Questions & answers about wasp nests
Clare Kirby asked:
I have a wasp nest in a pampus grass, i was able to find the entrance and therefore i used rentokil powder formula to kill the nest but have since noticed the wasps are still entering the root of the plant but on the other side. on investigation i discovered a further entrance which i have subsequently sprayed with the rentokil powder as this seemed to work with the first entrance. am i right in assuming both entrances relate to one nest or am i unfortunate enough to have two wasps nest, if so is this common and should i be aware of any further entrance?
Paul Sweet replied:
Hi Clare, it is most probably the same nest with a couple of entrances, or they made a new entry/exit point when you treated the first. It is reasonably common for nests to be close to each other, so I wouldn't rule that out. Having said this, to have more than two is unusual. I would hazard a guess that it is just the one nest.
danny asked:
i think we have a wasp / hornet nest in a roof cavity, the hole is only about 5cm wide that the wasp are coming in and out of. will the roof / wall need to be dismantled to remove the nest? or will it be a case of killing the nest then blocking the hole?
Paul Sweet replied:
Hi Danny, the simple answer to your question is: Kill the nest, block the hole and forget it. No need to pull your house down to remove the nest, it is only made from chewed wood and is not going to harm your home. Once the nest is killed that is the end of the story, wasps never re-use an old nest. Please don't block the hole before having the nest killed though or you will be making matters far worse than they are now.
pat asked:
i have a wasp nest in the loft and a wasp controller said he will have to put a gas canister in to kill them. how long will it take to kill them and once this is done will other wasps make their nests up there
Paul Sweet replied:
Hi Pat, I have never heard of any pest controllers using gas canisters to kill a wasp nest! Years ago, wasp nests were killed with a gas called Cymag (cyanide gas), but this practise ended years ago. These days, a powder insecticide is used to destroy nests and is either injected into the nest or blown into the entrance where the wasps are entering. The description you have mentioned sounds strange to me. Regards to wasps making nests in the future, how can I say? Its pot luck, you may go ten years without another nest, or you may have one each year. Wasps never re-use old nests; they build a new nest each year.