EXCELLENT
Are Wasps Dangerous? Understanding Stings and Nest Disturbance in Bentley
Many bad stings happen during ordinary garden jobs, when a nest nobody knew about is shaken. This guide covers the tasks that provoke wasps and how to avoid them.
The jobs that go wrong
Most people who tell us about a nasty encounter were not near a nest on purpose. They were cutting grass, trimming a hedge or clearing a corner of the garden, and the first sign of trouble was a sting on the neck. Wasps that nest in the ground, in dense shrubs or inside garden structures can be completely hidden until the moment the machinery gets close.
The jobs most likely to cause this are:
- mowing the edges of a lawn, especially where there are banks, roots or old tree stumps
- using a hedge trimmer on thick evergreen or overgrown growth
- strimming long grass beside a fence or shed
- moving a compost bin, a pile of timber or old paving slabs
- pruning climbers that have grown over an eave or porch
None of these is risky every time. The difficulty is that you cannot tell which time will be the one with a nest underneath.
Why noise and vibration matter
A wasp nest is not deaf to what goes on around it. The colony is sensitive to vibration, and a heavy mower or a buzzing trimmer passing close to a nest entrance can read as an attack on the whole structure. Guards come out first, then others follow. The person holding the machine cannot easily run, may be wearing ear defenders, and is often looking at the ground rather than at the cloud of insects building around them.
That is why a short check before you start is worth more than any protective clothing afterwards. Spend a minute looking, from a sensible distance, at the places where you are about to work. Watch for wasps flying in a regular line to and from one spot. A steady stream going into the same gap, a hole in the soil or a bush is the clearest warning you will get.
Also notice any small tunnel opening in a lawn or bank with wasps landing at it. Ground nests are easy to step on or run a mower over.
A sensible routine before garden work
Build the following into your habit, especially from late spring onwards when colonies are growing and from midsummer to early autumn when they are at their largest.
- Walk the area slowly beforehand and look for steady wasp traffic to one point.
- Check eaves, the underside of sheds and the base of hedges before cutting.
- Start the machine away from anywhere suspicious, then work towards it rather than beginning right next to it.
- Leave a gap around any spot where wasps are going in and out, and mark it so others in the household know.
- Keep a phone with you, and do the work with somebody else nearby if you can.
If you do disturb a nest, put the machine down, protect your face with your arms and walk briskly away, ideally into a building. Close the door behind you. Do not flap or swing at them, because it tends to attract more attention.
Dealing with stings after an incident
Anyone who has run through wasps may have several stings, some of them hidden in hair or under clothing. Once safe, check head, neck and arms. Wash the stung areas, remove any visible sting and use a cold pack to take down swelling.
Multiple stings deserve extra care. If the person feels dizzy, breathless, develops swelling of the lips, face or throat, or has a widespread rash, dial 999 straight away. Do not return to the spot to fetch the mower or finish the job; the wasps will still be agitated for some time.
It is easy to feel embarrassed and then try to finish the task a few hours later. Resist that. A nest that has been shaken once will react quickly the next time.
Spotting a hidden nest early
The best protection is noticing a nest before the garden work begins. Early in the season, from around April, a new nest is only a small paper structure with a handful of workers, and it is easy to miss. By July the traffic is clear, and by August it is hard to ignore.
Signs to watch for include:
- a steady, directional flow of wasps to the same gap in brickwork, fascia, a wall or a tree
- a faint scratching or rasping sound from inside a wall or loft space on a warm afternoon
- wasps hovering low over one patch of lawn or bank and then disappearing underground
- a grey, papery material showing through a vent, air brick or hole
Pick a warm, dry afternoon and watch from several metres away for ten minutes. If you see the same behaviour repeatedly, you have likely found it. Note the location and tell everybody at home, so that nobody wanders over there with a trimmer or a ladder.
It is better to treat a nest while it is smaller, but we do not charge any more for a larger one. The price remains the same.
What to do about the nest itself
A nest discovered in the middle of a hedge or garden is not something to tackle yourself with a spray from the shed. If you live in or near Bentley, you can ask The Wasp Exterminator to deal with it. The price is fixed at £70 for each nest, a second nest on the same property costs £25 extra, and there is no call-out fee. We confirm the price on the phone first, and it might be higher only when special access equipment is needed.
The technician is fully insured and qualified, works seven days a week, and can often attend the same day. To arrange it, use the online booking form, the contact page, or ring 07798 792 774. You can tell us what you have seen and where, so we know whether it is in the ground, a shrub or a structure.
Once the nest has been treated, wait for the technician's say-so before you resume cutting nearby. Afterwards you can ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Bentley?
Fixed price £70 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.