Wasps' nest treatment

This page contains health and safety information about the products we use and advice on how to avoid wasp stings.

When making a booking for wasps' nest treatment you are authorising Stroud District Council to carry out the treatment and/or destruction of pests on the above premises. Please let us know well in advance if you are unable to keep your appointment. If you fail to keep an appointment or give less than one working days’ notice you may be charged for the full cost of the treatment.

The wasp sting is a mixture of chemicals, which cause localised pain but may also cause an allergic reaction in sensitive people. Wasps can sting repeatedly but bees can sting only once. Death from wasp stings is extremely rare.

In the spring queen wasps emerge from hibernation and build a nest with a substance like paper made from chewed wood. She will feed and look after the first generation of worker wasps herself but after that she stays in the nest and will only lay eggs. Wasps' nests start off small but can grow to become a colony of thousands by the end of the summer. In autumn the old queen will die but new queens will leave the nest and  find somewhere frost free to spend the winter. When we treat a wasps' nest we apply insecticides which kill the adult wasps. The nest itself is not removed as an old nest is never re-used. We do not carryout any treatments on bees nests.

The Pest Control Officer will treat the nest with an insecticidal powder or liquid. If they are unable to find the nest, they will put insecticide in the area where the wasps are seen going in and out. The worker wasps will pick up the insecticide on their bodies and take it back to the nest. They will die and so will the queen but this could take several days, depending on the size of the nest. After a week you may still see wasps flying in small numbers. This is because the wasp larvae are protected from insecticide while inside compartments (called cells) in the nest. Once they become adult wasps and leave the cells, the insecticide will kill them.

Safety advice

• Do not go near the nest until you are sure that the wasps are all dead, which may take up to 10 days. Wasps may be agitated for a short time after treatment and should be left alone.
• Do not touch the insecticide. In case of accidental contact:-

Wash any insecticide off skin immediately, remove contaminated clothing

Eyes – rinse at least 15 minutes, seek medical advice (in the case of Sorex Wasp Nest Destroyer, seek urgent medical advice)

Ingestion – rinse mouth, seek medical advice, do not induce vomiting

Inhalation – more than incidental move to fresh air, keep warm, blow nose, place in recovery position & seek urgent medical advice

If you would like further advice or information please email the Environmental Health Service environmental.health@stroud.gov.uk