Wasps help required

[felinefriend]

Hi, I am new here 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.

[Geoff F]

I would think that you only have two options here. Wait until the winter or ask your local authority pest control department for advice. But I expect their only answer will be to kill the wasps.

[JRsbugs]

You say there is plasterboard they are chewing at, but I don't think they would be chewing that. They could be chewing shavings of wood off the beams in the roof space to make their nest. I found a nest in my roof space last year, it wasn't being used but probably had been (how often does one look in the roof space). It was only a small circular nest hung from the beams, probably Dolichovespula.

I can't see how they would end up in your bedroom if you are having the fascias and soffits replaced, these are on the outside with no access to the inside of the house but would access the roof space.

Wasps usually die off as a colony in early autumn but some can be around for longer with mild weather, once the really cold weather sets in they will die. The queens hibernate over winter but not usually in the nest, they find themselves somewhere cozy for the winter.

If you are willing to wait until the colonies die off to do the work then you are not at risk of wasps swarming from through the ceiling, but they might come in a window if left open. If they haven't lost their way and already come in through a window I think you would be safe. Wasps don't usually attack unless threatened, but on the odd occasion they can swoop in and sting for reasons unknown. I had one sting me on the neck many years ago, and I stood absolutely still like you should do but it headed straight for me! I have a lot of wasps around at times now and have no trouble, they take no notice of me while I take photos of them.

If you are worried about having wasps come in the bedroom, you could put some net curtain over an open window then you might be able to sleep without having nightmares, they really are not vicious creatures if left alone.

Janet