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How to make your London home and garden less attractive to wasps and hornets this summer

Most people would agree that nothing will put an end to an outdoor hangout with friends or family session quicker than a swarm of wasps or hornets. Even if they are not being overly aggressive, one wrong move could leave you running for cover to avoid their painful stings.
Keeping your beautiful London garden a safe place to spend time with friends and family, free of wasps and hornets, doesn’t just happen by itself. It takes thought and action to make your garden less attractive to wasps and hornets, but trust us when we say that taking the time now to minimize the number of these pests on your property later is worth the effort.
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The Most Common Types Of Wasps And Hornets In The United Kingdom

When it comes to stinging insects, there are hundreds of different stinging insect species around the world but only a few of them are considered real pests here in the United Kingdom. In fact, the Honey Bee is actually a valuable part of our ecosystem. If you suspect that there is a honey bee swarm in your garden you need to contact The British Beekeepers Association.
Below you will find the list of common species in the United Kingdom.
 
Honey Bee
The cute and furry honey bees are well-known hard workers, living in large hives made of wax honeycombs. In the wild honey bees usually build their nest in hollow trees. They live in large colonies with one queen, many sterile female workers, and some male drones. Honey bees are similar in size to wasps but they are furrier and mostly black in color. An interesting fact about the honey bees is that their colony size can often be greater than 30,000 individual honey bees. In fact, many times honey bees are mistaken for wasps (though, unlike wasps, honey bees will not attack you unprovoked).
Bumble Bee
Often there is confusion about the difference between Bumblebees and honey bees. Bumblebees are furrier and bigger in size than honey bees. Also, bumblebee species have darker wings. If you’re able to see a bee at a close and also safe distance, all of these physical differences should make it easier for you to tell if it's a bumblebee or honey bee.
Common Wasp and German Wasp
These are the two most commonly found wasp species in the United Kingdom and the ones responsible for causing painful wasp stings.
Once indoors, these wasps prefer to build their nests in sheltered areas with easy access to the outside, such as lofts, garages, and wall cavities. Outside they prefer to build the nest in old rodent burrows, hollow trees, and bushes. The painful though rarely life-threatening sting involves the injection of a complex venom containing amines (catecholamines, serotonin, histamine, tyramine), peptides, and proteins, including many hydrolases.
European Hornet
European hornets are considered beneficial insects since they usually prey on damaging insects.  The European hornet is regarded as a pest by those humans who come into close contact with it. As a matter of fact, the European hornet stings in response to being stepped on or grabbed, but most of the time they will avoid conflict. These honest also are aggressively protecting the nest and can be aggressive around food sources. Keep in mind, extra care should be taken when they are found in these circumstances, as they may sting without warning.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hornets are a subset of wasps. Particularly, hornets are a breed of social wasps, living in large and highly organized colonies.

The Danger Associated with Stinging Insects

Each type of stinging insect that we mentioned above has its own unique characteristics, they all have commonalities as well but the major thing they have in common is the ability to sting. Unlike bees that usually can only sting you once, wasps are able to sting you multiple times.
For many people, getting stung by a wasp can be an unpleasant experience, but one that, with a little time, will heal just fine. However, multiple stings can cause more severe reactions, even in people who are typically not allergic by wasp stings.
The major danger associated with wasps and hornets is for the people who are allergic to their stings. Anaphylactic reactions are a common reaction to a wasp sting. A person with a bee sting allergy usually can experience anaphylaxis after just one sting, and given a wasp's ability to sting you multiple times, this can be troublesome. If not treated immediately, anaphylaxis can result in death.
Even if you have a wasp allergy or not, you probably want to avoid the danger of a wasp sting. The best way to avoid this situation is not to hide inside your London home or try to get rid of the wasps after they have built a nest on your property. In fact, the best thing you can do to protect yourself and your family is to prevent wasps and other stinging insects from nesting on your property in the first place.
By preventing them from nesting, you are far less likely to encounter them while spending time outdoors. However, you may still see a wasp flying here and there as it buzzes around, but wasps will typically stick fairly close to where their nest is located.

What Actually Attract Wasps To Your London Garden And How To Reduce These Factors

To prevent wasps from nesting in your garden you have to understand what attracts wasps and hornets in the first place. Then by reducing and eliminating as many of these factors as possible, you can lessen the chance of wasps or hornets choosing your property to build their nests.
Wasps look for a few different things each spring when choosing the perfect place to build their nest. If you don’t have these things in your garden, or if they are in very short supply, the wasps may decide to choose a different place for their nest building.
 
Food Sources
Like every living creature, wasps need to eat to survive. If they can’t find a food supply on your property, they won’t want to hang around. Wasp diets typically include sweets and proteins. You can eliminate these food sources by:
  • Minimize the number of flowering plants directly around your house.
  • Clean up after eating outdoors and keep your waste bins closed all the time.
  • Avoid wearing bright colors and sweet scents when you are outdoors as this may attract them.

Water Sources
Wasps also need water to survive. Eliminating excess moisture and water around your  London property will help prevent them from nesting in your garden.
  • Eliminate areas where water can pool, such as plant pots.
  • Ensure proper drainage that diverts water away from your London property.
  • Cleaning out gutters.

Nesting Sites
Of the three things that wasps look for when they are choosing the perfect place to build the nest, this one is the most difficult to eliminate. The eaves of your home are a favourite spot for many wasps, as are trees and underground. None of these areas can be fully eliminated. However, you can cut back excess foliage, which may help you to prevent them from building their nest.
Your best bet in trying to avoid wasps building nests on your property is to pay careful attention in the spring. You can frequently check the areas where wasps are most likely to build their nests. This way, you are more likely to find a nest in its earliest stages, when the queen and maybe a few other wasps are the only ones around.  Keep in mind the longer you wait, the more likely it is that the colony will become larger and more wasps will be hanging around protecting the queen and the nest.
 
Having Wasps Nest In Your Property.  Now What To Do?

Despite your efforts to make your property less attractive to wasps and hornets, it's possible to still end up with a pest problem. In this case, it's not recommended to try to take care of the nest on your own. Each wasp species has a different level of aggression and all wasps can become extremely aggressive when trying to protect their nests.

Instead, the best action you can choose is to contact the professionals from Archers Pest Control. We have the proper equipment and experience necessary to eliminate wasp and hornet problems safely. Our well-trained technician takes the time to identify the type of wasp or hornet on your property and determine where they are nesting so that they can get at the source of the problem. By fully treating the nesting area, we make sure to eliminate the entire colony. For all of your pest-related issues, contact Archers  Pest Control today.