Wasp Control for Skellow Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises

A shop with its door propped open on a warm day will soon notice wasps, and customers rarely linger when something is buzzing near the counter.

When the shop floor is the problem

Retail is about footfall. A convenience shop, bakery or newsagent wants its door open in summer, and that is exactly when wasps are most active. A single wasp circling the till will make a customer hurry; two or three at the confectionery shelf will empty the shop.

This is not only a food-shop problem. Wasps follow warm air and daylight, so they investigate shop windows, canopies and doorways, and a nest nearby will keep supplying them. Colonies begin in early April if the spring is mild and grow until August, when a nest may hold up to 2,000 wasps.

For a shop in Skellow, north-west of Doncaster near Adwick le Street, the sensible approach is to deal with the nest, not just the wasps that reach the counter.

Small changes at the counter

While you arrange treatment, try to reduce what draws wasps into the shop:

• keep open sweets, pastries and drinks covered or behind a counter screen;
• wipe spills straight away, particularly near the till and the door;
• empty bins that contain fruit, ice-cream wrappers or drink cans several times a day;
• if you can, switch to a side door or a fly screen rather than leaving the main entrance wide open;
• avoid leaving open cans of fizzy drinks on the counter or in the staff area.

None of these removes the nest, but they help calm things down. Staff should be told to move slowly, avoid swatting and keep away from the place where wasps seem to enter. If a customer is stung, offer a cold pack and sensible first aid, and call 999 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheeze or breathing trouble, dizziness or a widespread rash.

Think about the choice of words as well. Rather than saying there is a bit of a problem with insects, tell the team exactly what is known: what was seen, where, and when. Clear information stops people exploring the area out of curiosity, which is how most stings happen.

If the shop has CCTV covering the yard, a quick look back at the footage can sometimes show where wasps arrive from in the early morning.

Tracing it from the pavement

A nest might be above the shopfront, in the wall behind a sign, inside the roof of a canopy, in a hedge beside the car park or in a bank at the rear. Look from the street, from a safe distance, and note whether the wasps seem to come and go from one place. A busy line of them heading for a gap above the door is a strong sign.

Please do not stand on a stool or ladder, and do not block a hole with paper or sealant. Closing the entrance can force wasps to find another route, sometimes back into the building. Sealing is best left until after the nest has been dealt with.

A nest that is higher up, in a gable end or above a shop sign, may be difficult to see clearly. Describe what you can: the colour of the wall, the nearest drainpipe, the sign above, and roughly how far up it is from the ground. A mobile-phone photograph from across the road, taken without going near it, can help the conversation.

The service for shopkeepers

For shops, treatment by The Wasp Exterminator costs £70 per nest, £25 for each extra nest on the same property, with no call-out charge. Technicians are fully insured and qualified. The quoted figure is agreed on the phone first, and it might be higher only if the nest sits somewhere that needs special access equipment, such as a high shop-front gable. Work starts only after you agree.

Many shop owners worry about being closed. Because the service runs seven days a week and can visit the same day, you might be able to arrange it for early morning, a quiet hour or after closing. Ask when you call and say what time the shop is busiest.

If you are a franchise or a branch of a larger company, tell head office or the area manager as well, so that the visit does not come as a surprise to anyone who looks after the premises.

Booking and keeping customers informed

Phone 07798 792 774, or complete the online booking form or the contact page. The technician local to you is alerted by SMS and email, and that is the case every day of the week.

For customers, a short sign on the door is usually enough: a note to say that a wasp nest is being dealt with and thanking people for their patience. Customers tend to be understanding about it, and it shows that you are taking it seriously. If the shop is rented, read your lease or ask the landlord about who arranges pest work, because that is a matter for your agreement rather than something anyone here can decide for you.

When the technician arrives, wait inside or a good distance away, and keep customers behind you. You will be told when it is safe to go back. If the treated nest is above the pavement, the technician may ask you to keep people from walking beneath it for a short while, and that is worth following.

Looking ahead to next season

Once the nest is dealt with, spend a little time next spring looking at the building for gaps. Wasps begin looking for sites in early April, and a small repair to a loose soffit or damaged render can remove an attractive spot. Keep an eye out for early activity around the same area; a handful of wasps flying purposefully in and out of one place in spring is worth a quick phone call.

It is also sensible to keep a small record of when you saw wasps, where they were heading and when treatment was carried out. If you ever need to talk to a landlord or neighbour about the problem, a few dated notes make the conversation much easier.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Skellow