How Long Does It Take for a Wasp Nest to Die Out?

In Pests

How long does a wasp nest take to die out?:
At this time of year (Autumn) if a wasp nest is discovered then the question often gets asked: Is it worth treating the nest now as surely the wasp nest will die out in the Winter anyway? It is true that a wasp nest will die out in the Winter if left alone. The problem is though that a wasp nest in the Autumn is far more troublesome that a wasp nest in the Spring or Summer. One reason is that due to the lower temperatures the wasps slow down and will often be found crawling around, apparently lost rather than flying directly to and from the nest. When this happens people will come into contact with them. In fact more people get stung in the Autumn than the Summer. As there days shorten wasps are attractive to artificial light which can pull them inside, the wasps in the Autumn are more likely to come into contact with people and more likely to cause problems than at any other time.

The other issue with leaving a nest to die out naturally in the Winter is new Queens. The way that wasps re produce is by each nest supplying fertilised Queen wasps which leave the old nest in the Autumn and hibernating, emerging in the Spring time to start a new nest. Each nest can produce up to 1000 fertile Queens (although it is usually a much smaller number than this). These Queens can be a problem as they will often hibernate in lofts and if stimulated by artificial heat and or light will ‘wake’ up and cause alarm. The more Queens in an area means more wasp nests for the following year!

To summarise, a wasp nest will die out in the Winter but it is best to get it dealt with properly.

For advice or a pest control treatment please phone PEST UK on 0330 100 2811. Alec Minter
Wasp Information from the BPCA