Deal with it when it's dark[*]. They'll be sleepy then, and there'll be fewer out of the nest. Get some wasp nest killer spray foam, Tesco stock it I think, and coat the nest with it.
Wear thick protective clothing and cover your hands and face - wear goggles. Have an unobstructed escape route.
Other methods include knocking the nest into a bucket of water (boiling if possible) and keeping it held under.
[*]Advice is not to shine a white light as they'll approach it, use none or a red coloured light if you must.
If there's a cluster of bees all over a branch or two, usually about 6 - 10 ft off the ground in a tree or bush, they're honey bees. Here's a photo of a typical swarm.
This happens when bees in a hive (or tree or other suitable spot) outgrows its hive. There are too many bees to occupy the space. This is usually the sign of a healthy and productive hive. The old queen takes all the flying bees off to find a new location for a hive - sometimes a beekeeper hears about it and will come and pop the bees in a box (seriously) and take them off to a new hive. The old bees will be in the process of raising a new queen or queens and she will take over the hive.
No other flying insect swarms like this, not wasps, bumblebees, hornets, etc.
When bees are hanging in a tree like that, they've got the queen safely protected in the centre of the cluster of bees and they are sending out scout bees (really) to find suitable new accommodation that will be safer and more protected than the branches they're hanging off.
They will disappear in a few hours or at most a few days. They are relatively docile when swarming because they've filled up with honey to sustain them till the next hive. They're scary to look at but not dangerous. Just leave them alone and they'll go. Alternatively, Google "beekeeper swarms your-county or nearest big town" - for eg: beekeeper swarms hampshire and you'll be able to find the local beekeeping association and probably someone who will come out and collect a swarm. They're vital for a healthy environment and insects generally are declining.
If you have to kill / destroy a wasps nest, buy a wasp specific product from a garden centre or a hardware or country store. Follow the instructions but generally you wait until dark which is when all the wasps are in the nest and, standing well back, squirt the insecticide into the nest. Then beat a hasty retreat and leave for a day or two - or whatever it says in the instructions.
Wasps can be aggressive but even so, wasps have their place in the insect world so if you can leave them alone, that's kind and good for the environment.
Honestly you can leave them alone and they will leave you alone. One summer there was a wasp's nest in the electricity sub-station next to the bungalow.
I dreaded the thought of hundreds of wasps flying in through the windows, hassling me in the garden and bothering me when sitting in the sun with a cold drink. Because wasps like to get up close and personal as they're very curious.
But the opposite was true. They flew in and out of the grille in the sub-station and more or less avoided the garden and the bungalow. We had less wasps on the property that year than at any time previously.
Also they were polite and respectful. It was almost like they'd been told to behave and not to annoy us. Since that experience my attitude towards wasps has changed completely. I reckon they are more intelligent than we give them credit for. We should try to live in harmony with them, and be gentle and considerate, as indeed we should with many many other animals, who have as much right to live in the world as we do.
We shouldn't kill them just because we don't understand them. It's not like they are monsters or threatening our existence.
Honestly you can leave them alone and they will leave you alone. One summer there was a wasp's nest in the electricity sub-station next to the bungalow.
I dreaded the thought of hundreds of wasps flying in through the windows, hassling me in the garden and bothering me when sitting in the sun with a cold drink. Because wasps like to get up close and personal as they're very curious.
But the opposite was true. They flew in and out of the grille in the sub-station and more or less avoided the garden and the bungalow. We had less wasps on the property that year than at any time previously.
Also they were polite and respectful. It was almost like they'd been told to behave and not to annoy us. Since that experience my attitude towards wasps has changed completely. I reckon they are more intelligent than we give them credit for. We should try to live in harmony with them, and be gentle and considerate, as indeed we should with many many other animals, who have as much right to live in the world as we do.
We shouldn't kill them just because we don't understand them. It's not like they are monsters or threatening our existence.
I wonder if its a territorial instinct and a 'don't shit in your own back yard' mentality. Wasps from other colonies don't come near and wasps from that colony keep a low local profile so as not to piss the home owner off and destroy the nest.
I wish it was like that but I'm sure it isn't really
I wonder if its a territorial instinct and a 'don't shit in your own back yard' mentality. Wasps from other colonies don't come near and wasps from that colony keep a low local profile so as not to piss the home owner off and destroy the nest.
