Around your house wasps will build a nest in a roof space, or in a void under roof tiles, in a soffit, or any place that affords them protection. There will be a hole, sometimes more than one, where the wasps are going in and out, this is a sign that you have an active wasp nest nearby. In the garden they could be in an underground nest and wasps have excavated a hole in the ground, or perhaps in an old rotten tree or log. Sometimes, in a bush or under stones around a shrubbery or pond. Free hanging wasps nest in the recognisable shape of a cone aren't that all that common, but can be seen in trees or high on the side of a building. 

What we do: wasp nest destruction by applying an insecticide powder into the hole the wasps are using. Or, if the nest is visible, by dusting directly into it. Where the nest is in an inaccessible area, it's okay to leave it. Wasps don't reuse nests, even if they aren't treated. If the hole is in a roof space, then a survey of the attic or loft will be required, to ensure that there isn't anything else in your roof that could be harmed. Wasp traps are also available to remove wasps foraging around outdoor areas.

For one nest is £55 - multiple nests at the same location will be discounted. The current record is one house with 6 wasps nests and 1 hornets nest.

Lifecycle: Queen wasps hibernate over the winter to emerge in spring and, depending on the species, choose a suitable site to start the new nest. Old wasp nests from previous years are not used again although it has been known for the Queen to start her new nest adjacent to or ‘within’ an old nest. In addition, it is possible for several Queens who survived the winter – normally all from the same previous nest – to start construction of their new nests in close proximity to each other. The queens start off by collecting wood which they then chew up with their saliva to make a kind of paper mache or wood pulp to begin forming a nest. They lay eggs that once hatched, further expand the nest and allow the queen to lay more eggs. The nest can grow to quite a large size depending on food availability, with up to 10,000 individuals, but most only hold around 6,000(!). Once all the larvae have hatched out and the Queen stops laying more, usually towards the end of the summer, the workers don't have any more food (which is produced for them by the larvae), so they are starving. This is the time when they want to join everyone enjoying outdoor food and drink. Foraging wasps like this are troublesome, but there are very effective traps available that can dramatically reduce their numbers.