Can You Remove a Wasp Nest Yourself? Advice for Rodley Homeowners
Blocking the hole is the classic DIY mistake with a wasp nest; here is why it backfires, what to do instead and when to call a technician.
The mistake that sends wasps indoors
If there is one thing people do with a wasp nest that they come to regret, it is blocking the entrance hole. Filling it with filler, stuffing in a rag, taping over it or pushing a cork in all seem like logical ways to shut the door on the problem. The wasps do not see it that way, and the result is often a good deal worse than the original situation.
This page is aimed at Rodley homeowners who have seen a steady stream of wasps vanishing into a crack in the brickwork, a gap by a window frame or a hole in a render and are tempted to seal it. Here is what actually happens when you do, what you can do instead and where a professional visit fits in.
What a wasp colony does when its door is shut
A nest is a busy place, with workers constantly coming and going to bring in food and building material. When the way out is suddenly closed, those workers do not give up. They search for another route, and the nearest alternatives are often on the inside of your house. Cavities in outer walls connect to all sorts of gaps: around pipes, behind skirting, beside light fittings and into the loft.
That is how people end up with wasps in a bedroom or crawling across a ceiling after they have plugged a hole outside. Wasps can also chew at softer materials, so a thin patch of filler or plaster is not much of a barrier to them.
A blocked nest is also an agitated nest. The workers that are shut out, or that are still outside when the entrance closes, tend to hover around the spot. Anyone coming near that wall afterwards, including the person who did the blocking, is more likely to be stung.
Checklist: what to do instead of sealing it
Calm observation is the safest thing you can do while you wait for a technician.
- Leave the hole completely as it is. Do not fill, cover or tape it, even temporarily.
- Watch from a distance and note exactly where the entrance is, and whether wasps are using more than one gap.
- Close the windows nearest to the spot, especially in rooms directly above or beside it.
- Check the inside of those rooms for any wasps, particularly around window frames and ceilings, so you can tell the technician.
- Keep children and pets away from the wall and the garden area underneath it.
- Take photographs from a safe distance if that is easy, but never lean out of a window to get a better angle.
- Make the call the same day if you can, since a nest only grows as the season goes on.
If wasps are already getting into the house
Sometimes the first sign of a nest is a wasp indoors, and you wonder whether the nest is inside too. One or two wasps at a window do not necessarily mean the nest has broken through, but a steady trickle from the same spot, a buzzing in the wall or a stain spreading across plaster is worth taking seriously.
Keep the room closed off if you can. Do not poke at plaster, pull at a vent cover or open up a wall to look, since that is an excellent way to release a lot of wasps into the room. Wasps in a closed room can be dealt with one at a time as they land, but only if you can do so without cornering several at once.
Tell the technician exactly what you have seen when you book: which room, which wall, how many wasps and over how long. That information shapes how the visit goes and means nobody wastes time searching.
What happens on the visit itself
Many people put off calling because they are not sure what a visit involves. It is simpler than it sounds. The technician will want to know where the wasps are entering, so your notes from earlier will be useful, and will make a plan from there. You do not need to be standing next to the nest, and it is better if you are not. Most customers stay indoors, with windows closed, until they are told it is fine.
If the entrance is high on the wall, in a gap beside a window or over a door, the technician will have the equipment and training to reach it safely. That is a large part of what the fixed £90 covers, and you do not need to arrange a ladder or move furniture.
Afterwards, wasps that were out foraging when the nest was treated may still return for a short time to the place where it was. Keep clear of the spot and give it time. If you see wasps in a room the technician should know about, mention it on the day rather than waiting.
Gaps in brickwork, pointing or render that the wasps were using can be repaired once the nest is no longer active. That is a job for a builder or a handyperson, and there is no hurry for it. Sealing too soon is exactly what you want to avoid.
Booking in Rodley without the guesswork
You can phone 0113 347 0014 or fill in the booking form on the contact page. The charge is a fixed £90 for each nest, and an additional nest on the same property is £35. There is no call-out charge, and we are open seven days a week with same-day service offered.
The price is confirmed on the phone before the technician visits, and nothing is done unless you have agreed to it. We cover domestic homes and commercial properties, and the technicians are trained and fully insured.
If anyone at home is allergic to wasp stings, say so at the time of booking. You can ask whether the empty nest can be taken down afterwards too. If the hole turns out to belong to bees, we would point you to a local beekeeper instead.
Wasps on your property in Rodley?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.