This isn't a straightforward question. The queen wasp is the only wasp in the nest which lays eggs. All of the worker wasps are produced by the queen and they are all female. So in essence the queen wasp is reproducing throughout the summer, laying new eggs each day. In the autumn, the queen lays a batch of special eggs; these are the last eggs which she will lay. These special eggs are destined to become new queens and male wasps. These new queens and males leave the nest and mate. The males then die and the new queens find somewhere to hibernate over winter ready for the next year. The original queen along with all of the worker wasps gradually die off as the food supply runs out in winter.

No, wasps do not in the same way as we do. They do not fly at night unlike hornets which are also nocturnal. Wasps are active at night but are confined to the nest, carrying out nest duties such as tending to larvae and nest repair. Often customers report noises coming from a nest during the night. This is the young wasps moving about in their cells and worker wasps making repairs to the nest.

Depending on the time of year, you either have an active wasp nest somewhere in the house (probably the loft) or you have hibernating queens in the loft. Modern houses often have down lights in the ceiling, these lights shine into the loft as well as down into the room. Wasps are attracted to the lights just like moths are. Often wasps can squeeze between the bulb and the fitting and get into the house. Bad fitting loft hatches can also be a problem or any other gaps or hole in the ceilings give potential access points for wasps to get into the house. If it is summer time and you have wasps getting indoors on a regular basis, take a look at your roof from outside, if you have an active nest you will see wasps coming and going to a particular point on the roof.

If you have a wasp nest in an awkward place and want it treated, we can help. We often treat nests under patios, sheds, houses. We have even treated nests in the sides of hot tubs, old vehicles, tractors etc. We have never failed to treat an active nest no matter where situated.

Hampshire Wasp Control has a set fee of £40 to treat a wasp or hornet nest regardless of its location, there is no VAT or other extra charges.