Wasp Nest in Your Garden Shed? Safe Treatment Options in Cockersdale
When the lawnmower, strimmer or hedge trimmer is stored in a shed with a wasp nest, the job can wait; this is what to do about the grass while you arrange treatment.
The straight answer: the grass can wait, the nest should not
If the mower is locked in a shed with a wasp nest, leave it there. A lawn that grows an extra week is a minor nuisance. A sting reaction in the middle of the garden is not. Arrange for a trained technician to treat the nest, and fetch the mower when it is safe.
The urge to nip in and grab it is understandable, particularly if the grass is long and the weather is about to turn. But a mower is heavy and awkward, and you cannot pull it out quickly if wasps start to emerge. Bumping the door frame, scraping the wheels on the floor and starting the engine all send vibrations and noise through the building.
Using the mower near the shed is also a poor idea if wasps are flying in and out. The noise carries, and the colony can treat it as an intruder.
Weather often makes this worse. A dry spell followed by rain tempts people to cut the lawn in a rush, and the wasps are most active on those same warm, still days. If you must choose a day, choose one when you can do the job without going near the shed, and keep it short.
What happens to a nest when you start working near it
Wasps respond to vibration, sudden movement and loud sound. A strimmer in the long grass beside the shed wall is about as bad a combination as you could choose, because it shakes the ground and the timber and brings you within a metre or two of the entrance.
A colony can have thousands of wasps by high summer. When a few detect a threat, others join, and the response can build up within seconds. People often describe the experience as ‘coming out of nowhere’, but in fact it comes from the nest, which was there all along.
- Do not start a petrol or electric mower within several metres of the shed.
- Do not trim hedges or shrubs that touch the shed walls.
- Do not clear nettles or brambles around the base while the nest is active.
- Do not drag a hose or rake across the area in front of the door.
Hedge trimmers and leaf blowers are a further problem. Both can throw debris against timber and cause a sharp knock, and a blower pushes air straight into the gaps where wasps enter. Leave them in the shed with the mower for now.
Think too about the children’s football goal or the washing line if they stand in the mowing route. The path past the shed is the one to avoid, so rearrange the usual pattern.
Managing the lawn while you wait
There are sensible ways to keep the garden looking reasonable. Mow the part of the lawn that is far from the shed first, at a distance you are comfortable with, and leave the rest alone. A clear margin of unmown grass around the building does no harm for a few days.
If you can borrow or hire a mower, use it, and keep well away from the nest for that purpose. Neighbours with a spare machine are often happy to lend it, as long as the area is out of the way of the wasps.
Take a minute to look at the ground too. If you see a hole with wasps flying low towards it, that can be a second, ground-level nest, and the mower should avoid it as well. Mention it when you phone to book.
If the grass is so long that a brief delay really cannot be tolerated, a hand tool such as shears used at the far side of the garden is quieter and gentler than an engine. Even then, stay on the opposite side of the lawn from the shed and stop if you see wasps flying towards you.
The treatment, step by step
The booking call takes a few minutes. You describe where the wasps are, and the price is confirmed on the phone before a technician visits. It is a fixed £90 for a nest, with one visit guaranteed and no call-out charge. If a second nest is found, that is £35 more. No work is done unless you agree.
The technician is trained and fully insured. They will inspect the building from outside and treat the nest directly. Tell them what is inside the shed, including petrol cans or gas canisters, because they will need to know about them. If you would like the empty nest taken down, ask when you book.
We cover domestic and commercial customers, are open seven days a week and offer same-day service, so the mower need not be stuck for long.
Where fuel is involved, mention it plainly. A petrol mower often has a fuel can alongside it, and a strimmer may have spare line and oil. The technician simply needs to know where they are.
Getting back to the mowing, and a better storage plan
After the visit, follow the technician’s advice about when it is sensible to open the shed. When you do, wear long sleeves and gloves, open the door slowly and take the mower out. Check the cutting deck and the underside for any papery debris before you start.
Next year, store the mower and the strimmer where a nest is less likely to go unnoticed. A tidy shed with a clear view of the walls and roof edges is easy to check. From late April, make it part of the first mowing routine to look at the shed corners.
For a Cockersdale householder who needs a nest treated, the number is 0113 347 0014, or use the online form on the contact page. If anyone at home is allergic to stings, tell us when you book.
Wasps on your property in Cockersdale?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.