Wasp Pest Control in Essex
Wasps are one of the UK’s most feared pests. A wasp nest near your home or business can be dangerous, especially during the summer when colonies are at their peak. At Red Pencil Pest Control, we provide safe, effective, and professional wasp nest treatments across Essex.
THE BIG 3 QUESTIONS
wasps and Why Do We Need to Control Them?
In the UK, the most common species are the Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and the German Wasp (Vespula germanica). Both have the distinctive yellow-and-black body and a painful sting.
While wasps do play a role in controlling garden pests, they can quickly become a threat when nesting near people:
- Stings: Wasps sting repeatedly. A single sting is painful, but multiple stings can be dangerous. Some people may suffer anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction.
- Aggressive behaviour: A distressed wasp releases a pheromone that alerts others in the colony, leading to swarming and multiple stings.
- Public safety risk: Nests in gardens, lofts, sheds, or businesses can put families, staff, and customers in danger.
Because a nest can contain 3,000–5,000 wasps at its peak, professional control is often the safest solution
How to Identify a WASP Infestation
Signs of a wasp problem include:
- Large numbers of wasps entering and leaving the same spot.
- Nests in lofts, wall cavities, sheds, garages, bushes, or under eaves.
- A nest made of a grey, papery material (chewed wood pulp mixed with saliva).
- Increased wasp activity in late summer when they are most aggressive.
Wasp nests start small in spring (golf ball sized) but can grow to the size of a football or larger by late summer.
How We Treat a WASP Infestation
At Red Pencil Pest Control, we carry out professional wasp nest treatments using methods recommended by the BPCA:
- Survey & Safety Check: Identify the nest location and assess risks.
- Professional Insecticides: Applied safely at the nest entrance and into the nest. The wasps carry the treatment around the inside, destroying the colony.
- Protective Equipment: Our technicians wear specialist PPE to prevent stings.
- Optional Nest Removal: Once a treated nest is inactive, we can remove it if requested.
DIY wasp nest removal is not recommended — it’s dangerous, and attempting to spray or knock down a nest can trigger aggressive attacks.