Mr Fox broke in to our Eglu Go through the back hatch

[bluekarin]

As the topic title says, we have a wasp nest in the outside wall of our house. I remember using the council many years ago and it was about £23 I think. I've just been to check and for the same service its £50! Is this the same all over the country? Does anyone know how much it is to get a company in to do it; if it would be any cheaper?

[Olly]

You must have missed this thread!

 

I know someone who does wasp/bee destruction locally, and I believe he charges £60, and I think you'll find that is pretty much standard. I suspect that Rentokil or similar will be even dearer. That has to cover his time, travel, the cost of chemicals and the training he has had to do in order to use those chemicals, he also has to crawl around in roof-spaces, climbe scaffolding and ladders, and of course he has to diagnose the problem - you'd be amazed at how many people say they have 'bees' in their house only for them to turn out to be bumble bees, wasps, or something else.

 

You could try the soapy water method, but do be careful - unlike bees, if you disturb a wasps' nest you are likely to receive multiple stings, so if you get it wrong you could be in serious trouble. Also, if it's in a cavity wall, roof space etc, the soapy water isn't really an option.

[bluekarin]

Thanks Olly. I did miss that thread Its in the cavity of our wall. Our house is a 70's one so the two very end walls are brick but in between is wood with tiled top half and wooden bottom half IYSWIM. They are going in behind the tiles so soaking them would be a problem. I'll read the other thread and see what is suggested.

[Old Speckled Hen]

Can you not leave them, they will be gone by the end of September?

[squiffs]

As the topic title says, we have a wasp nest in the outside wall of our house. I remember using the council many years ago and it was about £23 I think. I've just been to check and for the same service its £50! Is this the same all over the country? Does anyone know how much it is to get a company in to do it; if it would be any cheaper?

 

 

My local council charge £44 for removal of the nest I had, whereas a private pest control firm said it would be £40, and they included repeat visits for the same infestation. Try shopping around - the council isn't necessarily cheapest!

[squiffs]

Can you not leave them, they will be gone by the end of September?

 

 

As the nest becomes bigger and more established, they will become more aggressive - also new queens use empty nests to hibernate in. It is best to get rid of them.

[Egluntyne]

If you can access the nest safely, you can buy the powder that the council uses from B&Q fir less than a tenner.

[Old Speckled Hen]

 

As the nest becomes bigger and more established, they will become more aggressive - also new queens use empty nests to hibernate in. It is best to get rid of them.

 

Wasps' aggression is nothing to do with nest size.

You frequently read in the press of enormous nests the "size of cars". How come everybody nearby hadn't been annihilated already before they were discovered?

When new queens are produced the nest disperses and the workers with nothing to do seek out sweet food which is where they come into contact with people. I understand that nests in close proximity to the comings and goings of the family are a problem (and my apologies to the OP if that is the case) but we shouldn't be thinking of destroying them just because they are wasps.

Wasps are ecologically important but I suppose if one is frightened then "best rid" is the only recourse, just a pity.

[squiffs]

 

As the nest becomes bigger and more established, they will become more aggressive - also new queens use empty nests to hibernate in. It is best to get rid of them.

 

Wasps' aggression is nothing to do with nest size.

You frequently read in the press of enormous nests the "size of cars". How come everybody nearby hadn't been annihilated already before they were discovered?

When new queens are produced the nest disperses and the workers with nothing to do seek out sweet food which is where they come into contact with people. I understand that nests in close proximity to the comings and goings of the family are a problem (and my apologies to the OP if that is the case) but we shouldn't be thinking of destroying them just because they are wasps.

Wasps are ecologically important but I suppose if one is frightened then "best rid" is the only recourse, just a pity.

 

 

Of course I wouldn't destroy a wasp nest if it wasn't within my property and didn't inhibit my daily 'comings and goings' - where you got that idea, I do not know, in the situation where there's a nest in your home or garden - it is best to get rid of them - if you don't like getting stung - I've never been stung by a wasp, have no idea whether I'm allergic or not - and am not about to find out.

