Does a wasp nest need removing, or will it die off?

Where winters are cold, common wasps use a nest for one season. As the weather turns, the workers die off, the new queens leave to spend the winter somewhere sheltered, and the old nest is not used again. If the nest is out of the way and nobody at home reacts badly to stings, waiting it out is a reasonable choice.

“Out of the way” is the key part. A nest by a door, a window you open, a play area or with a route into your rooms is a different story.

When you can leave it

• It is away from doors, windows you open, paths, bins and where children play.
• Wasps are not getting into your rooms.
• Nobody in the home has had a serious reaction to a sting.
• It is late in the season, so the nest has weeks left rather than months.

A nest in a roof space with no way into the rooms below often fits here. The crackling you hear is usually the wasps scraping and chewing as they build. It sounds alarming, and it is fine to be fed up with it, but if they cannot reach you, the cold will usually finish the job.

When to get a professional

• The nest is near a door, window, path or play area.
• Wasps are coming into rooms through a light fitting, vent, loft hatch or gap. See wasps keep getting into my bedroom.
• Someone at home is allergic to stings, or there are young children or pets who might disturb it.
• It is early in the season, so the nest will keep growing for months.
• You are not sure whether they are wasps or bees.

Ask the company how they will treat it, whether they need to get into the roof, what you should do afterwards and whether a return visit is included. In some areas the council runs a pest service that covers wasps, sometimes for a fee. In a shared building, see wasp nest in a shared building: whose job is it?

Why not to tackle it yourself

Wasps defend their nest. Hitting it, spraying into it or poking it brings a lot of them out at once, and a ladder or a loft hatch is a bad place to be when that happens. Do not knock it down, burn it or flood it.

And do not block the entrance while the nest is active. Wasps that cannot get out of a roof or wall look for another way, and that way can be into your home.

Stings and allergies: if someone who has been stung gets swelling of the face, lips or throat, has trouble breathing or feels faint, call emergency services straight away. For an ordinary sting with pain and swelling, a pharmacist can advise. Keep children and pets well away from the nest.

Wasps or bees?

Wasps are smooth, bright yellow and black, with a narrow waist. Bees are rounder and hairier. Bumblebee nests are small and usually die off after one season too, so they can often be left alone. If you think they are honey bees, contact a local beekeeping group before you call pest control. They may be able to collect them.

After the season: seal the way in

Once the nest has been silent through some cold weather, it is empty. Old nests are not reused, so you can leave it or take it out. Then seal the entry: the gap under a tile, the hole in the soffit or fascia, the gap round a pipe. Next spring’s queens will look for exactly that kind of spot. See sealing gaps, and do any work at height safely or ask a roofer.

In warmer climates, wasp colonies can carry on through winter and grow very large. There, a nest close to the home is worth a professional’s look rather than a wait. For how we approach safety and product labels in general, see our safety page.