What to best do about wasps nesting in outside wall?

[jameslpool]

Hi, I live in a fairly new build home.

Last year we noticed wasps coming and going to a hole that’s in the wall outside, i think the hole is from where they probably put in the cavity wall insulation. there are a few of these holes but from what i can see all are filled in apart from one which is where we had seen wasps coming and going through the hole.

As it got to the winter they obviously died off and didn't think much more of it, in the last 2 days though we have seen wasps coming and going again from the same hole, last year, sometimes it seemed like the wasps themselves actually covered the inside of the hole so to stop anything coming in as sometimes it looked like a hole then other times if looked filled in lol.

Anyway, I’m assuming another queen is in there and are either in the process of making a nest, or would they just use the one that was there from last year?

How am i best getting rid of them? i was wondered if just filling the hole in would do the job but i read that if you fill the hole in with them in there, they can get a bit annoyed and if they manage to get in the inside of the house they could attack.

Am i best just getting a wasp control company to deal with them, I’ve read that about £30-£40 seems the going rate for them to get rid of them, do they literally just die inside the cavity or will they fill the hole in or do i just fill that in once they have done their job?

Any advice on the best thing to do would be great.

James

 

[conny]

Be careful as they may be masonry bees and I think ALL bees are protected.. Masonry bees tend to be solitary creatures so if you are seeing a number using the same hole they probably are wasps and I would advise calling in a pest control company as if left alone they can eventually cause a lot of damage to the structure. If you try to block the holes they will just find another way out.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Just wait until they have all gone later in the year and then block the hole up. I read they tend to use the same nesting location year after year.

 

[Mottie]

I had that about 15 years ago when I started seeing wasps coming and going through one of my air vents. I phoned the local council and they said they would have to charge for it but said I could go and buy some wasp powder and spray it on the vent. I did this and the wasps carried the poison into the nest and within hours they were all gone. The next year I had to take my downstairs floor up to do some wiring and there underneath my floorboards was the beginning of a nest. They’ve never been back.

 

[mattylad]

Get some ant powder from your local supermarket etc.
In the evening when they are more docile, spray it into the hole (don't breath it in) and they will carry it into the nest.
This will kill them all very quickly.

Total cost = <£3

Get a pest control company, they do the same.
Total cost = >£50

DIY.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1. They may well be mason bees - yes they are solitary as adults, but they are born en masse, and the males, who are born nearer the exit, will hang around waiting for females to cop off with, and are known to enter the hest to drag females out. Find out before you just go killing them.
2. A bit early in the year for wasps, I think.
   
3. Get an expert to identify them, or capture one so that you can look at it properly and compare with photos. Don't just kill them "in case they are wasps". And even if they are wasps, think whether you really do need to kill them if they aren't getting into the house in large numbers.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I read they tend to use the same nesting location year after year.

Wasps don't, AFAIK.

 

[^woody^]

Try putting some fake door numbers near the hole, to fool them that they are coming back to the wrong address.

 

[SammyInnit]

Be careful as they may be masonry bees and I think ALL bees are protected

They're not but in any case bees don't tend to bee much of a problem so better to just leave them for the season and they'll buzz off on their own.

https://bpca.org.uk/pest-aware/Page-2/bee-control-how-to-get-rid-of-bees-bpca-a-z-of-pests/189185