Wasp Control for Sunnyside Restaurants, Pubs and Commercial Premises

For a kitchen or bar, the main worry is doing something about a wasp nest without disrupting service or food safety, and discreet timing is the key.

The kitchen worry

The first question most food-business owners ask is not about the wasps at all. It is whether anything that happens next will affect the kitchen. They want to keep food covered, work surfaces clean and customers unaware that anything is going on. It is a fair concern, and it can be handled sensibly.

A nest is usually outside the food area, in a wall, a roof edge, a hedge or the ground, and wasps that reach the kitchen are the ones heading for food or sweet drinks. The colony grows from early April, if the weather is mild, until August, when it may hold as many as 2,000 wasps. In Sunnyside, as anywhere, the sooner you act the smaller the problem.

It also helps to think about who sees what. The people at the front of the house may not have noticed anything, while the kitchen team have been swatting wasps at the back door for a week. A short chat across the whole team makes sure everyone has the same picture and that no one assumes it is already being handled.

Keeping the kitchen protected while you wait

Without touching the nest, you can do quite a lot to limit wasps in the food area:

• keep doors and hatches closed when not in use, or fit a clean fly screen;
• store sugary items, syrups and fruit in sealed containers;
• keep waste bins closed, and take them out more often in hot weather;
• clean up spills, crumbs and drips immediately;
• put covers on food that is waiting to be served;
• avoid leaving open drinks anywhere near a window or door.

Avoid spraying any product in the kitchen to deal with a nest, and don’t use anything around food that you have not checked is meant for that purpose. A spray that kills the odd wasp does nothing about the colony that sends more.

A tidy approach does more than any single product ever could. Wasps are drawn to sugar and protein, so the cleaner the prep area and bin store, the fewer visitors you will have. Pay special attention to the places that are cleaned least often, such as behind fridges near the back door and under the bin lids.

Telling staff what to do

Everyone who works in the kitchen and front of house should know the basic rules. Do not swat, do not try to knock down a nest, and do not stand near the place where wasps are coming and going. If one lands on your arm, stay still or move slowly away.

Stings should be washed, the sting taken out if it can be seen, and a cold pack applied. Call 999 for swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing or wheezing, dizziness or a widespread rash. Staff with known allergies should speak to their GP, and managers should know who they are.

An after-hours visit

Discretion is easier when the premises is closed. The Wasp Exterminator works seven days a week and offers same-day service, so it is worth asking about an early start or an evening slot. When you call, say when the kitchen is closed, who will be on site and whether there is a back entrance that avoids the dining room. If the technician can reach the nest from outside, the whole thing may be invisible to customers.

The price is fixed at £70 per nest, with £25 for an extra one on the same property. There is no call-out charge. The price is confirmed on the phone before the visit, and the work only goes ahead once you agree. Where the nest is somewhere hard to reach and special access equipment is needed, the price might be more, and the technician will explain first. Technicians are fully insured and qualified.

Tell the technician how to reach the building and where the rear access is. Clear directions to a back lane or service door are more use than anything else.

Making the call

Dial 07798 792 774 or fill in the booking form or contact page online, and the technician for your area is alerted by SMS and email, seven days a week. Have the address, a description of the entry point and a name for the person on site ready.

You can also ask whether the empty nest can be taken down afterwards, which the technician can discuss with you at the time of booking. Domestic and commercial customers are both covered, so if you live above the business, any nest at the property can be dealt with during the same visit.

Mention any alarm, key holder or gate code as well. A technician who has to wait outside while someone is found loses time that you would rather spend with the nest already treated.

Afterwards in the kitchen

Once the visit is complete, clean the areas the wasps used most, particularly windowsills and door frames. Check for stray wasps over the next few days, and continue the habits you began. If you rent the premises, it is worth letting the landlord know what happened, and checking your agreement and any insurance policy on how pest problems are handled. For the longer term, ask a handyman about gaps around vents, windows and the roof edge, as these are sheltered spots a queen may investigate in spring.

If you were serving customers outside, keep the tables apart from the affected side for a few days, and encourage staff to speak to anyone who is nervous, so that no one feels dismissed. A visible, calm response is often what people remember.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Sunnyside