Wasps - Britain’s most annoying BBQ guest

Wasps or their scientific name, Hymenoptera, a brightly banded black and yellow, two winged insect. Among the UK there are seven different types of wasps, the common wasp Vespula Vulgaris and the German wasp Vespula Germanica. Both these types of wasps are able to impact cavity walls through digging their nests underground and into the walls of buildings. 

A Natural Pest Control

Although, wasps can annoy any BBQ's that are happening during the warmer months. Wasps are actually critical in keeping the Eco-system balanced. Not having wasps in the world would mean we’d be overrun by spiders and other insects. Social wasps within the UK capture an estimated 14 million kilogrammes of insect prey per year - including caterpillars and greenfly to fed their young. Wasps also help with pollination - like bees, they pollinate plants and flowers as they feed on nectar.

Solitary wasps are also a ‘helpful’ parasite, helping to dispose of many agricultural pests.  Wasps are able to use whiteflies by laying their eggs into the host, helping to lower and effectively control the population of insects that can be harmful to crops. 

A Wasps’ Sting

A wasp’s sting can be frightening, unlike the bee a wasps’ sting can be used repeatedly. At the base of the wasp’s stinger is a venom-containing sac, the wasps will squeeze this sac and deliver their venom. A wasps’ sting contains a pheromone which can act as an alarm to other wasps in the area and encourage them to join in. 

Everyone reacts differently to a sting, some are hardly affected, with others suffering from pain or swelling. However in extremely rare cases, individuals can suffer from a serious allergic reaction  which can result in anaphylactic shock. 

If you do find yourself stung by a wasp, the sting is not acidic and therefore alkali will not affect the area at all but here are a few methods can help with a painful attack: 

Wasps in the Home

After hibernation in the spring, the fertilised female queen wasp looks for a suitable nesting area  to start a new colony. The wasp will often find an entry point to your home through a cavity in the loft, in the garden shed or garage. 

The time of the year will determine how far along the nest has been established. In the early spring, a wasps' nest can be as small as a golf ball. However, come summer the nest can be as big as a beach ball. The larger the wasps nest the more wasps there will be. Therefore it’s important to call in a professional pest control company to dispose of the nest. 

The Disposal of a Wasps’ Nest   

If a wasp does burrow into your home and cause havoc, it is important to stay calm and do not panic. The removal of a wasps’ home is a pest technician's job and there are many companies that carry out wasp pest control. Wasps nests can affect commercial property too so it’s essential to remove a wasps’ nest in any commercial area to avoid affecting business and not cause upset to your customers.

Highly populated cities often have to deal with pest control issues - With houses built close together it often results in these unwanted house guests making themselves very comfortable quickly. This can range from mouse infestation to a large wasps nest – both of which are hard to deal with yourself so leaving a professional to deal with your pest infestation is always best practice. 

Removing a wasps’ nest yourself is not advised and should only be done by a professional. With the wasp stinging you to defend themselves, 30 or 40 stings could cause serious harm. If you are worried about a wasps' nest growing in your house, a quick phone call to an emergency pest control service will be able to help you. 

If you are looking for the best pest control in London, there are several companies that carry out rat, mouse, bed bug, flea, cockroach and wasp pest control. London is one of the most highly populated areas and it’s continuing to rise - with it’s population set to reach 9.8 million by 2025, the growth in mice, rats, wasps and bed bugs is also set to rise. Services in London are able to deal with the growing problem and help to deal with the pest exterminating process.