 

Edit: Also - I am quite aware of wasp behaviour and life cycles - as I did a LOT of research before I decided I needed to get rid of them. I too thought I should just leave the nest to be vacated, but as I read more about it, I realised I did need to get rid of them from my home, especially as a larger and larger area of my garden was becoming a wasp minefield.

Edited July 5, 2011 by Guest

[Old Speckled Hen]

 

 

Of course I wouldn't destroy a wasp nest if it wasn't within my property and didn't inhibit my daily 'comings and goings' - where you got that idea

Where did I say you would?

I'm not posting to get anybody's back up, just asking that we stand back before making that decision. I have a wasp nest somewhere in my roof space as I see them coming out of an air vent. They will be left as they are no bother. I do trap wasps at the beehives in late summer though.

[Olly]

This is a friendly forum, with room for all points of view!

Can we keep this as a friendly debate, please. It's easy to assume something was personally directed when in fact it was a general comment,

[squiffs]

This is a friendly forum, with room for all points of view!

Can we keep this as a friendly debate, please. It's easy to assume something was personally directed when in fact it was a general comment,

I'm not being 'unfriendly' merely giving the opposing view to the one I was presented with - I really don't think it's a 'pity' that wasps nests are destroyed, they wouldn't be considered 'pests' otherwise. And I don't think people go into getting rid of a wasps nest lightly, either, it's costly, dangerous and a hassle, so I'm sure people do at least a bit of research before they take action.

[Old Speckled Hen]

Ah...... 22 days since you gave up smoking

[squiffs]

Ah...... 22 days since you gave up smoking

 

cold turkey

[bluekarin]

erm, okay .... can of worms opened up here! I hate wasps. I have been stung twice; once on my neck and once on my stomach. Both times I did nothing to aggravate the wasps, they just happened to get caught in my hair or flew up my dress. They do nothing in my garden apart from annoy us when we are trying to eat or just relax I bought some fake nests in the vain hope they'd not bother us or our garden. Waste of time.

 

The nest is right outside our living room window and below my sons room so he can't open his window, so we do need to get rid of it. I think we'll try powder as I don't think we'll be able to squirt washing up liquid into the nest (as you can't actually see it) and hope they'll take the powder in with them. We have tried the foaming stuff but that's a nightmare to squirt and dissipates by the morning, so when they come out its all gone! Once we've tried that, if they are still there, I think we'll have to call in the experts.

[soapdragon]

We discovered a nest in our shed over the weekend - well, we saw loads and loads of comings and goings and so assumed the obvious!!

 

As the shed is right next to the house and bantams and we have two small, garden loving boys OH bought a fumigator thingy in a tin from the garden centre for about a tenner and we lit that and closed the door for 24 hours.It was very impressive with smoke seeping out through the shed roof and we were a bit worried in case one of the neighbours called the fire brigade

 

Loads of dead wasps on the ground around the shed but, when I opened the door this morning to clear out the nest itself, there was still some activity . I scooped it out and, as it broke up, there were clearly grubs or whatever the tech term is for baby wasps(!?) I took it down to the side of the house where no one goes and destroyed it - luckilly without getting stung as was stupidly in a t shirt and shorts

 

Have just been out to check - some 6 hours later - and no sign of activity so the garden is now safe for us, the boys and the girls and we can get stuff out of the shed without fear of being attacked!!!!

 

Try Googling for local pest control or check the local paper - prices do seem to vary; following our experience I would'nt rely on one of them there fumy things again!!!!

[gongladosh]

the other option is to google your local beekeeping association. Mine will destroy wasps' nests for about £40. They take away bees by comparison...

[soapdragon]

We had our household insurance renewall docs through this am and they have an offer of Boiler repairs/Loss of electricity/PEST CONTROL ( ) for a mere £1.25 per month as an add on!!!! Now they tell me

 

So it may be worth checking your policy!