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When Is Wasp Season in Goole?
The summer holidays coincide with the busiest part of the wasp year, so families spend more time outdoors just as nests are at their largest.
When children are outside the most
The wasp calendar and the family calendar collide in the summer. The weeks when children are free to play in the garden, visit the park and eat outdoors are the same weeks when colonies are growing fastest and peak in August.
That overlap is the reason this stretch of the year needs a little planning. Nothing about it needs to be frightening, and most families will pass through without trouble, but a few habits make a difference.
It helps to remember that wasps are not hunting for children. They are defending a home or searching for food, and most of the trouble arises from the overlap between a lively family garden and a busy nest.
Before the holidays begin
Early in the summer, take a walk round the garden with the family in mind. Look at the places children use most: the climbing frame, the shed, the hedge they play behind, the corner where they chase balls. If wasps are going in and out of any of them, that is your cue.
- Check play equipment, playhouses and sheds for wasp activity.
- Look at hedges, bushes and any holes in the ground near play areas.
- Note anything that needs a closer look and keep children away until you know.
Wasps start building in early April depending on the weather, so by July there may be a sizeable nest in a spot you have not looked at since spring.
If you are going away for part of the holidays, do the check before you leave and again when you return. A nest can grow a long way in a fortnight in July.
Talking to children
A calm, simple explanation works best. Tell children that wasps live in a nest and guard it, that they will not bother you if you leave them alone, and that if one comes close, the best thing to do is stay still or walk away slowly.
Flapping and running tend to provoke wasps, so it helps to practise being calm. Agree a rule that any wasp nest found is reported to an adult at once, and nobody goes near it, throws things at it or pokes it with a stick.
Older children can help. Give them the job of spotting where wasps go, with the rule that they do it from a distance and report to you. It turns a worry into something useful and keeps them well back from the nest.
Some children are more anxious than others, and a gentle approach pays off. Rather than making wasps sound frightening, present them as something that needs space, like a busy road, with a simple routine for staying safe.
Picnics, parties and paddling pools
Holiday life involves a lot of food and drink in the open air. Sweet drinks, ice lollies and sticky fingers draw wasps, particularly later in the summer when they seem keener on sugar.
- Pour drinks into cups rather than leaving open cans around.
- Wipe sticky hands and faces after snacks.
- Keep bins closed and put rubbish away promptly.
- Place the paddling pool and seating away from known nest sites.
If a wasp lands on a child, calm and stillness are better than swatting. Encourage them to walk away and let it fly off.
Play dates and holiday clubs held at home bring extra children who do not know the garden. A quick word to the other parents about where the wasps are and where not to play is simple and effective.
Garden parties for children are best planned with the nest in mind. Put the food table well away from any known nest, give each child a cup rather than an open can, and keep an adult nearby who knows what to do.
If a child is stung
Most stings are painful but pass. Move the child away from the area, wash the sting, take out the sting if you can see it, and apply a cold pack. Stay with them and keep them calm.
Watch closely over the next few minutes. Swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash are signs of a serious reaction and mean calling 999 immediately. Children with known allergies should have a plan agreed with the GP in advance.
A child who is stung may be upset more than hurt. Reassurance, a cold pack and a little time away from the activity usually settle things. Keep an eye on how they are over the next hour, and do not hesitate to get advice from a pharmacist or doctor if you are unsure.
Holiday visits to relatives, caravan sites and parks have their own wasp risks. The same advice applies wherever you are: keep food covered, leave nests alone and tell an adult.
Arranging treatment
If you find a nest while the children are home, keep them indoors or away from the area and make the call. The Wasp Exterminator charges a fixed £70 for a nest, with an extra nest at the same property at £25 extra, and has no call-out charge. It is open seven days a week with same-day service offered.
You are given the price on the phone before the technician visits, and no work happens without your agreement. It might be higher in difficult spots needing special access equipment. Technicians are fully insured and qualified. Contact the team on 07798 792 774 or through the online booking form.
Many families find it easiest to treat a nest as soon as it is found, rather than spending a fortnight of the holidays managing around it. With same-day service offered, it can often be sorted out quickly.
Wasps on your property in Goole?
Fixed price £70 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.