How Long Does Professional Wasp Nest Treatment Take in Colton?
Once the technician has gone, the nest needs a day or two to quieten. This is a practical routine for the household in that gap, covering doors, food, pets and children.
What the waiting period asks of you
The treatment visit is over quickly, but the nest does not fall silent the moment the technician leaves. Wasps still coming and going over the next day or two is normal, and during that time the household has a small job to do: stay out of the way and keep temptations to a minimum.
None of it is difficult, and none of it needs special equipment. If you live in Colton, in the Leeds area, the routine below is the one we would suggest whether the nest is in a hedge, a wall or a garden outbuilding.
Doors and windows
The simplest measure is also the most effective. Keep the door and windows closest to the nest shut for the first day, and open them again only when you can see that traffic has dropped to a few wasps or none at all.
- Use a different door if the front or back door sits near the entrance.
- Check that window vents and trickle vents are closed on that side of the house.
- If a wasp does get in, open a window on the opposite side, close the door to that room and let it find its own way out rather than swatting at it.
- Pull curtains or blinds across the glass nearest the nest, as wasps are attracted to the light.
A closed window beats a fly screen at this stage, because a distracted wasp will often crawl through a small gap that a screen leaves.
If the nest is on the side of the house where you normally sit to relax, think about moving the chairs and table to the far end of the garden for a couple of days. It is a small inconvenience that avoids a lot of close contact.
Food, drink and rubbish
Wasps that have lost their colony are still hungry and still attracted to sugar. Anything sweet left outside becomes a target, and that is how stings tend to happen during this period.
Commercial premises face the same issue on a larger scale, with bins, delivery crates and customers’ drinks all within reach. If you run a business, put an extra member of staff on bin and waste duty for the first day or two.
Take these steps for the first couple of days:
- Put lids on bins and move them away from doors if you can.
- Rinse cans and bottles before recycling, or keep them indoors until collection.
- Bring in pet food and water bowls from the nest end of the garden.
- Cover or clear plates, ice lollies and drinks if you eat outside, and look before you sip from a glass.
- Pick up fallen fruit under trees, since windfalls are a magnet for wasps late in the summer.
Children, pets, washing and play
Children are naturally curious about what is happening to a nest, and dogs will often investigate a buzzing patch of grass. Both are at risk of a sting if they get close to wasps that are still circling.
Tell children plainly that the nest is being dealt with by a professional and that the area is out of bounds until you say otherwise. A marker such as a garden chair or a broom laid across the path can help younger ones understand where not to go. For dogs and cats, keep them inside or on a lead away from the nest area until activity has eased.
If a sting does happen, wash the area, remove the sting if you can see it, and apply a cold pack. Dial 999 straight away for signs of a serious reaction, which include swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing, trouble breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash. Anyone with a known allergy should talk to their GP.
Washing and garden jobs need a pause too. The hours straight after treatment are not the time to hang out washing, mow near the nest or let children use a trampoline next to it. Wasps can crawl into damp clothing and towels, and a lawnmower’s vibration can agitate wasps near the entrance.
If you have to do something near the area, such as getting to a shed, wait until the afternoon of the second day, move slowly and keep to the far side of the nest site. Gardening around the nest can wait until the entrance is quiet.
The same goes for visitors. If a friend, delivery driver or neighbour is due to pass the nest area, tell them where the wasps are and ask them to use another route.
What not to do on the nest itself
A few instincts need resisting:
- Do not knock down or poke the nest, as defensive wasps may fly out.
- Do not fill or cover the entrance, because wasps may then find a way indoors.
- Do not try anything of your own on the returning wasps.
Each of these has the same logic behind it: the colony is winding down, and the safest thing you can do is let it. The technician has done the hard part, and the rest is patience.
If you want the empty nest taken down afterwards, ask the technician when you book whether that can be arranged.
On a day-by-day basis, the routine is strictest for the first twenty-four hours, relaxes a little on the second day if the entrance is clearly quieter, and usually finishes there. Do not drop it simply because the first afternoon seemed calm, as wasps can still arrive overnight and the following morning.
When the routine can end
You can usually go back to normal once the entrance is quiet, which is often by the second day. If a steady stream is still using the same spot after that, phone 0113 347 0014 and describe what you see. The price for a nest is a fixed £90, £35 for an additional nest at the same property, and there is no call-out charge. We are open seven days a week.
Wasps on your property in Colton?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.