How to get rid of wasps

Are you wondering how to get rid of wasps? Then you’re not alone. Wasps are one of the most complained about pests in the UK, with these winged insects causing stress and worry for many property owners. Humans tend to find the presence of wasps highly troubling due to the way they can consume our food and sting us. To find out what you can do to overcome problems with wasps, read on.

What exactly are wasps?

The UK is home to more than 7,000 species of wasps. Wasps are closely related to bees and are carnivorous, not vegetarian. Most wasps are regarded as ‘solitary’. This means the females mate before creating small nests in which they lay eggs before they die. Solitary wasps fill their nest cells with insects, spiders and grubs. These kinds of wasps are unlikely to sting you.

However, some wasp species are ‘social’ rather than ‘solitary’. These wasps make large nests which are headed by a queen, who remains in the nest laying eggs. However, the queen’s workers head away from the nest to collect insect food including caterpillars and grubs. The grubs provide the workers with a sugar solution to drink. The wasps that are likely to irritate you, sting you and lay on your food are social wasps. These wasps are likely to sting if they feel their nest is under threat or you get too close to them. Killing a social wasp can harm you. If you threaten to kill a wasp or actually do so, the wasp will release pheromones. The other wasps will respond to this and may come to attack you. Keep reading to learn how to get rid of wasps. 

Specialist wasp nest removal

If you do find a wasps nest in your garden, you may decide to have it removed. The vast majority of nests are found during the late summer period when the nest is already beginning to die down and the queen is no longer laying eggs. Making a bees’ nests for wasps’ nests isn’t uncommon. However, bees don’t tend to cause as much harm to humans as wasps, which is why most people opt to tolerate their nests. Bees’ nests also tend to be smaller and don’t last for as long.

Many people who discover wasps’ nests and decide to remove them call the professionals in to avoid causing bigger problems for themselves. If you don’t have any experience in this area, you could be attacked. It can be very dangerous to attempt to remove a wasp nest yourself, so it’s always best to leave things to the professionals. Specialist wasp removers can verify whether the insects you’re dealing with are actually wasps. They can use a special insecticide to help you overcome your problem. If an insecticide isn’t used carefully by an experienced professional, it could cause harm to the other wildlife in your garden. It can also stay in your soil for months.

Deter wasps from your property 

There are a number of things you can do to deter wasps from your property. For example, you could try growing strong scented plants. Smells that can discourage wasps include fresh mint, tomato stems, ground coffee and cloves. These scents can actually stop wasps from venturing into your garden. Avoiding bright colours in your garden is another way to keep wasps at bay. Although a hard call to make if you enjoy your garden bursting with colour in the summer, giving bright flowers a miss can help can make your outside space less appealing to them. Switch off any outside lights too since they can attract wasps. 

If you’re having a barbecue in the garden, do not leave it unattended. Barbecue food tends to attract wasps as they can take the meat back to their nests to feed grubs, which provide them with sugary treats in return. It’s also wise to avoid wearing sweet-scented perfume when you’re in your garden as this can attract wasps. 

Are there any benefits to wasps for humans?

Wasps can actually benefit humans due to the way they control other pests. During the warmer months of the year, they look around gardens for caterpillars and other insects that they can take to their nests. Wasps actually help gardeners due to their pest control capabilities. If wasps didn’t come into your garden, it’s likely that you would have a much greater number of insect pests to manage. These pests could damage your plants and reduce the size of your vegetable harvests. Another benefit of having wasps in your garden is that they can pollinate certain flowers.

When do wasps become a problem?

Wasps tend to cause more problems in the late summer when there are no grubs for them to feed. As there are no new grubs at this time of year, they suddenly find themselves without a job and don’t receive their sugary rewards for feeding the grubs. They start looking for alternatives around August when the queen has stopped laying eggs and they lose their sugar supply. This means they can start looking for human treats like fizzy drinks, ice cream and fruit. They may also look for fruit on trees that has started to ferment and now contains alcohol. The presence of alcohol in their systems can cause them to behave badly. It’s also worth remembering that some wasps can sting even if you don’t provoke them first. Furthermore, multiple stings can be threatening to life.

Who can help with pest control in Doncaster?

If you have been wondering how to get rid of wasps and are looking for help with wasp removals in Doncaster, contact Topline today. At Topline, we have many years of wasp removal experience to draw upon. We have access to powerful tools which can help you overcome your problem. Our fully trained technicians can remove wasp nests both safely and effectively. We’re waiting to hear from you if you need help with pest control in Doncaster.

Contact us

Why wait any longer to get in touch if you do need help with wasp removal in Doncaster? You can reach us today by completing the form on our website or by giving us a call on 01302 969049. We will get back to you as quickly as we possibly can.