Do Wasps Return to the Same Nest Every Year? A Guide for Weetwood Gardens
If last summer’s wasps came and went through a chimney, air brick or vent, that opening is still there. These are the openings to check before spring.
Wasps going into the wall
All through July a steady line of wasps vanished into a small square grille low on the side wall, just above a flowerbed. Nobody could see a nest, which is just the point of an air brick: it opens into a cavity you cannot see. By October the traffic stopped.
The colony behind the brick has died, and nothing in the cavity will be reused. The grille, however, is exactly as it was, and as far as the next queen is concerned it is an entrance to a dry, dark and protected space.
A house has many deliberate holes. Most are essential, and none should simply be blocked up. It is the damaged or uncovered ones that cause problems.
- Air bricks and vents in the lower walls, especially with broken or missing grilles.
- Chimney pots without caps, and unused flues.
- Extractor fan and tumble-dryer outlets with damaged covers.
- Gaps around pipes and cables where they pass through the wall.
- Weep holes and gaps in old mortar joints.
If you are not sure whether an opening is needed for ventilation, do not block it. Fit a suitable cover instead, or ask the person who repairs it.
Chimneys in particular
An unused chimney is a tall, sheltered shaft. A queen can find her way in through an uncapped pot and build in or above the fireplace. Sometimes the first sign is wasps appearing in the living room.
- Look at the chimney pot from the ground, with binoculars.
- Check whether it has a cowl or cap.
- Do not light a fire to flush out wasps.
- If you are going to use the chimney again, have it swept and inspected first.
- Have a cap or cowl fitted by a competent person where one is missing.
Whether a chimney is safe to use, cap or seal is a job for a qualified person, not a guess. Fire safety and ventilation matter as much as wasps.
Inside the house: rooms that connect to the outside
Not every wasp route is from outside. Sometimes the first sign of trouble is inside, at the point where a hollow wall or flue meets a room.
- Wasps appearing around a fireplace, or in a room with an old chimney breast.
- Wasps near an extractor fan or ventilation grille that connects to the outside.
- A buzzing inside a wall near a bathroom, kitchen or airing cupboard.
- Wasps at a window with no obvious entry point from outside.
If you see these, keep the room closed if you can, and close the door gently. Do not poke at vents, put anything into a flue or use smoke. A wasp in a flue or cavity is hard to reach, and attempts to dislodge it usually end with more of them in the room.
Make a note of which room and which wall, as well as the time of day. That is the sort of detail that helps when you phone, because it points to where the nest probably is, and the technician can then plan accordingly.
Inspecting and fixing in winter
Winter is the easiest time. There are no wasps and every opening can be examined at leisure.
- Walk the outside of the house with a notebook, looking at each opening at ground level.
- Check inside, in cupboards under the stairs and in the cellar if you have one.
- Fit fine mesh over air bricks and vents so that air passes but insects do not.
- Repair cracked mortar or render around the opening.
- Photograph the work and keep it for comparison.
If a repair is above your reach, or involves scaffolding, leave it to a professional.
Notes for older houses and extensions
Many houses have more openings than the owners realise, particularly where an extension or conservatory has been added, or where work has been done on the roof. These junctions are worth looking at because they create the sort of small, protected gaps that queens like.
- The joint between the old wall and the extension wall.
- The space under a conservatory roof, where it meets the house.
- Cable and pipe entry points from past installations that were never sealed.
- Old vents from a previous boiler or heating system.
- Gaps around soil pipes and downpipes.
You do not need to be a builder to look. A slow walk with a torch on a bright winter day will show most of them. Write them down and fix them in order, starting with the largest. Where an opening is part of the ventilation, ask the person doing the repair to keep it working and to fit a mesh.
If you rent, remember that repairs to the building are generally the landlord’s decision, though the agreement will say. Report what you find rather than doing building work yourself.
In the season: do not block a working entrance
If wasps are flying in and out of a hole from late April onwards, sealing it from the outside can send them into the house instead. Leave it alone, keep people clear, and ask for help. Wasps can swarm and sting if they feel threatened.
If wasps are using a vent, chimney or wall, the treatment is a fixed £90 per nest, with £35 for each additional nest at the same property and no call-out charge. We confirm the price by phone first and do nothing until you agree. Weetwood and the surrounding areas are covered for domestic and commercial customers, seven days a week, with same-day service offered. The technicians have been trained for this work and are fully insured. Ring 0113 347 0014, or book through the contact page form.
Tell us about any sting allergy when you book.
Wasps on your property in Weetwood?
Fixed price £90 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.