Wasps are classified under the order Hymenoptera, which means membraneous wings. All the stinging insects belong to this group and they are a highly evolved group of insects. There are a number of Wasps that live in Wasps nests in the UK. They all have complex social structures and ways of doing things. However they all share a common aim to survive as a species.

Large, conspicuous buzzing insects with yellow and black striped, wasp-waisted bodies, which are 10-15mm long. They have a sweet tooth at one end and a painful sting at the other.

The queen wasp is larger than normal wasps (about 20mm) and she hibernates over winter, making a nest in the spring in which to lay her eggs. She feeds the grubs on insects until they develop into worker wasps, three to four weeks later. Workers, all sterile females, forage for over a mile in search of food. At the end of the year when the colder air arrives, and any fruit that has been edible starts to perish quickly, wasps start to starve as food becomes increasingly hard to find. The adult worker wasps start to die off and the new queen wasps go into hibernation, and emerge in the spring to start the process again, building completely brand new nests. One nest may produce 30,000 wasps in a year.

How to get rid of wasps?

Treating a wasp nest can be very dangerous. Wasps inside the nest will feel threatened and often become aggressive. This could cause them to sting you and others as they defend their nest and young.

To get rid of wasps you do ‘not’ need to remove the nest, but you do need to treat it. For treating a wasp nest make sure you use a trained professional for safety reasons. Therefore we strongly recommend you contact a professional pest control company, preferably a member of the BPCA.
A trained professional will have the technical knowledge and access to a range of professional use insecticides which are not available to the public.

Even if you think your Wasps nest is in an inaccessible height, professional pest control companies will have the tool to reach and treat the nest.