Wasps
Wasps are bee-sized insects with yellow and black bands. If very large, they may be queens, hornets or what are now commonly called European wasps.
The queen wasp starts a new nest in late spring by chewing small amounts of wood to create a papery material. Later, when the young wasps develop into female workers, the queen will remain in the nest to produce more offspring, and the nest will increase in size.
The nest may be in a roof space, hanging in a tree, shrub or in the eaves, in an air vent, or in the ground. In late summer/autumn, the workers and males die leaving only the queens who look for shelter to spend the winter and then set up new nest sites in the next year. Old nests are not reused and when dead can be carefully removed by knocking them into a bin liner and then be disposed of in your normal waste bin.
Treatment for wasps
It is a great shame to destroy wasps nests, as wasps are beneficial in the role of predators on other insects.
If you encourage children to observe wasps nest activity you may avoid a fear of wasps. Any panic shown is much more likely to produce an unwanted reaction by the wasp.
If however the location of a wasps nest makes normal life difficult, for example, the nest is very close to a door, it may be necessary to have the nest destroyed. If you decide to treat the nest yourself, there are some products available on the open market, which should always be used with caution. REMEMBER - Be extremely careful when treating wasp nests.
Dead nests can simply be knocked into a bin liner and disposed of in your normal waste bin.
Unfortunately the council is unable to offer a pest control service due to budget constraints. Many private contractors offer pest control treatments (although we cannot recommend contractors). You can find a pest control treatment by searching a local business directory, such as Yell.com or Thomson Local .
Last reviewed: 14 - 07 - 2011