Wasp nests
Where Wasps Nest Around Colindale Blocks
A queen wants a dry, sheltered hollow close to wood she can chew for the nest. Modern blocks have less of that than older houses, but they are not without it. Where wasps build nests covers the general list; in Colindale the likely places are these.
Balconies and the corner above
The underside of the balcony above yours, the gap where a balcony meets the façade, and anything stored and left alone on the balcony itself, such as a folded parasol, a storage box, an unused barbecue cover or stacked chairs, can all shelter a nest. Lift covers and open boxes carefully in late spring, before a nest has had time to grow. Because you step out onto it every day, a balcony nest usually gets noticed early, when it is still small.
Roof terraces and planters
Shared roof terraces and large planters are warm, quiet during the working week and full of loose soil and timber. Wasps nest under timber planter edges, in the gaps behind raised beds and occasionally inside a planter itself.
Courtyard beds and the ground
Newly landscaped courtyards have soft soil and bark mulch where wasps can take over an old burrow and nest underground. A wasp nest in the ground explains what to do; keep children and dogs away from the hole, and tell the managing agent, since the courtyard is communal.
Vents and gaps in the walls
Wasps sometimes use a gap around an extract vent or a pipe on the outside wall to reach a cavity. Whether wasps can nest inside walls covers what that looks like from indoors.
Checking It Is a Nest
Watch from inside with the balcony door shut. A nest shows as a steady stream of wasps using one gap, not a few wasps drifting round a drink on the table. Note where the entrance is and how high, because in a block that decides how it can be reached. The signs of a nest will help. A swarm rising from the paving on one humid afternoon is more likely flying ants.
- Keep the balcony door and nearby windows shut on the side with the nest
- Do not spray or block the entrance, since trapped wasps look for another way out, sometimes indoors
- Do not lean out over a balcony rail to reach a nest
- Anyone who has reacted badly to a sting before should stay well away; call 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction
Booking Wasp Nest Removal in a Block
When you book, tell us your floor, where the nest is, and whether it can be reached from your own balcony or terrace. If it is on the façade, a roof area or communal planting, the managing agent may need to arrange access first. Late in the season wasps are at their most defensive, as why wasps are more aggressive in late summer explains, so do not leave it.
Wasps can keep flying around the entrance for a while after the visit, so keep that door shut. If the nest is still active within 30 days, we come back at no extra cost. Will wasps return? explains what to expect.
Fewer Nests Next Summer
In spring, look under balcony furniture and inside storage boxes for a small grey paper ball, and call rather than knocking it down. Keep bins shut and do not leave sweet drinks or fruit on balcony tables. Spiders that build webs in the same corners are a separate matter, covered by spider control in Colindale, and wasps across the borough are covered by Wasp Nest Removal Barnet.
