Wasp nests

[d000hg]

I've just moved house and i think we have a couple of small nests in the attic. I've not been able to look closely yet but they look about the size of oranges, no wasps in evidence.

I'm wondering how to tell if they're active. And if they are, whether a bug bomb would kill them or not, would the nest protect them?

How DO the pros dispose of nests? It can't be magic...

[d000hg]

I've a roofer coming to replace a couple of slates soon and I'm worried he might get mobbed! But presumably he sees this all the time?

[Guest]

I would have thought if they were active you would have seen evidence straight away.
I tend to set bug bombs off in the loft a week or so before that time of year when decs. come down (just ignore any ref./posts to Jay-ell ). They work really well but not sure if I would be confident on the eradicating of nests. I would set one off and investigate with caution and keep an eye on any going in and out the roof.

Good luck

[Jay-ell]

I tend to set bug bombs off in the loft a week or so before that time of year when decs. come down (just ignore any ref./posts to Jay-ell ).

Come Down They've only just gone up.

I haven't used bug bombs before but I've used that foam wasp killer stuff in the shed which coated the nest when squirted from a distance. Once coated and safe to approach (you might need some spray to pick off any stragglers) I pushed the tube inside the nest and flooded it.

I think you should only have one nest in the area as they are territorial - keep an eye out to see where wasps are going to so you tackle the right one. If ones active you should see wasps flying about during the day.

[mic]

also in a similar situation. i found a small wasps nest in the summerhouse last year. sprayed it daily with wasp killer stuff and didnt see any for a while after. a while ago i knocked the nest down, no wasps, but its ended up out of reach so its physically there still somewhere.
recently ive noticed a HUGE wasp leaving the summerhouse when i open the door, i havent seen any others tho. is there any natural deterrent for these? anything to put down that puts em off from nesting?

[DannyK]

Dummy nests mentioned on GQT

https://www.scienceworld.ca/blog/do-...l-wasps?page=1

[vixylix]

Monty got a fake nest, I don't know if he ever reported back on its success though.

I've been contemplating one - we have so many wasps in the garden (and they manage to get in the lounge - just the lounge mind) we must have a nest somewhere!

[veggiechicken]

Wasps only use a nest for one season. If you've not seen activity it may be an old nest. May even have been treated already?
Wasp nests are works of art - they fascinate me. If they're not in my way, I leave them alone.

[Jay-ell]

The idea behind the fake nest is that wasps won't build a nest where there is already a nest - I've heard of people using a brown paper bag for this.

[d000hg]

I've seen a few wasps buzzing around the garden but just the odd one. Isn't it a bit early in the year for them? When does the queen build her nest?

[Guest]

I have had absolutely loads of wasps about this year and yes it is early compared to other years, but then again there has also been a lot of gorgeous days (ignoring this last week)

[Deltawhiskey]

Had thousands of wasps going into the roof in one house we lived in the spring after we moved in. I got the experts in and they told me even they were frightened. The nest was so big that they had to use a lance to inject the poison. One of the men said it was the biggest nest he had ever seen in all his years of pest control. He did not remove the nest and a week or so later I went into the loft to look. It was a metre and a half in diameter and went from the peak of the roof to the ceiling rafters. The wasps had apparently been adding to it for years.

David

[Jungle Jane]

Did you get a photo David! Sounds huge!

[ESBkevin]

I've had great success killing wasps nests with regular ant powder over the years.
Wait until daylight is all but gone so there is reduced activity, wear a face breathing mask/filter. Apply liberal amounts of ant powder especially to the entrance and retire quickly.

Beware of working up ladders or in tight spaces where access and regress is difficult, but otherwise you're good to go.