When Is Wasp Season in Collingham?
Gardeners often blame wasps for a ruined plum harvest and then forget about them; this guide follows the season through the beds, fruit trees and compost heap.
Leaving the windfalls until the weekend
Ask a keen gardener what goes wrong with wasps and the answer is usually the same: fruit left lying on the ground. A few plums or apples under the tree seem harmless, and then a week of warm weather turns them into a magnet. Within days there are wasps feeding at the fruit, and anyone who goes to pick up the rest gets more than they bargained for.
That is only one part of the picture. The wasp year is long, and a garden offers wasps shelter as well as food. This guide goes through the growing season in order for gardeners and allotment holders in and around Collingham, with a checklist for each stage.
Early spring: bare ground and old hiding places
Wasps start building nests from late April, depending on the weather, so the early-season gardening jobs overlap exactly with the time queens are looking for somewhere to settle. When you are digging, clearing and sorting, you are very close to the places they like.
- Look at the base of hedges and banks for small round holes in the soil.
- Check the underside of stacked pots, bags of compost and timber.
- Look inside the greenhouse, particularly under the staging and in the corners.
- Check sheds, tool stores and old water butts.
- Look into any hollow in a tree trunk or old stump.
If you see a wasp disappearing into the ground, stop work in that spot. Do not dig, pour water or block the hole. A nest in the soil can look unremarkable on the surface, but there is an active colony beneath it.
Early summer: soft fruit and watering
Through May and June the first workers appear and the colony starts to expand. In the garden, you may notice wasps landing on bare soil or on wood to collect material, and drinking from damp patches and watering cans. They also take insects, and many gardeners appreciate that.
The point to watch is a pattern. A single wasp on a strawberry is a visitor. A steady procession in one direction suggests a nest within flying distance.
- Watch where wasps go after visiting the water butt or the pond edge.
- Follow a visible flight line with your eyes, from a distance, to see where it ends.
- Pick soft fruit promptly and cover bowls on the table.
- Keep a lid on the compost caddy.
Allotment holders have an extra thing to think about, which is shared space. If a nest turns up on a plot or a shared path, tell the neighbouring plot holders so nobody wanders into the flight line, and let whoever manages the site know. A sign or a length of bright tape at a safe distance is better than a verbal warning that is forgotten by Saturday.
Anything you can safely identify as a nest entrance should be noted and left alone.
High summer: harvest time and the August peak
August is when a nest reaches its biggest, with 2,000 to 10,000 or more wasps in a single colony. It is also when plums, apples, pears and blackberries are ripening, and fruit that drops, splits or is partly eaten releases sugars that wasps find quickly.
A harvest routine that keeps trouble down:
- Pick up windfalls every day, not once a week.
- Pick from the shady side first and look into the fruit before you bite or bag it.
- Do not leave full buckets or boxes standing in the sun.
- Keep cider or juice-making clear of the garden, or process it indoors with windows closed.
- Take compost that contains fruit waste to a lidded bin.
It is tempting to stand and pick fruit within arm’s reach of a busy nest because the wasps seem not to notice you. They will notice if you brush a branch, shake the tree or bump a ladder. Treat a busy flight line as a closed area until the nest has been dealt with.
Never climb a ladder next to a nest you suspect is in the tree. Stings on a ladder are the worst kind. For a normal sting, wash the area, remove the sting if you can see it and use a cold pack, and call 999 if there is swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash.
Autumn: clearing up and looking back
September and October bring the decline. The colony loses strength, the last of the fruit comes down, and wasps are interested in anything sweet while they are still around. This is the time to tidy and take notes.
- Clear remaining fruit from the ground and from the branches.
- Mark on a plan where any nest was found.
- Fill old holes in banks or lawns once you are sure nothing is using them.
- Ask the technician about taking down an empty nest in a shed, tree or eaves.
- Wash and store sticky jars, buckets and presses.
The compost heap deserves a final mention. A heap that is warm, undisturbed and full of sweet waste is attractive both as food and as shelter, so turn it in autumn, cover fresh fruit waste with drier material, and look for activity before you fork it over.
A nest is not reused the following year, but queens often favour similar sheltered spots, so it makes sense to examine the same places next spring.
If you find a nest while gardening
Wasp Exterminator Leeds covers Collingham and the surrounding area. The fixed price is £90 per nest, shown with the promise of 1 visit guaranteed; an additional nest on the same property is £35.
No call-out charge is made, and bookings are taken every day of the week, and every job is carried out by a trained technician under full insurance. The price is confirmed on the phone before the technician visits, and no work is done until you agree. Phone 0113 347 0014 or use the online booking form on the contact page. Let us know when you book if anyone is allergic, and ask whether the empty nest can be taken down.
Wasps on your property in Collingham?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.