Wasp nests
Where Nests Hide in a Brook-Side Garden
Common wasps build in dry, sheltered cavities, and a garden that backs onto the brook has a lot of them at its far end. The band of green that brings rats and foxes up the garden, the subject of Pest Control Whetstone, also gives wasps nest sites and a steady supply of insects to feed their grubs.
Thick back hedges
Privet, laurel, beech and hawthorn along the back boundary grow dense at the base and in the middle, and a nest can sit inside for months without being seen from the lawn. The first clue is usually wasps flying low and straight into one point of the hedge. Where wasps build nests lists other favourite spots.
Trees, bird boxes and woodpiles
Old trees with hollows, a bird box the birds ignored, a log stack or a heap of cut branches left at the end of the garden all give a queen the shelter she wants. Nests in trees can be well above head height, which matters when it comes to reaching them.
Banks and ground nests
Wasps also nest underground, often in an old mouse or vole hole. A sloping garden or a grassy bank near the bottom fence is a likely place, and the entrance is simply a small hole with wasps flying straight in and out. What to do about a ground nest explains how to keep people clear of it.
The Hedge-Cutting Risk in Late Summer
In Whetstone the likeliest moment to find a nest by accident is when the back hedge gets its late-summer trim. A hedge trimmer or strimmer running into a nest in August can bring out a great many wasps at once, because by then the colony is at its largest and most defensive; why wasps are more aggressive in late summer explains the change.
- Before cutting, stand back on a warm afternoon and watch the hedge for ten minutes
- Look for a steady line of wasps using one point, not a few feeding on flowers
- If you find one, stop and leave that stretch uncut until it has been treated
- Tell whoever cuts the hedge, whether that is a gardener or the neighbour on the other side
What to Do While You Wait
- Keep children, pets and the lawnmower away from the nest and the line the wasps fly
- Do not block the entrance or pour anything into a ground nest
- Do not try to cut a nest out of a hedge or knock it down from a tree
- If someone is stung and shows signs of a severe allergic reaction, call 999; for milder reactions, speak to a pharmacist
Not every busy hedge is a wasp nest. Telling wasps from bees helps if you are unsure, since bumblebees also nest in banks and hedge bottoms. Winged insects pouring from a patio joint for one humid afternoon are flying ants.
Booking a Wasp Visit in N20
When you book, say whether the nest is in the hedge, a tree, the ground or on the house, roughly how high it is, and how the technician gets to the bottom of the garden: through a side gate, a garage or the house. If the hedge is shared, say which side the entrance faces. Afterwards wasps may keep flying round the entrance for a while, so keep people back and leave the spot alone; should the nest still be busy within 30 days, tell us and we come back at no extra cost. How long wasp treatment takes to work explains what to expect.
The House as Well as the Garden
Not every Whetstone nest is at the bottom of the garden. The interwar semis have long runs of eaves and soffit, and the older cottages have gaps under tiles and round old timber, and nests turn up in both. A wasp nest in the loft covers that case. A hole at the roof edge that grows wider, with heavy scrabbling at first light, points to a squirrel rather than wasps. For nests anywhere in the borough, see Wasp Nest Removal Barnet.
