Wasps Around Your Guttering and Fascias? How to Find the Nest in Stanford-le-Hope

Ordinary garden jobs such as trimming a hedge or washing a wall send vibration into the roofline, and a hidden nest above can respond all at once.

The job that goes wrong

Plenty of wasp stings happen not because someone went looking for a nest, but because they were doing something ordinary beside the house. Cutting the hedge that grows against a side wall, strimming along the base of the fascia, washing the walls or the gutter with a hose, or hanging a basket from a bracket can all shake a building enough to alarm a colony in the cavity above.

Wasps guard the entrance, and what alarms them is vibration, movement near the opening and a person standing in the flight path. A person with a hedge trimmer is making noise, vibration and movement at once. Because the nest is hidden, there is no warning, and the first sign is a cloud of wasps.

Late summer is the riskiest time. By August the colony is large and its guards are more reactive, and routine jobs that are fine in June can lead to dozens of stings in August. The rule of thumb is simple: the later in the season, the more care is needed near the roofline.

Check before you start

Before any jobs at the edge of the house between May and October, take two minutes to stand back and look at the roofline above where you plan to work. Watch for ten seconds in the sun. If wasps are going in or out of a gap, stop and leave the job.

• Is anything flying in a line into the eaves, fascia or a wall gap?
• Can you hear a hum above the work area?
• Is there a gap or crack in the board overhead?
• Are wasps landing on the wall below?

If the answer to any of these is yes, postpone the work. Hedges can be trimmed a week later. Gutters can be cleaned after the nest has gone.

It also helps to work in cooler parts of the day if you must work near the wall, because wasp traffic is lowest early in the morning and as light fades. That is not a substitute for checking, and it is no reason to ignore a visible entrance.

Pay particular attention to tall shrubs and climbers that grow against the wall. Wasps can nest in the gap behind them or in a hole in the wall hidden by the foliage. If you can’t see the wall properly, stand back and watch the plant itself for traffic.

Pressure washers, hoses and ladders

Water is a particular problem. A jet of water aimed at a wall below a nest, or at the underside of the eaves, sends water, noise and vibration into the cavity. Wasps do not respond well to that. The same goes for a pressure washer on a patio close to the wall, and for any ladder leaning on the gutter.

Putting a ladder against the guttering is the single most common way to set off a nest, because the top of the ladder shakes the board. Avoid using one at all if there are wasps near the roofline.

If you have already disturbed a nest and wasps are pouring out, walk away calmly, cover your face with your arms and go indoors. Do not run in a panic, swat wildly or jump into water.

A decorator on a ladder with a scraper, a window cleaner with a long pole and a gardener lopping a branch near the gutter present the same risk as you do. If you employ anyone to work outside, tell them about the wasps before they start, and ask them to keep away from that side.

After a sting

Wash the area with soap and water, remove the sting if you can see it by scraping rather than squeezing, and hold a cold pack against the skin. Most stings are painful but pass. If the person develops swelling of the face, lips or throat, wheezing or difficulty breathing, dizziness or a widespread rash, call 999 straight away. Anyone with a known allergy should speak to their GP.

Keep other people clear of the area afterwards. Wasps that have been stirred up can remain defensive for the rest of the day, and returning too soon invites another round.

It is worth remembering that a nest hidden in a cavity can show no sign at all until the moment something shakes it. That is why the quick look before you start is so valuable.

Getting it treated

A technician covering Stanford-le-Hope will confirm the entrance and treat the nest at its source, with the right equipment and protective clothing. Then the garden jobs can go ahead safely. If the hedge or the gutter is overdue for attention, say so at booking so the visit can be arranged around it.

The charge is a fixed £90 per nest, with one visit guaranteed, and a further nest on the same property adds £35 to the bill. We are open seven days a week, offer same-day service, work on homes and commercial premises and are fully insured. To make a booking, phone 01245 327274 or use the booking form on our contact page and mention the wall and the nearest feature.

Tell the technician about any work you have planned. If you are having a window cleaner, a gardener or a decorator visit, they should be told about the nest and kept away from the affected side until it has been dealt with.

Doing the jobs afterwards

Once the nest has been treated and activity has stopped, go ahead with the cleaning and trimming. While you are at it, look at the gap that was used. If the fascia is cracked or the gutter bracket has pulled away, arrange repairs. Trimming back a hedge or climber that touches the wall also gives you a clearer view of the roofline, so you can spot early activity in spring.

Keep a note of the date and place of the nest, and check it next spring. Wasps start building from late April depending on the weather, and a new founding wasp may look at the same spot. Catching that early makes for a small, easy job.

Frequently asked questions

More wasp advice for Stanford-le-Hope