Common Wasps

About the Pest

What do they look like?

10-20mm in size with a definite waist, yellow and black markings and a distinctive droning sound made by its wings, the common wasp is unmistakable.

What are their habits?

In spring, large queens can be seen emerging from over-wintering, lazily flying around windows, gutters and soffet boards in search of a suitable nest location and hunting for an insect meal
Not all nests are round. These can be any shape with flat ones occurring under tiles or in wall cavities which can spread some distance
Other nest locations may be in ventilation bricks, holes in the ground or trees and in loft spaces and garages
Nests are only used for one season. If conditions are right other nests may be built in close proximity in following years.

How do they breed?

The queen carries thousands of fertilized eggs and builds a golf ball sized nest by mixing chewed wood or paper with saliva to house about 20 cones in which eggs are laid and larvae develop
The queen hunts insects to feed the larvae
Egg to adult development takes approximately 6 weeks – this may be less during warm summers
The fully matured adult takes on the role of sterile worker and provides for the development and expansion of the nest whilst the queen assumes the role of egg-laying
Larval cells are used twice and the nest size gradually expands
3-5,000 wasps may be associated with a big nest by the end of summer and what was initially a golf ball size, if left untreated, would be bigger than a football
In late summer/early autumn, the queen produces males and young queens. These mate and from late autumn with the onset of cold weather the colony dies except for the new young queens which are commonly seen flying around in search of a place to spend the winter
Queens only live for one year.

Danger Signs

Regular and repeat wasp flights passing into a building or hole indicate that there is likely to be a wasp nest
In spring, if an egg coloured, egg sized object hanging from a beam or tiles is observed in a garage or loft, this is likely to be the first stage of a wasp nest
Later in the season, a football sized beige coloured form in the eaves of a roof may be a more developed nest
Wasps repeatedly found on the floor in an upstairs room where no windows have been open, or workers descending via ceiling light fittings indicate a strong likelihood of a nest in the roof void
Where wasps are present, always proceed with caution. Agitated wasps can give a nasty sting producing varying degrees of allergic reaction.

Problems and Business Consequences

If a nest is adjacent to a building, wasps could become a nuisance causing risk of injury to staff, customers and the public. This could result in absenteeism, acute allergic reaction and hospitalization depending on the sensitivity of the individual
If a nest is likely to put people at risk of being stung, due diligence should be taken to avoid personal injury, loss of business or even possible claims against a business

If wasps are seen close to a property or vulnerable area, inspect to see if there are signs of regular wasp traffic in and out of the same hole or entry point. If this is not evident, it is likely there is no nest present
Ensure that windows are not left open with lights on overnight as wasps are drawn to the lights
If a nest is found, call a professional pest control company. Do not attempt to treat this yourself as wasp reactions can be unpredictable and angry and they can inflict multiple stings
Exercise extreme caution around nests in the ground. These wasps tend to be proactively aggressive and will readily leave the nest to attack and pursue people quite some distance, even without provocation.

Cannon Pest Control’s team of BPCA qualified staff are available across the UK to give expert advice, assess risk and recommend, supply or administer suitable control treatments.