Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Gledhow? Here's What to Do
When someone at home is allergic to wasp stings, a loft nest needs extra care. Here is how to keep them away from risk and what to tell us when you book.
When one sting is one too many
A parent notices wasps drifting down from the landing ceiling. One of their children had a bad reaction to a sting a couple of summers ago. The calm question is not whether to deal with it but how to do so without anyone being stung in the meantime.
If you live in Gledhow and a family member is allergic to wasp stings, the aim of everything below is the same: keep that person away from wasps until the nest has been treated, and make sure whoever is booking passes the information on.
It helps to have a short plan that every adult in the house understands. Agree who will phone for help, where any prescribed treatment is kept, and which room the allergic person will use. Having this settled in advance means nobody has to think under pressure.
Wasps are most active in warm weather and colonies peak in August, so a household with an allergy has good reason to book as soon as a nest is suspected, rather than waiting to see whether it goes away.
Keeping the allergic person away
Choose a room as far as possible from the nest and from any place where wasps have been seen. If possible, make this a room on a different floor. Keep the door shut and check windows and vents for gaps.
Take extra care at meal times, as food and sweet drinks attract wasps. Cover plates, keep bins closed and use a sealed cup rather than an open glass. Make sure shoes are worn indoors if wasps are crawling on floors.
Anyone who has been told by their GP what to do in the event of a sting should keep to that advice, and have any prescribed treatment close at hand. We cannot give medical advice, so please speak to your GP if you are unsure.
If you have to move between rooms, do so calmly and avoid sudden movements around any wasp, since flapping tends to provoke stings. Keep window screens or nets closed where you have them.
Check that nobody is walking barefoot on carpets or in the garden, and look at clothes and bags before putting them on, because wasps can crawl into them.
Telling us when you book
Call 0113 347 0014, or use the online booking form on the contact page, and say plainly that someone in the home is allergic to wasp stings. The technician can then take that into account on the day. We cover Gledhow and the Leeds area, with same-day service seven days a week for homes and businesses.
The price is a fixed £90 for the nest, no call-out charge, confirmed on the phone before the visit, and a second nest on the same property is £35. No work starts until you have said yes.
It is also worth saying where the person will be during the visit, so that the technician can plan how to move through the house.
You do not need to explain the medical details to us. A short sentence such as who is allergic and which part of the house they will be in is enough.
We can also confirm on the phone the best time for you to be at home, and whether someone other than the allergic person can let the technician in.
Planning the day of the visit
If you can arrange it, the allergic person should be out of the house or in a room well away from the loft during the visit. Close the door and ask others not to open it.
Clear a path to the loft hatch so the technician does not have to move furniture. Keep other family members and pets out of the landing and bedrooms below the hatch.
With training and full insurance behind them, the team will tell you when it is safe to go back into the affected rooms.
Neighbours may need a word too, especially if the wasps are using an entrance close to a shared boundary, as their household may be at risk as well.
If someone is stung before then
Stay calm and move away from the wasps. Wash the area with soap and water, remove the sting if it is visible and use a cold pack on the skin.
Watch the person carefully. Swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness, or a rash spreading over the body are signs of a serious allergic reaction. Call 999 immediately if you see any of these.
Someone who has known allergies should speak to their GP about a plan in case of stings.
Keep the allergic person away from the area until you are confident the nest has been dealt with, and do not rely on guesswork about whether a wasp is a straggler or part of a live colony. If you are unsure, ask us.
Afterwards
When the technician has finished, ask whether it is safe for the allergic person to return to the affected rooms. Clear dead wasps from the floor and sills with gloves and bag them, or ask someone else to do it.
Dead wasps can still look alarming, so remove them before the allergic person comes back. Ask when booking whether the empty nest can be taken down, since some households prefer it gone.
Keep your usual precautions for the rest of the season, such as covering food and drinks outdoors, because wasps from other nests may still be about. If a stray wasp does turn up indoors, a glass and a piece of card will move it outside without a fuss.
Wasps on your property in Gledhow?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.