Wasp Nest in a Cavity Wall – How Professionals Treat Hidden Nests in Barnsley

Treating the nest ends this year’s problem, but repairing the wall properly is what stops a new queen from moving into the same gap next spring.

Treatment is only half the story

Householders in a hurry often think that once the wasps are gone, the matter is over. For this season it generally is. But the hole, the loose mortar or the broken air brick that let the colony in is still there, and it remains a tempting spot for the next queen.

New queens emerge and start looking for nesting places in early April, depending on the weather. A dry, dark, sheltered cavity that has already proved suitable is easy to spot. For a household in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, repairing the wall is a straightforward way to reduce the chance of a repeat.

It also helps to think of the repair as part of owning an older or newer building alike. All walls move a little, mortar weathers, and sealant dries out. A repair every few years is normal maintenance.

Timing: when to seal

Wait. Sealing an entrance while the nest is active traps wasps and sends them searching for another route, sometimes indoors. The right time is after the technician has treated the nest and activity at the entrance has stopped.

Ask the technician how long to wait before closing the gap. A few quiet days is a sign that things have settled, and the technician can give a sensible view for your particular wall. Late autumn and winter are ideal times for a repair, since the wasps are gone and the weather is still workable on dry days.

If wasps do come back in the same season, tell the technician. Occasionally there is a second entrance that was not obvious at the first visit, and it is better to have it checked than to assume the work failed.

What a decent repair involves

The best repair depends on where the entrance was. Common ones include:

• repointing where mortar has crumbled, with the old loose material raked out first;
• replacing a cracked or missing air brick grille with a new one that has a fine mesh;
• filling gaps around pipes and cables with a suitable material;
• renewing worn sealant around window frames;
• repairing broken soffits, fascias and eaves boards.

Do not seal air bricks that serve a ventilated floor, because they are there to keep air moving. A mesh cover over the opening is a better choice. If you are unsure, a builder will be able to advise.

Keep a small record of what you did and when, with a photograph of the finished repair. It helps if you ever sell or rent the property or need to explain the history to a surveyor.

Be wary of products sold as wasp-proofing. A tidy, sound wall is the best defence, and a repair that closes the opening is more reliable than anything applied to the surface.

If the entrance was a defect in the structure, such as a gap that lets rain in as well, a builder can address both problems at once and save a second visit.

What the treatment visit involves

The Wasp Exterminator's technician finds where the wasps are entering and treats the nest from that entry point where practical. The technicians are fully insured and qualified, and nothing starts until the customer has agreed to the work.

Ask at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down. In a cavity it often cannot be reached, and a dead nest left in the wall is generally not a problem, though the technician can talk you through what to expect in your situation.

You may be asked to keep children and pets indoors and windows shut on the side of the house where the work is carried out. Follow whatever you are told, and do not go outside to watch.

Price, speed and how to book

Each nest is a fixed £70 per nest. If you have a second one at the same property it is £25 extra, and there is no call-out charge. You hear the price on the phone before anybody visits, and a hard-to-reach nest needing special access equipment is the only case where it could be more.

The service runs seven days a week with same-day visits. Telephone 07798 792 774 or use the online booking form or the contact page, and the technician covering your area is alerted by SMS and email. Domestic and commercial properties are both covered.

Some customers book one visit to treat the nest and ask a handyman to look at the wall at the same time as a follow-up, which is a sensible way of combining the jobs.

Check that you have written down the technician's advice about timing. People often forget what was said once the wasps have gone and the repair slips to the following spring.

Looking after the building through the year

A short walk around the outside of the property each March is the best prevention you have. Look at the air bricks, the roof edges, the pointing and the places where pipes go through walls. Anything loose or open is worth fixing before April.

If the house is rented, tell the landlord what happened and look at your tenancy agreement to see who deals with repairs. If it is a business, add it to the maintenance list. A few pounds spent on a mesh and a bit of mortar is a small price compared with another season of worry.

Trim back climbers and dense shrubs from walls in winter as well. Ivy hides gaps and gives wasps shelter, so keeping it cut back makes inspection easier.

Do the survey in good light, and take a photo of anything you want a builder to see. Photographs make quotes quicker and more accurate, and they show you at a glance whether anything has changed from one year to the next.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Barnsley