Lots of wasps and can't find the source (1 Viewer)

Hello everyone, I have been searching for an answer to my question and came across this forum. There is loads of great advice so I'm hoping you may be able to help with my query (and apologies for turning up as a newbie with a question straight away!).

For the last 4 summers (since I started to live in this house) every year around August - October we have had a problem with wasps. There are loads of them in the back garden. More than you would expect and they are a real nuisance.

Around this time of year my 2 year old can't play in the garden, we can't sit in it and you can't have the bedroom windows open. They are particularly nasty and being constantly divebombed by angry wasps is not fun. Once again today I have had to hurridly peg the washing out (I'm also pregnant) and rush my little girl in as there were loads of them, and even in that space of time we ended up with one in the house to try and get rid of.

But the problem is we can't find where they are coming from. Initially they seemed to be coming out of the holes where the scaffolding had been (new house) but I had that bit treated and then the next summer they were back.

My other half is going to have a look and see if he can find them when he gets home but is there anything else I can do? I know that a lot of people say they should be left alone but they really are making our summer a bit miserable!

Thanks

Nikki

Firstly, I don't mean to insult your intelligence, but are you sure they're wasps? Have you been stung? There are often reports of 'wasp invasions' but when pictures or specimens are seen they turn out to be hoverflies, some of which mimic the colouring of wasps. Often at this time of year we get large influxes of them from the continent. My garden's full of them.

If they are wasps, in built up areas the commonest place for them to build nests is in roof-spaces such as attics or in outbuildings. The entrances to such nests are usually along the gutter line, under the tiles. The nest may not be on your property but several houses away. Other than that, depending on the species, nests may be underground or hung in bushes/hedges.

If there is a real danger to yourself and children, your only course of action is to contact a pest control company. Not what some would want to hear, but sometimes there is no choice. Besides that, the only other thing you can do is use a 'diversion'. This means leaving something like a dish of jam at the bottom of the garden and the wasps may concentrate their foraging here instead of near the house.

Many thanks for your reply. We are sure that they are wasps as we also have lots of hover flies but the wasps are much much bigger, and just look different (like wasps - that sounds daft but I can't think how to explain it, we are sure though). I have not been stung for a while but through luck more than anything I think (and the fact that I'm so paranoid about being stung whilst pregnant)!

Interesting what you say about nests often being along the gutterlines and near roof tiles as we see them a lot flying quite high near our bedroom windows and then down into the garden so will check there too.

We did also wonder about next door (or possible the garages) but he seemed to think not, will check again though.

I think the jam suggestion would be a good one but for the fact that our garden isn't that big so I'm not sure how it would work in reality.

Will check tonight and see if we can find the source. Once again thank you for your reply, really helpful.

The fear of being stung is often far greater than the actual chance of being stung. You have to understand that a wasps world is dominated by smell. So to a wasp, a human with all the associated smells of food or perfumes or deodorants has the same affect on them as it does to us when we pass a deli, bakers or fish'n'chip shop. To a wasp we're all those rolled into one and mixed with garbage and beer! (I know you're thinking 'speak for yourself'). I believe in the US some chemicals are prohibited for use in perfumes/deodorants because they mimic chemicals in wasp pheromones - thereby attracting the wasps. It's only when they visit this 'human supermarket' and get swatted away that they usually become aggressive. Who wouldn't?

I could go on to mention antibacterial chemicals that we produce which are also thought attractive to wasps, but I think I better stop there!

Tia's_Mummy,

One way of locating a wasps nest is to buy a very small piece of white fish, on ounce or two will suffice. Cut in into very small pieces the size of a piece of long grain rice and put them out in your garden on one place. (try and keep them out of site of birds). After a while a wasp will find the place and will pick up a piece and fly off to it's nest. Being white the small piece of fish is visible over several yards. Once you loose sight of it move to the place it was when you last saw it.

After a few minutes the wasp will return to collect more. Once you see the small dot of white moving through the air, follow it again and keep repeating until you are eventually led to the nest.

White fish is very acceptable to wasps who will use the flesh to feed their larva. The small pieces are light enough for the wasp to carry and it doesn't have to cut the flesh up itself, the wasp will return time and time again until all the fish is gone. The smell of the fish is what attracts them to the place you laid the fish pieced down.

It's an old trick, but one that works. It will only be good for another month or so, after that the colonies break up, and the workers go after fruit and other sweet foods that will keep them alive until they die of old age, or the frosts get them.

Harry