Are Wasps Dangerous? Understanding Stings and Nest Disturbance in Collingham
Sealing a hole may feel like a neat solution, but a colony with its exit shut will chew, search and push for another way out, often into your home.
The mistake of sealing the hole
When people spot wasps going in and out of a gap in a wall, a hole in the soil or the corner of a roof, the natural urge is to stop them. A tube of filler, a wedge of newspaper, a stone or a strip of tape looks like a quick answer. It is one of the most common mistakes and one of the most likely to make things worse.
The colony inside does not give up because the door has closed. The wasps are already living and working in the cavity, and they need to come and go to feed the young. Shutting off their route leaves hundreds or thousands of agitated insects searching for a new one.
What actually happens behind the plug
Wasps are good at finding alternatives. They chew through soft materials such as plasterboard, old pointing or insulation, and they follow gaps along pipes, cables and joists. In a house, the new exit may open inside a room instead of outside, which can turn a manageable outdoor nest into a problem inside a bedroom or kitchen.
The mood of the colony changes too. A nest under stress is more defensive, and anyone nearby when the wasps break out is at risk of being stung several times. It is also worth knowing that wasps blocked from one entrance will often crowd around the plug, so you may find them massed on a wall where they were previously only passing through.
What to do instead: a calm checklist
- Leave the entrance exactly as it is, with no filler, tape, glue or anything pushed in.
- Keep a distance of several metres and stop other people lingering by the spot.
- Close nearby windows and doors, particularly those on the side of the house with the nest, and fit fly screens if you have them.
- Keep children and pets out of that part of the garden or yard.
- Make a note of where the entrance is and roughly how busy it looks, because it helps when you phone.
- Do not try to knock the nest out, hose it or light anything near it.
If wasps are already coming indoors
A wasp or two inside after the entrance has been blocked is a warning. Do not swat. Open a window and let it leave, or cover it gently with a glass and slide a card underneath to take it outside. If several wasps are appearing, close the door of that room, keep it shut and arrange treatment.
For stings, wash with soap and cool water, scrape out any visible sting and use a cold pack. Call 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or collapse, or a rash spreading across the body. Anyone with a known allergy to stings should speak to their GP, and tell us when they book so we can take it into account.
Why the entrance is not the whole story
It helps to picture what is behind the hole. A wasp nest is usually a ball of paper-like material with layers of cells inside it. It sits inside a cavity, such as the gap behind a fascia board, the space between an outer and inner wall, a void in the soil or the hollow of a tree. The entrance you can see is simply the point at which wasps have found their way out into the open.
Because the colony may be spread across a space larger than the visible hole, one plug rarely covers everything. There may be other tiny gaps that you cannot see, which wasps can also use. If a house wall has a cavity, there may be a long path from the nest to the inside of the home, with only a thin layer of plaster in between.
That is why wasps that have been shut in sometimes appear around light fittings, in cupboards or beside a window, often a few feet away from where you plugged the gap. If that happens, it is not a sign that you did something wrong in the sealing, but that sealing was never going to work.
If you are unable to get treatment on the same day, there is plenty you can do to stay comfortable and safe without touching the entrance.
- Close the windows and doors on the side of the house where the nest is, particularly in the warmest part of the day.
- Keep curtains drawn in a room where wasps have appeared, so they are not drawn towards the light.
- Use the room as little as possible until it has been dealt with, and keep the door shut.
- Check bedding and clothing before getting into or putting on anything left near the wall.
- Avoid leaving food or sweet drinks out in rooms close to the nest.
If a wasp gets in, let it out through an open window, or trap it under a glass and carry it out. Never crush it, as that may bring others.
Booking treatment for the nest
Wasp Exterminator Leeds covers Collingham and the villages round about. We treat a nest for a fixed £90, with a further nest on the same property at £35, and we do not charge a call-out fee. We work seven days a week, can offer same-day visits and take on domestic and commercial jobs. Technicians are trained and our work is fully insured.
You will hear the price on the phone before anyone comes, and no work starts until you agree. Call 0113 347 0014 or send the form on our contact page. When you book, you can ask whether the empty nest can be taken down once it has been treated, and if the entrance is somewhere awkward, describe it so the technician knows what to expect.
Wasps on your property in Collingham?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.