Wasps - Advice for identifying and controlling
What do they look like?
Large buzzing insects with yellow and black striped, waisted bodies. There are several species of wasps and some of these are up to 30mm in length. Their eyes are kidney shaped, they have two pairs of wings, the hind wings smaller than the forewings. The wings are folded longitudinally at rest and the mouth parts are adapted for chewing and licking.
The queen wasp is larger and she hibernates over winter, making a new nest in the spring in which to lay her eggs.
How do you spot them?
Wasps are common throughout Britain, they are social insects forming colonies inside nests specially constructed in soil, barks, roof spaces and in cavities in trees and walls. They are frequently found in domestic . Nests are constructed of wasp paper made from wood scrapings mixed with saliva. One nest may produce 30,000 wasps in a year.How do they affect humans?
Wasps can be regarded as beneficial because they kill an enormous number of flies, caterpillars and other insects. However, in general they are regarded as a nuisance during their peak in August and September when the workers look for sweet food. If annoyed or threatened they can inflict repeated painful stings. Histamine in the body reacts with the venom causing redness, flare and weal in the skin.The Life Cycle
The fertilised queen wasp emerges from hibernation in the spring and searches for a suitable site for a nest. The Queen is the only wasp able to lay eggs and feeds the first grubs on insects until they develop into worker wasps, these workers will then carry on building the nest while the Queen lays more eggs. By late summer a normal wasp nest can contain from 3,000 to 5,000 individuals and be up to 30cm across. When the cooler weather starts, the workers may become aggressive if interferred with. The cold winter weather kills off all the workers and males - only the queen survives to go into hibernation.Controlling wasps
Wasps can cause a nuisance to humans but it is unwise to destroy nests without good reason as wasps are efficient controllers of far more harmful pests. If the presence of a nest is causing no direct problems, then it is best left alone. Wasp nests are abandoned at the end of the autumn.
The nest can be treated by either:
- Dusting an insecticidal powder around the entrance of the nest, preferably using injection tubes, which contaminates the workers as they return thereby carrying the dust inside; or
- Surface spraying an insecticide directly onto the nest. Do not use domestic aerosols.
Practical advice
Close or use fly screens on windows if wasps become a major problem. Individual wasps can be killed with a flykiller aerosol.
Destruction of a wasp's nest should NOT be undertaken by untrained persons. If wasps are causing a problem it is advisable to contact the Environmental Services Division.
Stings should be treated with antihistamine creams. Wasp stings around the throat can lead to respiratory obstruction which may cause faintness or vomiting. In these cases you should seek medical assistance.
Repeated stings can cause anaphylactic shock - symptoms include respiratory distress, swelling of the face and vomiting with abdominal pain. Medical assistance should be sought immediately where anaphylactic shock is suspected.
Treatment
North Shropshire District Council does offer a service for the treatment of wasps nests.
For people receiving the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income Based Job Seekers Allowance
- Working Tax Credit
- Benefit
- Council Tax Benefit
- Pension Credit (Guarantee Element)
the charge is £20.00. If you do not receive any of the above benefits, the charge is £40.00.
| email: | envhealth@northshropshiredc.gov.uk |
|---|---|
| telephone: | 01939 238460 |
| fax: | 01939 238468 |
