How Long Does Professional Wasp Nest Treatment Take in Beckett Park?
With children and pets in the garden, the real question is when it is safe to use it again. This guide follows a garden nest from the visit to the first lawn picnic after it.
A nest in the lawn and a football that rolled too close
A child kicks a ball into the long grass by the fence and comes back saying that wasps flew out of a hole in the ground. Within minutes you can see a few more going in and out of the same spot. Ground nests are quietly active, easy to stumble over, and a real worry when a garden is shared with children and a dog.
The treatment is usually a single visit, and the working part is generally brief. What parents and pet owners need to know is how long the garden stays out of bounds, which is longer than the visit but shorter than most people fear.
Ground nests are often only noticed when a lawnmower, a spade or a child’s foot goes close to them. The hole itself can be small and unremarkable, and the clue is the steady traffic of wasps entering and leaving it. If you see that, stop what you are doing and walk away calmly without swatting.
It is worth remembering that a nest like this has been growing since the spring. By the time it is found, it may hold a great many wasps, which is why it is not a job for a bucket, a kettle or anything else from the kitchen.
Keeping everyone away until the visit
From the moment you spot the nest, treat that part of the garden as closed. Show children where the line is and stop the dog going there, on a lead if necessary. Put a chair, a bucket or a rope across the path as a reminder, without going near the nest to do it.
Phone 0113 347 0014, or complete the booking form on the contact page. The price is £90 per nest, confirmed on the phone, with no call-out charge and no work until you agree. Same-day service is offered and the team is available seven days a week, so a nest found on a Saturday morning does not have to wait for Monday.
Mention any child, adult or pet that has been stung before, and tell us about any known allergy, so that it can be taken into account.
If you have a paddling pool, trampoline, playhouse or washing line near the nest, mention it when you ring. The technician can then plan where to stand and how to approach without trampling through your garden.
What the visit looks like for a family
A trained, fully insured technician arrives, finds the nest entrance and deals with the nest. For an accessible ground or bush nest, the visit is usually short. While it happens, everyone, including pets, should be indoors with the doors closed, and the windows on the garden side shut.
Children can watch from a window if they wish, and it can help to give them a job, such as checking whether any wasps come near the glass. The technician will tell you when it is safe to open up again.
Pets deserve their own plan. Cats go where they like, so shut cat flaps and keep the cat in. Small animals in outdoor hutches are best moved as far from the nest as you can without going near it, or covered so that the wasps cannot reach them.
When the garden is usable again
This is the question that matters most to a household, and the answer is gradual. After treatment, wasps that were away from the nest come back to find it changed, so there may be activity around the old spot for the first hours. Over the rest of that day it usually thins out, and by the next day there are normally far fewer.
- Same day: keep children and pets away from the spot and its surroundings.
- Next day: look from a distance; if activity has dropped, the rest of the garden is usually fine, but keep clear of the old entrance.
- A day or two on: activity has usually faded, though lone wasps may still visit food and drink.
Make a point of checking the area again before letting a young child play, and resist the urge to fill the hole with soil. Blocking the entrance too early can send confused wasps elsewhere.
The temptation on the first sunny day afterwards is to put the paddling pool out again. Give it a little time. A garden that has been used by children has food crumbs and sweet drinks, and wasps that have not yet settled are drawn to them.
Playing it safe with stings and stragglers
Even after a successful visit, a stray wasp can sting if it feels trapped. If someone is stung, wash the area, remove the sting if you can see it, and use a cold pack. Call 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash. People with known allergies should speak to their GP.
Keep fallen fruit, open juice cups and picnic leftovers out of the garden for a few days. They draw lone wasps, and children tend to blame the nest even when the nest is no longer the cause.
Treat every sting in a child seriously, even if the child seems fine. Watch for changes over the next hour or so and get help if you are worried. A calm adult makes the whole experience less frightening for a small child.
If you are still worried after a couple of days
The price graphic says ‘1 visit guaranteed’, and the aim is one visit to deal with it. If, after a day or two, you still see a steady stream going in and out of the hole, phone and tell us. A second nest at the same property would be £35, confirmed by phone beforehand.
Take a few minutes to walk the edges of the garden from a safe distance, looking for other holes or gaps, as it is sometimes only the first of several nests that you notice.
Keep the date of the visit in mind and look at the spot again after a couple of days from a window. If you are in any doubt, phone and describe what you can see.
Wasps on your property in Beckett Park?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.