how to get rid of a wasps nest

[nightshade]

I don't like to see these insects killed out of hand but in your case it may be necessary.
I would ask if the local wildlife trust could take it, or if it was the right time of year an angling club
If your landlord cannot/will not deal with the nest, your local council may
take it on.

[col188]

Originally Posted by Mayfly

I don't know whether or not the weather this year has provided good conditions for wasps. Here is another example of a pretty sizeable nest that I only discovered today.

As it isn't causing any problems where it is, I intend to leave it alone. However, I will see if I can remove it intact before the spring. The rooms below aren't heated, so (hopefully) the colony should die naturally.

Had three of these in the loft, when I moved here.............fortunately they were vacant

Col

[emmz]

Hi all again, long time no visit you on here

so many posts after this has been interesting to read and sad about the problem you had AngelTeddy. not a nice experience for you at all.

I don't think the nest got re occupied as the loft has not been opened as such in a long time, so the nest be it empty i hope is still there. I am not sure how to move it or who may benefit from this, probably so school children and others to view, it would be amazing for them.

Recent week I have had some "wasps", come to the light, thats activated to come on, when the dogs go in the garden on an evening.

This seems to have set off some blaze of activity. I think it is some form of wasp. They tried to get into my bedroom window and i have got to admit, frightened the hell out of me the size of them.

I told my daughter the next day,she suggested they may be hornets!!! I do not know the difference, can anyone explain easily, if possible, what can tell them apart please.

In the end i managed to get some rather odd video of them on the window, due to the size of them, well i did want to get proof of what i was seeing actually .
If i can get any pictures from th video and post them, can anyone please try identify them in someway at all.

It seems they have flown from the end of my garden, which is only a short distance from woodland, so maybe that explains it.

Nice to be back and can see there is lots of posts to catch up on.

[gary hass]

please can you help me,

we have moved into our new house and have now found a wasps nest the size of a football. There is quite a few dead wasps under it so not sure if it has been treated by the previous tennents. How do you remove it and is there any wasps likely to be inside the nest. can you pull it away or cut it from the loft beam. And how do you dispose of it.

Any Answers please

Thanks

[King Edward]

Wasps make a new nest every year, so this sounds like an old one (perhaps last year's) that died out naturally in the autumn. If it was active you'd see a load of wasps around. If it isn't in the way you could of course just leave it where it is (it won't attract new wasps), or you could just cut/pull it down and chuck it out of the way in the bushes in the garden (where it will just decompose naturally).

If you have wasps nesting again in the loft in future, I'd be inclined to leave them so long as they aren't actually causing you any trouble. You might though want to carefully put some kind of tray/sheet underneath to stop waste dripping down and staining the ceiling.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by King Edward

Wasps make a new nest every year, so this sounds like an old one (perhaps last year's) that died out naturally in the autumn. If it was active you'd see a load of wasps around. If it isn't in the way you could of course just leave it where it is (it won't attract new wasps), or you could just cut/pull it down and chuck it out of the way in the bushes in the garden (where it will just decompose naturally).

If you have wasps nesting again in the loft in future, I'd be inclined to leave them so long as they aren't actually causing you any trouble. You might though want to carefully put some kind of tray/sheet underneath to stop waste dripping down and staining the ceiling.

Excelent advice!
Dorts.

[gary hass]

thanks for your help,

There does not seem to be any wasps alive as quite a few dead below the nest, is it safe to remove the nest without fear of any wasps inside the nest.

[King Edward]

Yes, shouldn't be any live wasps about. At this time of year it would be pretty obvious if the nest was active - the wasps underneath will be long dead and probably covered in dust. Could be the odd earwig, beetle etc. though.

[Klaas Reißmann]

Hi everybody,

this is a nest of Vespula vulgaris, maybe called Common Wasp in English (I don't know).

the differenc is in the way the wasps build their nests. In the years before I think you had some Wasp of genus Dolichovespula. I'm not sure if the ones building in lofts and sheds and similar buildings are D. norwegica or D. saxonica, but one of those. Those Wasps build their nest on the ceiling, producing more or less a kind of ball. The colour of those nests normally is somewhat grey. These Wasps are very peaceful. You can go close to the nest and watch them without being attact.

Vespula vulgaris is totally different in it's behavior. They normally build their nests in the ground in left mice nests, by digging out the ground during their nest growing. Sometimes they use little holes in the wall and build their nests under roofs and similar, or, as you now know, in the loft. I have no idea why they chose such an absolutly untypical place for their nest.

Important to know is, that Vespula vulgaris is very aggresive in vicinity of its nest. By the size the nest grew till yet, it is estimated, that this nest will grow up to half a squaremeter or more, sheltering thousands of wasps till the time around August, September, in good years maybe till October.

My advice: don't try to get rid of this nest on your own. You would risk your life and wouldn't be by far the first who lost it by getting stung to death. As long as the nest is there keep children away from it. Don't go closer than 1 m. If you get attact, leaf the place even if you don't get stung at first. The wasps get more very fast and if you get stung you don't only get stung. The wasps mark you when they sting so the others find you within seconds. A very effective way of defence.

Don't wear much of any antiperspirant close the nest. Don't get close to the nest when you were swetting. They can smell very well and the smell of perfume, antiperspirant, swet and similar makes them aggressive in order of any danger for the nest.

Call a pestcontroler, as soon as possible. After he killed the nest find the ways Wasps get into your loft and fill those holes or put a net on it so wasps can't come in. Or if you enjoy watching the Dolichovespula-species, leave it the way it is, but be very watchful in spring to notice the "wrong" nest as earlie as possible.

Regards
Klaas

[felinefriend]

Hi, I am new here sorry if I have invaded this post I don't want to start a new post if you guys are already discussing wasps and wondered if someone can give advice. We have discovered we have two wasps nest with activity in our roof space. We need to replace the fascias and soffits and cannot do this because of the wasps. I want to leave the wasps to do their thing as I cannot kill anything, but my partner is concerned about them getting in the house as we can hear one of the nests above our bedroom ceiling and they are making their nest by chewing and this goes on all night and getting louder and it sounds like they are chewing at the plaster board and now its beginning to keep me awake as I dream about being overwhelmed by the wasps. My questions are, Can the wasps chew through the plaster board and enter the house through the ceiling and if we wait for their nesting to be over can we remove the queen in late summer or does she leave. Please don't say kill them I really can't, but I am loosing the compassion side to my partner who says nothing can be done as they could be a threat and swarm in the bedroom while we are asleep. I have suggested boarding over that side of the ceiling or even a plastic sheeting in case they come through but he is not convinced and says any holed we drill could exasperate the problem. Thank you in advance.