Category Archives: News

Will my wasps and wasp nest just go away?

At this time of year, we often get asked if wasps and the wasp nest they live in will ‘just go away’. Wasp nests are at the height of their power in August and really start to make their presence felt if you have one on your property. Maybe you’ve never had a wasp nest before? Maybe you have but it was years ago? Or maybe you get a wasp nest built in your property every year.

So, its not unreasonable to question if wasps will just disappear. I mean, they appeared, right? so it makes sense that they will go away again? Yes. Of course it does.

The answer is that the wasps will disappear – usually by Christmas if you can wait that long.

The wasp nest will not.

You see, wasps, bumblebees and Hornets are seasonal insects. They emerge from hibernation at the end of the winter, build a wasp nest (or hornets nest) live out their lives during the Summer, raise new queens and then the whole thing disperses and they die off. The new queen wasps go into hibernation but will never go back to the old wasp nest.

The wasps nest is a beautiful structure that is used once and then lies dormant before crumbling away to dust after a few years. Some of our clients often ask if the nest needs to be removed and the answer is: its down to personal choice.

If you want to get the nest removed, that is fine.

If you don’t – that’s fine too. It won’t damage your house or necessarily mean that you will have to put up with wasps or hornets next year. I absolutely promise that its not necessary to remove a hornets nest or wasps nest from your house. The fact that you have had a wasp nest doesn’t mean you get another one.

Often our customers will say something like ‘We’ve lived here (at their address) for 20 years and never had a wasp problem.’ Well, they probably won’t have one for another 20 years. Keep your fingers crossed and hopefully you won’t have one too. `If its not a pest, it’ll be gone by Christmas. If it is a pest, we can help you fix it and give you a wasp-free Summer.

For help, call us on 0800 092 5259 or 07989 422469.

Flyscreens are a necessity – not a luxury.

Do you often find that after a long, hard winter, the first thing you want to do when the good weather arrives is to have a barbecue and reacquaint yourself with your patio? Flies and flyscreens are the last thing on your mind. You get the garden furniture out, search for charcoal leftover from last year, open a cool bottle of wine and relax outside. You do shuttle-runs from the kitchen to the patio with all manner of condiments, salads, and drinks. Eventually you can relax and leave the french windows open without any insect screens and enjoy good company and good food. Flyscreens are the last thing on your mind. Bliss.

Well apart from the flying insects of course. Bliss often turns to ‘Buzz’. Flies of all types just want to invade your home. And bees can be a bit of a pain. Oh, but nothing compared to the wasps – who can forget the wasps: The scourge of picnickers up and down the land.

August is the month when wasp nests are at the height of their power so we get bombarded by them. Oh, and when it gets dark, the mosquitoes turn up. If you’re in the Scottish Highlands, you may also have the ever-present misery of the Scottish Midge.

2004194_f260 — Hmm. Dinner party anyone?

So out come the Citronella candles. Only they don’t really work that well do they? They do give a nice light but you still end up bitten. You want to use the outside light but that attracts then and if you open up your patio doors and turn the lights on inside, you fill your room with insects. So you sit in the dark with the windows shut. Spending thousands of pounds on large bi-fold patio doors seems a bit of a mistake at this point. It was because of these reasons that we decided this year to offer some seriously good quality insect screens for doors and windows. They offer immaculate protection for your home while allowing the outside…inside. Flyscreens used to be these quite ugly, utilitarian methods for controlling flies and wasps. You bought a wonderful conservatory, carefully selected expensive furniture after having had it decorated… and then hang up those horrid fly papers. Not a great look.

High res files — Flyscreens are the answer.

Our technicians are trained to install the very best insect screens for your beautiful home. Why not get in touch and surprise yourself with the options available – we think you’ll be surprised by their looks and quality. If you’re happy living with the flies and wasps, or you don’t like opening the doors and windows, please don’t call. If you want to increase the flexibility of your living space, maybe it makes sense to call us on 0800 092 5259.

Legacy 1 — There is a flyscreen there – but you don’t notice it.

Is it a Wasp Nest or a Bee Swarm?

https://youtu.be/TNrAS4JItj4 Its such a relief to finally have some sunny weather after the last few months of winter! We’re all desperate to get outside and enjoy the Great British outdoors. Lots of us will get the barbecue flashed up and be enjoying beer gardens and picnics in the sun – who cares about a wasp nest? But, whilst we’ve been dreaming about the warmer spring weather, wasps and other insects have also been emerging. Bees, bumblebees, hornets and wasp nests have all been preparing for the warmer weather. May is the traditional month for calls about honey bee swarms. These can sometimes be confused for wasps but trust us, they’re honey bees. Wasps never swarm. The air will suddenly fill with insects and you will get a large medicine ball-sized clump of insects on a wall or hanging on a tree. It is the classic swarm of bees. All the insects just cling together. Don’t worry though, honey bees are usually quite relaxed when they swarm so they won’t normally attack. Its extremely rare to have to kill a swarm of bees. We normally get them ‘re-hived’ with a beekeeper. Experienced beekeepers often don’t wear gloves when dealing with swarms.

