Why Are Wasps Flying Into Your Sutton Home? Common Causes and Solutions

The route into the house often starts in the garden, with windfalls, compost heaps and bins offering wasps an easy meal just yards from the back door.

The garden is the starting point

Many wasps found indoors are following a trail that begins outside. They find fruit on the grass, a heap of grass cuttings, a compost bin with food scraps or an open wheelie bin near the patio. Once they have found a good source they keep returning, and the back door is the next obvious thing to investigate.

That means that tidying the garden can reduce wasps inside the house. It is one of the most practical steps you can take.

It is also worth looking at what your neighbours have in their gardens. Fruit trees and overflowing bins next door will draw wasps across the boundary, and a friendly chat can help both of you.

Fruit trees and bushes

Ripe and fallen fruit gives off sugar and ferments in the sun, which wasps find irresistible. Apples, pears, plums, grapes and soft fruits such as raspberries and blackberries are all candidates.

• Pick up windfalls every day and bag or bin them, with the lid closed.
• Harvest ripe fruit promptly rather than leaving it to hang.
• Do not leave bowls of fruit or jam-making on outside tables.
• Check the base of trees and bushes for rotten fruit hidden in long grass.

Be careful when picking. Wasps feeding on fruit can be hidden inside a plum or among the berries, and a hand closing round one is a common cause of stings. Check before you grab.

If you grow your own, think of fruit as a seasonal event rather than a constant. For a few weeks, you will have to be on top of the harvest. After that, the problem eases, so the effort is temporary.

Compost, cuttings and bins

An uncovered compost heap that takes kitchen waste is a treat for wasps, particularly in warm weather. So is a pile of fresh grass clippings, which can ferment and smell sweet.

• Keep food waste in a closed caddy or bin, and bury it in the middle of the compost.
• Use a lid on the compost bin and make sure it fits.
• Spread grass cuttings thinly or bag them promptly.
• Rinse drinks cans and bottles, and keep the wheelie bin lid shut.
• Move bins away from the back door if you can.

Fallen leaves, damp cardboard and heaps of weeds can also shelter wasps looking for places to hide, so a tidy corner reduces the risk. This applies to pet areas too: keep food bowls inside, and wash them after use.

Outdoor eating and drinking

Summer meals in the garden bring wasps. Cover food as soon as it is served, keep drinks in covered cups or use a straw, and clear the table when you finish. Wash up promptly. Do not leave open tins of pet food or half-finished ice lollies outside.

If a wasp lands on you, stay still and let it fly off. If you are stung, wash the area, remove the sting if visible and use a cold pack. Swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a spreading rash are reasons to call 999. People with known allergies should speak to their GP.

If you have chickens, birds or a feeder, remember that spilled feed and fat balls can draw wasps as well. Raise feeders away from seating and sweep up scattered seed regularly.

Barbecues are another draw. Marinated meat, sauces and sweet drinks bring wasps in quickly, so keep food covered until the moment it is eaten and clear away at once afterwards.

Keep drinks cans out of your recycling box until they are rinsed, and put out bags on collection day, not the night before. The less time sweet waste sits outside, the fewer wasps visit.

Garden or nest? Telling the difference

Even a tidy garden will have a few wasps in summer. The question is whether they are following food or heading for a nest. Watch for wasps that fly in a line to and from a single point, such as a hedge, shed or roof edge, or a hole in the ground. That is a nest. Wasps near the house with no obvious food may also come from one.

Wasps start building nests in early April depending on the weather, and by August a colony can hold as many as 2,000 insects. If the traffic is steady, do not wait. In Sutton, as anywhere, the earlier a nest is dealt with, the less trouble it causes.

If you are not sure, a brief spell of watching helps. Choose a warm morning, sit well back from the suspected spot, and count wasps for ten minutes. Then do the same in the late afternoon. A line that repeats is a nest; wandering visitors are not.

Booking a visit

The Wasp Exterminator treats wasp nests for a fixed £70 per nest, with no call-out charge, and an additional nest on the same property is £25 extra. The price is given on the phone before any visit takes place, and no work is done without your agreement. The price might be higher where special access equipment is needed to reach the nest.

We are open seven days a week and offer same-day service for domestic and commercial customers. Booking is by phone on 07798 792 774, through the booking form or via the contact page. Tell us where in the garden you see wasps going, and whether they are travelling to or from a hedge, a wall or a hole in the ground.

You can also ask the technician at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down, which is useful if it sits in a hedge or tree you want to prune later.

The technician covers Sutton and the surrounding villages, and an early description of what you have seen speeds things up.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Sutton