I wish it was like that but I'm sure it isn't really
I wondered that myself at the time. It certainly seems to be a reasonable explanation. There was an episode of Autumnwatch or Springwatch a couple of years ago where Chris Packham told the story of him having a wasp's nest in his bedroom. He left the window open a bit and they just flew in and out going about their business and ignored both him and his wife. Michaela was horrified and disbelieving but Chris swore it was true.
Honestly you can leave them alone and they will leave you alone. One summer there was a wasp's nest in the electricity sub-station next to the bungalow.
I dreaded the thought of hundreds of wasps flying in through the windows, hassling me in the garden and bothering me when sitting in the sun with a cold drink. Because wasps like to get up close and personal as they're very curious.
But the opposite was true. They flew in and out of the grille in the sub-station and more or less avoided the garden and the bungalow. We had less wasps on the property that year than at any time previously.
Also they were polite and respectful. It was almost like they'd been told to behave and not to annoy us. Since that experience my attitude towards wasps has changed completely. I reckon they are more intelligent than we give them credit for. We should try to live in harmony with them, and be gentle and considerate, as indeed we should with many many other animals, who have as much right to live in the world as we do.
We shouldn't kill them just because we don't understand them. It's not like they are monsters or threatening our existence.
Its just occurred to me that i have seen hardly any wasps this year, along with the dwindling honey bee numbers. Tons of bumbles though!
You won't see any wasps yet. They are too busy with their nests and feeding their queen and young. You won't see them till late summer when they leave the nest and look for rotting fruit to eat.
You won't see any wasps yet. They are too busy with their nests and feeding their queen and young. You won't see them till late summer when they leave the nest and look for rotting fruit to eat.
I have wasps in my garden but they are only busy munching on wood. I assume pulping it to make a nest somewhere?
Unless they are a genuine nuisance say (wasps) nesting above a baby's bedroom window or something, leave then alone.
Bee's I would leave alone anyway, they won't bother you if you don't bother them.
You won't see any wasps yet. They are too busy with their nests and feeding their queen and young. You won't see them till late summer when they leave the nest and look for rotting fruit to eat.
The might eat rotting fruit to a certain extent, but fruit ferments as it rots, which enables up to 15% of the fruit to be alcohol by volume. Fruit flies live on and around rotting fruit and alcohol is a natural part of their environment and diet. Wasps, on the other hand, have no such tolerance for alcohol and fruit flies utilize this advantage to combat wasps. They actually recognize wasps on sight.
The best way to deter wasps is to make them believe there is already another colony of wasps in the area. They are fiercely territorial and will attack other wasps invading their area. As a result, they are very wary of approaching when they see a nest that is not theirs. The simplest way to do this is to make a paper bag in the shape of a nest and hang it from a nearby branch or parasol (if you have one in your garden). Or if you have some spare cash, try Waspinator
I had a wasp nest in my garden a couple of years ago. They were a nuisance so had to resort to throwing boiling water over it. It took a few goes and obviously it was a case of throw & run and also wear clothing which will protect you in case anything goes wrong. Perhaps not the safest option but my council wouldn't come out for a wasp's nest and I was desperate!
If the wasps hadn't actually been preventing me from putting washing out on the line and hadn't kept coming into the house etc I'd have left them though. I'd say leave it unless the wasps are actually stopping you from doing your normal everyday jobs around the house.
It's still just a few weeks early (on average) before you would see a wasp nest in full-blown activity, so I would say, first, be sure that it's not just a bumblebee nest or honeybee nest that you're looking at. If it is bees, you can safely leave them alone because they are totally harmless.
OK, although its a bit early, it still could be a wasp nest. Like others have said, provided that it's not TOO close to the house, you could leave it alone, but if they're already becoming a nuisance, you ought to call in the pest controllers - either the council, or a private firm. I would advise against trying to exterminate the nest yourself, because wasps can become aggressive. If the nest is in the hedge, that means it's probably the "European Wasp" (they nest closer to the ground than the indigenous UK wasp, they're slightly bigger in size and a bit more aggressive in nature).
