Does Cold Kill Wasps? - PEST UK

Pest control services for Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, Wiltshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey & London. Established 1985.

PEST UK / Pests in December / Does Cold Kill Wasps?

Does Cold Kill Wasps?

In Pests in December, Wasps

Wasp PEST UK The cold does affect wasps and severe frosts can kill adult wasps (Queen wasps are resistant to frosts once in hibernation) but generally the cold weather just slows down wasps and can even extend their life. The reason for this is that the lower temperature will slow down the metabolism of the wasps so they don’t suffer ‘burn out’, unlike wasps in the height of summer when they may be active for over 15 daylight hours and then still work fanning the wasp nest at night to keep it cool. Worker wasps  working in hot conditions are thought to have a lifespan of 6-8 weeks whereas wasps operating in lower temperatures and shorter days will live much longer. When the days are colder and shorter wasps may remain inactive for days at a time, only becoming active once the days become warm enough. This process cannot continue forever, and eventually the whole nest (apart from the ‘new’ Queen wasps) will die out.

So, does cold kill wasps? The short answer to this question is ‘No’!

Cold weather wasp problems arise when the wasp nest is in a house and it becomes affected by the artificial conditions of heat and light supplied by houses – without this artificial stimulation the wasp nest would pose no more problem. These artificial conditions can draw wasps out of nests and into contact with people. Wasps that are ‘pulled’ out of a nest in these conditions are more likely to sting people, and in fact we find that more people get stung by wasps from October to December than in the height of summer.

Wasp NestPEST UK can treat wasp nests or the areas in a house afected by wasp problems in cold weather, either by treating the nest directly and/or applying a residual insecticide and/or ‘fogging’ insecticide treatment to give relief to the wasp problem. It must be remembered that any inserted treatment when insects are cold takes much longer (wasp problems treated in December may take 2-3 weeks to work.

Please call PEST UK to book a wasp nest treatment (or any pest control problem) on: 0330 100 2811 (local rate) or free phone on landlines and some mobiles: 0800 026 0308.

 

We recommend using a pest control specialist for wasp nest removal but if you are in a remote area or just prefer doing it yourself we offer wasp and fly traps for sale.
Buy Wasp & Fly Trap and 1 litre of bait

A medium sized, durable Wasp and Fly trap, moulded in polypropylene. Ideal for use in all areas where nuisance wasps and flies need to be contolled. The trap should be serviced regularly, removing dead insects and re-filling with fresh liquid bait.

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Buy Wasp Bag & 1 litre of bait

Effective, safe and easy to use disposable trap, designed for use outdoors. Each trap requires 500ml of Liquid Wasp & Fly Bait, and once full of dead wasps close screw cap and dispose in household waste. Liquid Wasp & Fly Bait sold separately.

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Wasp Information from the BPCA

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