Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Hunslet Gardens

Tidying the shed or garage in winter often turns up a dry, papery nest from the summer before. It is empty, it will not be reused, and it is a useful clue.

The nest behind the lawnmower

It is a cold Saturday in January and you are finally sorting the shed. Behind the lawnmower, fixed to the rafters, is a pale grey nest the size of a football. It looks like a sculpture made from old newspaper, and it makes you wonder how many wasps were living a few feet from where you kept the garden tools last summer.

The good news is that it is almost certainly deserted. Wasp colonies do not carry on from one year to the next. By the end of autumn the workers have died and so has the old queen, and the nest is simply left behind. In Hunslet, a suburb of Leeds, as anywhere else in the country, a winter nest is a leftover, not a home.

Why the wasps do not move back in

Only new queens survive the cold. Each one finds a sheltered crack to sit out the winter on her own, and in spring she starts again with a handful of cells. Her first daughters take over the building work and feeding, and the nest grows through the summer until it peaks around August.

There is no memory of the old site involved and no use of the old paper structure. What does happen is that queens tend to judge a location by the same things: dry, dark, out of the wind and left alone. A shed, garage or porch that suited a colony once will often suit another, so the same general spot can get picked again. That can look like the wasps ‘returning’, but it is a different queen starting a different nest.

This is why removing a dead nest does not guarantee a quiet year, and why leaving one in place does not mean it will be refilled. What matters is how inviting the space is.

Handling an old nest safely

If you are sure it is winter and the temperature has been low for weeks, an old nest is very unlikely to be active. Even so, treat it with some respect.

• Look before you touch. If you see any wasp moving on or around it, stop and leave it alone.
• Do not shake it, break it open or use it for a closer look. Fine debris from an old nest can irritate the skin and airways.
• If it is small and clearly loose, you can put it carefully into a bag, seal the bag and bin it, wearing gloves.
• If it is fixed high up, inside a wall or in a space you cannot see into properly, ask for advice rather than climbing for it.

You can also ask the technician, when booking a visit for any live nest, whether the empty one can be taken down at the same time. We treat live wasp nests; ask about the rest when you phone.

Keeping the garden itself less inviting

The shed is only part of the picture. Queens look at the whole plot, and a few habits make a real difference to how appealing yours is.

• Cut back dense, tangled growth against fences and walls, where nests can be hidden from view.
• Fill or level any holes in banks, lawn edges and under paving where the ground has settled, since some nests are built underground.
• Keep compost and food waste bins closed, and rinse out drinks cans and bottles before recycling them.
• Pick up windfall fruit through late summer rather than letting it lie.

None of this guarantees you will see no wasps at all, and you should not expect it to. What it does is cut the number of obvious invitations, so a queen is more likely to carry on past your plot. Many gardens with a tidy, repaired shed go entire seasons with no nest.

Autumn is the best moment to do the work, once the colony has died and the last of the stragglers have gone, but late winter will do just as well.

Shed and garage checks before April

A garden building is a very attractive spot for a queen because it is quiet and dry for most of the year. Spend a half hour on it before the weather warms and you remove many of the reasons she might stay.

1. Look along the roof line inside for gaps between the roof and the walls.
2. Check the door and window frames for holes, rot or places where the seal has gone.
3. Move boxes and old furniture away from the walls so you can see the corners.
4. Fix or cover small holes in cladding and felt, and close gaps around pipes or cables.
5. Look in sacks, folded tarpaulins and stored plant pots, which are sometimes used as shelter.

The same walk-round is worth doing on the house if you are able to see the eaves safely from the ground. A pair of binoculars is useful and keeps you off the ladder.

When to call, and what to expect

Once the spring begins you can stop worrying about the old nest and start watching for the first signs of a new one: a large wasp going to and from the same small gap, or a steady stream of wasps at a single point in the roof, wall or ground.

If you see one, keep people and pets away and do not block the entrance. Wasp Exterminator Leeds charges a fixed £90 per nest, or £35 for an additional nest on the same property, with no call-out charge. The price is agreed on the phone before a technician visits and no work starts until you are happy. We are open seven days a week and offer a same-day service. Call 0113 347 0014, or use the form on the contact page.

The technicians are trained and fully insured, and the service covers both homes and commercial premises. If someone in your household is allergic to stings, tell us at the time of booking.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Hunslet