To address any ecological concerns: there are millions of wasp nests in the countryside, in forests, etc, which won't get destroyed. It's perfectly OK to want to preserve the ecology, but at the same time, not to want a wasp nest right up close to you. The total number of wasp nests exterminated by pest controllers is probably less than 1% of all nests, and there is no sign of wasps dying out as a result (although their numbers are still down, due to the rains of April-June 2012, and I think the winter floods of 2013-14 will also make this a low-wasp year? - We'll soon find out). Yes, of course wasps have their place in the natural balance of the ecology, but it's also a fact that wasps and human beings do not get along well, and that they are a pest to the human environment. In my opinion, you can, in all good conscience, eliminate a wasp nest that's too close for comfort, without having to worry about the overall effect on the ecology.
It's still just a few weeks early (on average) before you would see a wasp nest in full-blown activity, so I would say, first, be sure that it's not just a bumblebee nest or honeybee nest that you're looking at. If it is bees, you can safely leave them alone because they are totally harmless.
OK, although its a bit early, it still could be a wasp nest. Like others have said, provided that it's not TOO close to the house, you could leave it alone, but if they're already becoming a nuisance, you ought to call in the pest controllers - either the council, or a private firm. I would advise against trying to exterminate the nest yourself, because wasps can become aggressive. If the nest is in the hedge, that means it's probably the "European Wasp" (they nest closer to the ground than the indigenous UK wasp, they're slightly bigger in size and a bit more aggressive in nature).
To address any ecological concerns: there are millions of wasp nests in the countryside, in forests, etc, which won't get destroyed. It's perfectly OK to want to preserve the ecology, but at the same time, not to want a wasp nest right up close to you. The total number of wasp nests exterminated by pest controllers is probably less than 1% of all nests, and there is no sign of wasps dying out as a result (although their numbers are still down, due to the rains of April-June 2012, and I think the winter floods of 2013-14 will also make this a low-wasp year? - We'll soon find out). Yes, of course wasps have their place in the natural balance of the ecology, but it's also a fact that wasps and human beings do not get along well, and that they are a pest to the human environment. In my opinion, you can, in all good conscience, eliminate a wasp nest that's too close for comfort, without having to worry about the overall effect on the ecology.
providing it is a wasps nest and not a swarm of bees.
The OP hasn't been back to update us unfortunately.
Comments
Thanks for the tips.
All I can see at the moment is a swarm of them settled onto a branch each crawling over each other.
Wear thick protective clothing and cover your hands and face - wear goggles. Have an unobstructed escape route.
Other methods include knocking the nest into a bucket of water (boiling if possible) and keeping it held under.
[*]Advice is not to shine a white light as they'll approach it, use none or a red coloured light if you must.
Are you sure that they are wasps and not bees? If they are bees a local beekeeper may well come and collect them.
That's what I did when I got one last year. They haven't come back.
My husband used to build bird boxes and we had a wasp nest in one, sat under it all summer and never got stung, just leave them alone.
this, wasps don't swarm so its going to be honey bees. Count yourself lucky, I've only seen a handful this year. Don't kill them!!!
they're following a queen bee so as soon as she flies off they'll follow her. They wont attack you unless you disturb them
This happens when bees in a hive (or tree or other suitable spot) outgrows its hive. There are too many bees to occupy the space. This is usually the sign of a healthy and productive hive. The old queen takes all the flying bees off to find a new location for a hive - sometimes a beekeeper hears about it and will come and pop the bees in a box (seriously) and take them off to a new hive. The old bees will be in the process of raising a new queen or queens and she will take over the hive.
No other flying insect swarms like this, not wasps, bumblebees, hornets, etc.
When bees are hanging in a tree like that, they've got the queen safely protected in the centre of the cluster of bees and they are sending out scout bees (really) to find suitable new accommodation that will be safer and more protected than the branches they're hanging off.
They will disappear in a few hours or at most a few days. They are relatively docile when swarming because they've filled up with honey to sustain them till the next hive. They're scary to look at but not dangerous. Just leave them alone and they'll go. Alternatively, Google "beekeeper swarms your-county or nearest big town" - for eg: beekeeper swarms hampshire and you'll be able to find the local beekeeping association and probably someone who will come out and collect a swarm. They're vital for a healthy environment and insects generally are declining.
If you have to kill / destroy a wasps nest, buy a wasp specific product from a garden centre or a hardware or country store. Follow the instructions but generally you wait until dark which is when all the wasps are in the nest and, standing well back, squirt the insecticide into the nest. Then beat a hasty retreat and leave for a day or two - or whatever it says in the instructions.
Wasps can be aggressive but even so, wasps have their place in the insect world so if you can leave them alone, that's kind and good for the environment.
