Wasp Nest & Hornets nest Identification.

Wasp and Hornets nest identification - what to look for...

This may seem ridiculous, "of course I have Wasps" you say, but many times a caller will say “I have a swarm of Wasps in my garden”.
Wasps do not swarm, if you have a swarm of what appear to be Wasps, please take a second look, they are probably Bees, if this is the case then we will be happy to come and collect your swarm and re-home them and you will play a part in saving our native Bee colonies.
Sometimes a bee swarm cannot be relocated due to the location of where they are. Chimneys and cavity walls are particularly awkward to retrieve a bee swarm from. In these cases we have no option but to destroy the colony. Bee treatments can be a little more complicated than wasp nest treatments, so please call us and we can advise you on how to proceed.
Please take a look at the following pictures, they will help you in identifying exactly what species you have.

Bees swarming around entrance to nest

As illustrated in the two pictures below, bees will swarm around the nest entrance or the queen Bee. Sometimes these swarms will be found hanging from the branch of a tree or occasionally as illustrated in the photo's, on the side of a building, the queen will be at the centre of the swarm as the workers surround her.
Wasps do not generally swarm in this manner unless the entrance to the nest has been blocked.

The first question to ask yourself is "what can I see?"

If you can take a close look at your suspected wasps you will very quickly be able to identify if they are indeed wasps or hornets or bees.
Take a look at these three photos below for a comparison.

1. The honey bee!

2. The Wasp!

3. The Hornet

You will know when you have a wasp or a Hornet nest when you see a constant stream of wasps to and from the nest (please take a moment to watch the video above and this will help you identify if you have a Wasp nest, Hornets nest or a colony of Honey Bees), a Wasp or Hornet nest will resemble Heathrow airport, one lands, one takes off.
Think of us as traffic control.

Both Wasp and Hornets nests are treated using the same method, take a look at our treatment page to see how we will treat your Wasp or Hornets nest

German wasp nest

Wasps and Hornets build their nests in various (sometimes awkward to reach) places, most usually in loft spaces, but very often in garden sheds, air bricks and just about anywhere that they can fit into and where it is dry. They also build their nests underground, in old rabbit burrows or even mouse or vole tunnels.
It is worth noting that wasp nests are not always in the shape of a ball, they can make their nests fit any shape, very often the nests are flat and spread out, for example they can build their nests in the cavities of walls, the nest then fills the cavity and the wasps build the nest within the space available to them.
Very often we get asked “Why do I get a wasp nest every year”?
There is a very simple answer to this question: your property is ideally suited for wasps to build their nests in. It's not personal; you haven’t been singled out to be pestered.
If you have a wasp nest in your loft year after year, it just means that wasps have easy access to the roof space and it’s nice, dry and warm in your loft. The same can be said for sheds or just about anywhere else that they decide to make their home.

If you start to see dead wasps inside your house on a regular basis, this is a sure sign that there is nest close by, most probably on your property or your neighbor’s property. To locate the nest, inspect of the outside of your home paying particular attention to the roof and fascia areas, air bricks and just about any gaps where wasps could gain entry into the building.

The German wasps build their nests in trees, bushes and hedgerows.
Learn more about wasp nest identification, structure and lifecycle of wasps
also the lifecycle of the Hornet and its nest

Please be sure that you have identified the nest and it is active, we don’t want to waste our time and your time attending an empty nest.

Once you are sure you have an "active" Wasp or Hornets nest on your property, visit our Hampshire Wasp area map to find out who covers your area.

Common wasp nest

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Wasp and Hornets nest Identification

We treat Wasps and Hornets 7 days a week