Wasps Control

Wasps are very easily recognised by their yellow and black markings. They are not well liked because of their ability to give a nasty sting. There are over 100,000 species of wasp in the world and they prey on a variety of insects, between them they prey on pretty much every known insect 'pest' affecting man. Therefore wasps are considered to be very important in the natural biocontrol of the environment. Some wasps are even being increasingly used in agricultural pest control to prey on the pest insects, without affecting the crops. Nevertheless, wasps can be very dangerous when swarming together, so if you are facing a wasp nest in your property you will certainly want to get rid of it.

The two wasp species you are most likely to come across in the UK are the 'Common Wasp' and the 'German Wasp'. The Hornet, also known as a Yellow Jacket, is a bigger version of the Common Wasp. Wasps tend to nest underground or in the cavities of trees, walls and the rafters of derelict buildings.

Like all insects, wasps have a hard exoskeleton covering their three main body parts and wasps have three sets of two legs. In addition to their compound eyes, wasps also have several simple eyes known as ocelli. These are typically arranged in a triangular formation just forward of an area of the head known as the vertex.

Ideally wasp’s nests should be left undisturbed unless they pose a particular danger to your family or other members of the public because Wasps are known to attack in large numbers if they are disturbed or threatened in any way.

The majority of wasps are parasites whilst in their larvae stage, and then they only feed on nectar as adults. Many wasps are predatory, using other insects as food for their larvae. They paralyze them with a sting and then capture them for the larvae to feed on.

Wasps are one of the most easily recognized and generally disliked of all insects present in the UK. Although Wasps can be a nuisance, they are not responsible for the spread of disease. Whilst they are generally disliked because of their sting, they are only likely to sting if they are frightened. Only females have the ability to sting, which is near the tip of the abdomen. As many as one in thirty people are allergic to wasp stings and some of these may suffer anaphylactic shock.

Wasps are known to cause serious damage to newly ripened fruit and are attracted to sweet, sticky foods such as jam and honey or fizzy drinks.

Wasps have quite an unusual reproductive system. The queen mates in the autumn time and inside her she then stores a tightly wrapped ball of sperm cells. After mating she flies off and finds herself a sheltered spot to hibernate until spring. When she emerges in spring, she sources a suitable nesting spot and builds herself a very basic nest approximately the size of a walnut. It is made from wood pulp and is comprised of a few chambers and within each chamber she lays an egg which she has pre-fertilized with the sperm cells stored within her.

When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge, which she feeds on dead insects until they pupate. They then materialize as sterile workers. The queen lays a further batch of eggs, which will contain the next generation of queens. Her recently emerged workers assist her with rearing the new larvae and the new queens.

Nearer the end of the summer the queen lays more eggs and this time they purely produce male wasps, which mate with the new queens. In late autumn the cycle begins again as all the wasps die from the cold and the recently mated queens fly off to find suitable spots for hibernation.

Wasp’s nests are usually located under the ground or in roof cavities and beams in old buildings. They are created from chewed wood pulp and saliva, which gives them a papery consistency. The initial nest built by the queen is very small and basic, but as her workers emerge, they construct a more elaborate nest, which can grow to be bigger than a football. These bigger nests can contain as many as 6000 individual wasps, which mean it can be extremely dangerous to approach or touch a wasp nest. If you find one in your home, you will probably want to get rid of it but because of the obvious dangers you should never attempt this yourself and should always contact professional pest controllers to assist you. Ideally wasp’s nests should be left undisturbed unless they are causing a danger to people.

The end of the summer is when wasps are most aggressive and dangerous because they are approaching their mating season, they are higher in numbers and they are becoming more defensive of their territory.

If you experience a sudden increase in the wasps surrounding your home or garden, then the chances are there is a nest nearby, so if possible, you should follow their flight path in order to locate it.

If it is near your home you should keep all windows and doors closed and if you think it may be in your loft space, you should contact pest controllers for assistance in inspecting it. If you frighten them when entering your loft, they could swarm and attack.

There are many insecticides, available from garden centers or hardware stores, which can be used to treat a wasp infestation yourself, but it really depends how brave you are and how big the nest is. If you are at all sensitive to stings it is vital that you get assistance from the professionals.

It is also important to remember that old nests are never reused so if you discover an old nest in your property you don’t have to worry about it. There are also a multitude of Wasp & Fly Killer sprays, which are perfectly good for using inside your house for the occasional stray wasp.