance laden with pollen, move calmly and in good order, and the colony tends to live in the same place year after year.
Honeybees may also appear as a hanging cluster on a branch or fence, a swarm looking for a new home. That is a short-term situation and a beekeeper is the right person to call.
None of this is wasp work, and the paper-versus-wax difference is a very reliable way of saying so.
Bumblebee nests are small and well hidden
Bumblebees nest in small colonies, often tucked into old rodent holes, long grass, compost heaps or under sheds, lined with moss, dry grass and fluff. They are modest affairs compared with a wasp colony, containing nowhere near the thousands you see in a large wasp nest.
You might spot a few large, furry bees going in and out of a hole in a bank or a gap in the soil. Nobody should dig in to look. If you suspect bumblebees, leave them be; the colony naturally dies down late in the year, and a local beekeeper or bee organisation can advise if the nest is truly in the way.
Do not confuse this with a ground-dwelling wasp nest. Wasps in a hole in the ground move in sharp, busy lines, they are slim and smooth, and there are usually many of them.
Noises and signs inside the building
A nest inside a loft or wall may announce itself indoors. Wasps give off a dry, rustling or scratching sound, which is the noise of many insects chewing and moving about. Occasionally you may see individual insects crawling along a ceiling or window, seeking the way out, or a brownish stain appearing on plasterboard.
Bees inside a building are normally quieter and produce a more continuous hum, particularly honeybees, whose colonies are large. If the buzzing is steady, and you can hear it even in cold weather, a beekeeper's opinion is worth asking.
If you notice any of these signs, keep rooms closed and mention it when you phone, since it can speed up identification.
A word on timing: because the three insects nest in such different ways, the time of year also helps. A tiny wasp nest in late April can be no bigger than a golf ball and is easy to miss. By midsummer it may fill a loft corner. A honeybee colony looks similar all year round, while bumblebees fade away by autumn.
If you only discover the nest in August, do not be surprised by how large the traffic is. That is simply the peak of the cycle, and it is the reason the final weeks of summer bring the most calls.
What to note, and how to book
Before you phone, jot down a few facts:
- Where the insects go in and out: wall, roof edge, shrub, ground or outbuilding.
- What you can see of the structure, if anything: grey paper, wax, or nothing at all.
- How busy the entrance is during daylight.
- Whether there are signs of more than one nest.
With that information the booking is quick. Call 01245 327274 or use the form on the contact page. A single nest is £90 with one visit guaranteed, and a further nest on the same property is £35 per nest. Same-day service is offered seven days a week, for domestic and commercial customers, and the work is fully insured.
If you are asked about the empty nest afterwards, you can ask the technician at booking whether it can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Mountnessing?
Fixed price £90 per nest, same-day service available.