Wasps vs Bees – How to Identify Them Before Arranging Pest Control in Shelley

A tour of the outside of the house, looking at gaps and traffic from a safe distance, usually shows whether wasps or bees are nesting there.

Walking round the outside

Most nests in buildings can be pinned down by a slow walk around the outside on a warm day. Do it from the ground, from a distance, and with a pair of binoculars if you have them. You are looking for traffic, not trying to inspect structures up close.

The best time is mid-morning to mid-afternoon, when insects are most active. Early or late in the day, the entrance may seem quiet, which can lead you to think there is no nest at all.

Start at one corner and work around the house, scanning the roof edge, then the walls, then the ground.

A methodical look at the outside of a building is nearly always worth doing before you call anyone. It costs nothing, takes ten or fifteen minutes and gives you real information to pass on. It also reveals whether you have one nest or several, a point that affects planning for the visit. Keep the walk calm and unhurried, and bring a notebook and a phone for photographs. If the whole circuit is quiet, repeat it at a different time of day before concluding that there is nothing there.

The usual wasp entrances

Wasps look for dry, sheltered gaps. Common entrances on a house include gaps beneath roof tiles and in the soffit or fascia, spaces around the chimney, cracks in brick or render, airbricks, and the junction where an extension meets the main wall. Sheds, garages and outbuildings are equally popular.

An entrance is usually small: a hole about the size of a finger, or a narrow crack. The giveaway is the traffic. Slim, smooth, boldly striped insects flow in and out in a quick, shuffling line, and some hover briefly at the gap.

The nest is often much larger than the entrance suggests, because it fills a cavity behind the wall or in the roof void.

The outside walk-round is also a good way to find a nest early. A quick circuit of the house every few weeks in spring and summer, taking only a couple of minutes, lets you spot the first signs of traffic while a nest is still small. Early reports are always welcome, and the job is no different in price for a small nest or a large one.

Take particular care around gutters, where wasps sometimes gather to drink in dry weather and may be mistaken for a nest. Insects at a gutter that move off again after a short time are drinking. Insects that vanish into a gap and do not return are going home.

Where honeybees and bumblebees turn up

Honeybees are a different case. They tend to settle in large, enclosed cavities such as a chimney breast or a wall void, with a small entrance. You may see plump, golden-brown bees emerging in steady order, some carrying pollen.

Bumblebees prefer the ground or low cover: the base of a wall, a hole beneath decking or a gap behind a shed. They use a few insects at a time.

If you suspect honeybees in the building, a local beekeeper or bee organisation is the right call. They are valuable and should not be destroyed.

A walk-round checklist

Note what you see at each point:

• Roof edge and soffit: any steady stream of insects?
• Chimney: traffic around the stack?
• Walls: cracks, airbricks or vents with insects entering?
• Windows and doors: insects gathering on the glass?
• Ground: holes with insect traffic?
• Outbuildings: wasps scraping wood or entering gaps?

Make a rough sketch showing where the busiest points are and which direction the insects approach from. Write down the date and time.

Do not climb a ladder to look closer, and do not lean out of a window above a nest. Observation from the ground is plenty.

If you have a particularly tall house, or the roof edge is hard to see, ask a neighbour whether they can see the area from their side. A second viewpoint often shows an entrance you cannot see from your own ground, and a photograph from next door can be just as useful as one from your own garden.

What not to do at an entrance

There are a few classic mistakes. Do not seal the gap. Do not spray into it. Do not stand directly beneath it or in the flight path. Do not bang on the wall or tap the soffit.

Blocking an entrance can force insects to find another route, sometimes into the house. Spraying may agitate the colony and leave you with a swarm of angry wasps between you and the door.

If wasps are getting indoors, close the room, keep curtains drawn so the insects are not attracted to the window, and wait for help.

Booking

Once you have identified a wasp entrance, arrange treatment. Booking starts with a call to 01245 327274, or send the booking form from the contact page. You pay £90 per nest with one visit guaranteed. If there is another nest on the same property it is £35 per nest.

Bookings are taken seven days a week. Domestic and commercial customers are welcome, same-day service is offered and the team is fully insured. In Shelley, the technician covers the village and the surrounding area.

Stings should be washed, the sting removed if visible, and a cold pack applied. Any sign of a serious allergic reaction, such as a swollen throat, wheeze, dizziness or a body-wide rash, is a 999 emergency. A GP is the right person to talk to about a known sting allergy. Mentioning an allergy when you book lets the visit be prioritised.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Shelley