Wasp nest in loft - course of action?

spannerzone

Hi, I've noticed wasps flying into the loft of my extension for a while, getting under the woodwork that holds up the guttering. A few weeks ago I couldn't see any nest in the loft but today I see it's about 30cm across right where they crawl in from outside. This is in an extension that has very limited access in from the main roof, requiring crawling through a very narrow gap.... they aren't flying around in the main loft or even around the extension but I assume they must be in there adding to the nest all the time.

So far the wasps are not causing an issue but if left to carry one should I worry? - the nest is above our bedroom and only a couple feet from a window, although no wasps have flown in yet.

I do hate to kill insects but am concerned that it might grow and grow and become a danger to the household and neighbours.

Thoughts appreciated.

Carrot007

ignore it and remove next year. wasps do not use a nest twice.

spannerzone

Carrot007 wrote: »

ignore it and remove next year. wasps do not use a nest twice.

OK thanks, so far they aren't causing a problem, other than I can hear them chewing the woodwork - do they vacate at the end of autumn/when cold months start?

Mojisola

Carrot007 wrote: »

ignore it and remove next year. wasps do not use a nest twice.

I'd ignore it and leave it in place - wasps normally won't build a new nest close to an old one so its presence should stop next year's queens building in the loft.

stuart45

I put up a small bird house on our front wall, but the wasps used it for a nest. When I was painting the house near it the wasps used to buzz around me for a few minutes, but on the advice of a beekeeper who lives next door I ignored them. When they realised I wasn't a threat to them they left me alone for the rest of the day.
He told me they are more of a problem in the late autumn when they eat the fermenting apples and as this is probably their equivalent of scrumpy they will then raid his hives for the honey.
They were only there for the season and since I cleaned out the box the birds have been using it ever since.

southcoastrgi

They will be gone or dead in a couple of months, I very much doubt you can hear them chewing, if they aren't causing a problem I'd let them be

Carrot007

Mojisola wrote: »

I'd ignore it and leave it in place - wasps normally won't build a new nest close to an old one so its presence should stop next year's queens building in the loft.

Nice extra info. That was actually what I did in my previous house.


Just out of lazyness though!

shaun_from_Africa

southcoastrgi wrote: »

They will be gone or dead in a couple of months, I very much doubt you can hear them chewing

If it's a big enough nest or in the case I mention here:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/76059139#Comment_76059139
where the nest was between the fibreglass insulation and the plasterboard ceiling, the noise can be fairly apparent during the night when there's little or no ambient noise.

kerri_gt

If they aren't causing harm to the family (unlike one in my mums loft where they found a nice route down into the bathroom...sitting on the loo with a wasp tickling your bottom as it crawls out from under the toilet seat is no fun :eek:) then let it be. As said, they will die off come the cold weather and the next queen will look to build a nest elsewhere.

In the meantime, enjoy this little anecdote by Michael McIntyre

https://youtu.be/kVlH4SbT8sc

spannerzone

I can absolutely hear them chewing the wood when I get close to where they enter the roofspace from outside and I've seen and heard them do it on nearby fence panels where they chew tiny tiny bits of wood to build their nest from so I know they're nibbling away at any softwood up there..it's tiny scraping noises.... you can often seen wasps doing this on gates, fences where they leave long narrow strips where the wood is slightly lighter coloured as they've removed a fraction off the surface..... not that I'm worrying about any damage as it'll only be surface nibbles.

For the time being I'll leave them be providing they don't become an issue.

Thanks for all responces.

Mistral001

I found a wasp's nest yesterday. I only found it because I got stung my one of the wasps from the nest as I was removing the old felt from my flat roof extension in preparation for recovering. The nest was in the soffit of the roof.

I nearly gave up the job as there were dozens of the wasps buzzing around me every time I did any noisy work on the roof. However, I soon became aware what level of noise they could stand without coming out of the nest. So whenever I had to hammer or do some heavy scraping on a stubborn area of felt I kept it to about 10 second periods whenever the wasps was would come out, buzz around for a bit, and go back to their nest again. Man and beast working in harmony together so to speak.

The work on the roof is not finished and the soffits and fascias look like they have to be replaced as they have wet rot, so my wasp's nest problem is not over.

Any suggestions other than wait until next year?