Why do you wish to kill them
I dreaded the thought of hundreds of wasps flying in through the windows, hassling me in the garden and bothering me when sitting in the sun with a cold drink. Because wasps like to get up close and personal as they're very curious.
But the opposite was true. They flew in and out of the grille in the sub-station and more or less avoided the garden and the bungalow. We had less wasps on the property that year than at any time previously.
Also they were polite and respectful. It was almost like they'd been told to behave and not to annoy us. Since that experience my attitude towards wasps has changed completely. I reckon they are more intelligent than we give them credit for. We should try to live in harmony with them, and be gentle and considerate, as indeed we should with many many other animals, who have as much right to live in the world as we do.
We shouldn't kill them just because we don't understand them. It's not like they are monsters or threatening our existence.
I wonder if its a territorial instinct and a 'don't shit in your own back yard' mentality. Wasps from other colonies don't come near and wasps from that colony keep a low local profile so as not to piss the home owner off and destroy the nest.
I wish it was like that but I'm sure it isn't really
I wondered that myself at the time. It certainly seems to be a reasonable explanation. There was an episode of Autumnwatch or Springwatch a couple of years ago where Chris Packham told the story of him having a wasp's nest in his bedroom. He left the window open a bit and they just flew in and out going about their business and ignored both him and his wife. Michaela was horrified and disbelieving but Chris swore it was true.
I love this post!
You won't see any wasps yet. They are too busy with their nests and feeding their queen and young. You won't see them till late summer when they leave the nest and look for rotting fruit to eat.
I have a wasps nest in my garden shed and this is exactly what I am going to do.
I scream a bit when I open the shed and get bombarded by angry wasps (I am female), but I wouldn't want to harm them.
I have wasps in my garden but they are only busy munching on wood. I assume pulping it to make a nest somewhere?
Unless they are a genuine nuisance say (wasps) nesting above a baby's bedroom window or something, leave then alone.
Bee's I would leave alone anyway, they won't bother you if you don't bother them.
The might eat rotting fruit to a certain extent, but fruit ferments as it rots, which enables up to 15% of the fruit to be alcohol by volume. Fruit flies live on and around rotting fruit and alcohol is a natural part of their environment and diet. Wasps, on the other hand, have no such tolerance for alcohol and fruit flies utilize this advantage to combat wasps. They actually recognize wasps on sight.
The best way to deter wasps is to make them believe there is already another colony of wasps in the area. They are fiercely territorial and will attack other wasps invading their area. As a result, they are very wary of approaching when they see a nest that is not theirs. The simplest way to do this is to make a paper bag in the shape of a nest and hang it from a nearby branch or parasol (if you have one in your garden). Or if you have some spare cash, try Waspinator
If the wasps hadn't actually been preventing me from putting washing out on the line and hadn't kept coming into the house etc I'd have left them though. I'd say leave it unless the wasps are actually stopping you from doing your normal everyday jobs around the house.
OK, although its a bit early, it still could be a wasp nest. Like others have said, provided that it's not TOO close to the house, you could leave it alone, but if they're already becoming a nuisance, you ought to call in the pest controllers - either the council, or a private firm. I would advise against trying to exterminate the nest yourself, because wasps can become aggressive. If the nest is in the hedge, that means it's probably the "European Wasp" (they nest closer to the ground than the indigenous UK wasp, they're slightly bigger in size and a bit more aggressive in nature).
To address any ecological concerns: there are millions of wasp nests in the countryside, in forests, etc, which won't get destroyed. It's perfectly OK to want to preserve the ecology, but at the same time, not to want a wasp nest right up close to you. The total number of wasp nests exterminated by pest controllers is probably less than 1% of all nests, and there is no sign of wasps dying out as a result (although their numbers are still down, due to the rains of April-June 2012, and I think the winter floods of 2013-14 will also make this a low-wasp year? - We'll soon find out). Yes, of course wasps have their place in the natural balance of the ecology, but it's also a fact that wasps and human beings do not get along well, and that they are a pest to the human environment. In my opinion, you can, in all good conscience, eliminate a wasp nest that's too close for comfort, without having to worry about the overall effect on the ecology.
providing it is a wasps nest and not a swarm of bees.
The OP hasn't been back to update us unfortunately.
Well I hope they made sure either way and haven't gone out and destroyed a bee colony.