Questions & answers about wasp nests

Hi there, if you are asking how long after a nest is treated does it take for the wasps to die off? We usually advise customers that all the wasps will be dead by the end of the day. In reality, it usually takes an hour or two for all the wasps to return to the nest and come in contact with the insecticide, as soon as this happens the individual wasps are history. Occasionally one or two wasps do not make it back to the nest that day for one reason or another and arrive back at the nest the next morning, but they very quickly enter the nest, and the insecticide will get them. If you are referring to wasps or hornets in general, they usually start to die off when the frosts arrive, but there are no hard and fast rules, so we cannot predict precisely when there will be no more wasps this year! The nests we are treating at the moment are still very active and very much alive. A couple of years ago I treated a nest one week before Christmas. It was still active!

Hello there Laura, I am not sure if the wasps you have in the states are the same as we have over here and each species will have different behaviour traits. I can only guess that if this mysterious lone wasp sat on top of the nest is much bigger than the rest of them; then it is the queen. However, quite why she would be doing this is unfamiliar to me. If it is the same size as the rest of them, then my best guess would be that it is on guard duty. Wasps defend their nests from other wasps and predators, and if any potential visitors haven't got the proper identification documents, then they are not coming in! The weather and temperature can affect the activeness of a wasp nest, if the day is bright and warm, then the wasps will be active, however, if it is cold or raining then the opposite will happen, they stay inside, and activity will remain to a minimum. This is why wasps are most active from July till September (the hottest months of the year) The wasps you see flapping their wings could be young wasps that have recently emerged and are building their wing strength up ready for foraging duties. I hope this helps answer some of your questions.

Hello Jude, what exactly can you see? Tomorrow in the daylight, have a look outside at your roof, pay particular attention to the facia and soffit boards, if there is an active nest in your loft, the wasps will be coming out of the attic via a hole somewhere. If you can identify this access point and can see wasps exiting the loft and flying away, also wasps returning and going into the attic, then you have a nest. If this is the case and you want to get rid of them, if we are in your area give one us a call, and we will come out and deal with it. If you are in another area, find a local pest controller, and they will be able to sort it out for you. If you cannot see wasps leaving and arriving from the outside, then you may well have queen wasps looking to hibernate in your loft, in which case there isn't much that can be done about them, they will remain inactive over the winter and leave next spring.