Wasps Around Your Guttering and Fascias? How to Find the Nest in Armley
Once you have found one entrance at the roof edge, it is worth checking the rest of the property, since a second nest on the same building is not unusual.
One entrance does not mean one nest
When wasps appear at the guttering, most people find one gap, assume that is the whole story and book on that basis. Often that is right. But a house, particularly one with a long roof edge, an extension, a porch or an attached garage, offers many places to nest, and occasionally more than one queen has chosen the same property. It pays to take a few minutes to look at the entire roofline before you phone.
The aim is not to hunt for problems but to give the technician an accurate picture. A second nest found on the day is easy to deal with. One discovered a fortnight later, after an unexpected rise in wasp numbers, is more frustrating.
For anyone in Armley, a suburb of Leeds, or anywhere else, the method is the same.
A systematic walk-round
Go slowly, in good light and when the wasps are active, so that traffic is visible. Walk the full perimeter of the building at a distance of a few paces from the wall, and look up at each section of roof edge in turn. Take a minute at each corner and each change of roof height, because junctions are where boards meet and gaps open.
- Front elevation: the fascia above the windows and the porch or canopy edge.
- Side elevations: the roof edge near gable ends and any downpipe junctions.
- Rear: the extension roof, the back bedroom eaves and any conservatory edge.
- Attached or nearby garages, sheds and lean-tos.
Keep your distance from the first nest while you do this, and stay out of its flight path. If you cannot go round to the other side without crossing the traffic, leave it.
Telling one nest from two
Wasps from one colony can leave the nest by more than one gap, so two lines of traffic do not automatically mean two nests. As a rough guide, check whether both streams are close together along the same board, which suggests a single nest with two exits, or whether they are at opposite ends of the building or on different roofs, which suggests separate nests.
Wasps scattered widely over the garden, at fruit trees, bins and drinks, are not evidence of a second nest. Only traffic going in and out of a gap counts. If in doubt, describe both points to the technician, who can assess it on arrival.
Do not make a judgement by looking inside the gaps or trying to work out the size of the colony. You cannot, and it is not safe to try.
How the £35 additional nest charge works
Wasp Exterminator Leeds treats a nest at a fixed £90. If there is an additional nest on the same property, that one is £35. Both figures are confirmed on the phone before the technician visits, and no work is done until you agree. There is no call-out charge.
Because the price is fixed, it does not depend on how large each nest is, and you will not receive an unexpected figure. Telling us about every point of traffic you have noticed lets us talk through the likely number at booking, and the technician will let you know in the usual way if anything further is found on the day, with your agreement before any extra work.
This also applies to commercial premises, where a long frontage or several units can present multiple roof-edge entrances.
Detached buildings and neighbours
Check outbuildings on your own plot with the same care as the house, and keep in mind that the property boundary does not stop wasps. If the entrance appears to be on a neighbour’s building, or on a shared wall, tell them. The nest needs to be treated with the permission of whoever owns or manages that part of the building, so a conversation is better than a guess.
Terraced or semi-detached roofs often share a continuous roof edge, so an entrance close to the boundary may be on either side. Say plainly in your booking that it is near the boundary and that you will speak to the neighbour.
Why a thorough check saves time
It is easy to feel that checking the whole property is overcautious, but it takes only a few minutes and it avoids a common frustration: a technician leaving after dealing with one nest, and wasp traffic continuing at a second entrance the next day. Giving us a full picture at the start means the booking and the visit can both be planned properly.
Take your time, keep the walk-round calm, and stop if wasps start to follow you.
Write down what you find as you go, using landmarks such as windows, downpipes and corners, so that your notes make sense to someone who has never seen the building.
Booking and what happens next
When your notes are ready, ring 0113 347 0014 or use the form on the contact page. Our technicians are trained and fully insured, and we are open every day, with same-day service available. We cover domestic and commercial properties in Armley and the surrounding area. If anyone in the household is allergic to wasp stings, tell us at booking so we can take it into account.
Once the treatment is done, have any gaps in the fascias, soffits and gutter fixings repaired by a roofer or joiner. Doing the whole roofline in one go is more efficient than a series of small repairs, and it makes the property less attractive to queens the following spring. You can also ask the technician at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Armley?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.