The Wasps are back!

wasp nest image — A wasp nest is a structure – a bee swarm is not.

So, compared to a swarm of bees, a wasp nest is a different kettle of fish. Its a structure made of paper mache. The wasps live inside it. A swarm of bees is, as we’ve said, just a lot of bees together. This week we’ve started helping and advising people with early wasp problems and even early stage wasp nests being found in lofts! This is the time of year when wasp queens are coming out of hibernation and looking for good places to build their nests. In a couple of months time they’ll have powerful and established colonies.

Wasp Nest – What to look out for

There are many different wasps in the UK but the main species identified as the seasonal public health pests are:

Tree Wasp (Dolichovespula sylvestris)
Common Wasp (Vespula Vulgaris)
German Wasp (Vespula Germanica)

They all have differing markings but we reckon that if you’re being chased by one, you won’t be hanging around to look at its facial markings and make a positive identification. Wasps usually establish a nest in April time and because they’re so well camouflaged or choose a quiet area, most colonies won’t get noticed for a month or so. We often have people find them in August and swear blind that the wasps nest wasn’t there a week ago. Unfortunately it was – they just didn’t notice it. Seriously, why would they? Besides, wasp nests are so well camouflaged. Who looks for a wasp nest? It can be a very unwelcome surprise to go into the garden in June/July/August time to prune a shrub and then find yourself sprinting down the garden to avoid getting stung! They can be anywhere- even under the ground.

Not all Wasp Nests need Removing…

Give wasps a very wide berth and they’ll not threaten you. Unfortunately a wasp nest in a normal suburban garden, a beer garden or near a footpath in a country park may be too close for comfort and pose a risk of stinging. The problem is that wasps are hunters and, compared to bees, naturally aggressive. So, if they feel that you’re getting a bit too close, they’re going to come and have a go. Whether its Leicester City centre or a pretty Northamptonshire village, the wasps will just get on with foraging and if you disturb them…well, you’re going to get stung If you’re at all unsure about whether you have a wasp nest, give us a call and we’ll come out to assess the situation. We’ll check it out, tell you what the problem is and what your options are. You can then make an informed decision as to what you can do about it. Generally, killing wasps, bees and hornets is the last resort. We will avoid killing anything but sometimes wasp nests and hornets nests need eradicating to protect people and animals. You can always ask us anything on FaceBook

2016 – 2017 Leicester City Football Shirt Giveaway

Competition time:

Hi everyone,

We’re originally a Leicestershire company founded by a Leicester City fan. Although some of us support different teams, we thought it might be nice to have a little competition to win a couple of new Leicester City Football Shirts ready for the 2016/2017 season. No matter who you support, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better fairytale of their rise from League One to champions of the Barclays Premier League.

For our Leicester City Football shirt giveaway and instructions on how to enter, please click on the link and visit our FaceBook page for details.

Leicester City Football Club have been an inspiration to everyone and, as our founder was a Leicester supporter, we thought this might be a fun thing to do. It was a great story for what was many supporters’ second team this season.

The Leicester City Football shirt giveaway competition closes on 11 June 1 hour before England v Russia at Euro 2016. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards. Good luck.

Control of Rats and Mice in Food Manufacturing

Vigilant prevention of infestations by rats and mice is a must in the food manufacturing industry. It is vital for the health and safety of your customers, workers, your reputation and your business. It is also backed up by The Food Safety Act 1990 and The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 which require that you ensure adequate procedures are in place for controlling pests. This is not a task that can be completed only once. It must be part of the firm’s culture to be on alert for any signs of mice or rats.

Things to watch for are:

Gnawed materials or teeth marks on food or wood.
Droppings that are shiny are a sure sign of the current presence of rodents and must be investigated immediately.
The stale odour produced by rodents can linger after the population has been exterminated. However, the manufacturer must be on the watch for this distinctive odour.
Urine pillars are piles of dust, debris and urine. These pillars indicate a long standing population exists.
Rats and mice are creatures of habit. They tend to follow the same path leaving smears as indicators. The appearance of smears left by the natural oil in the rodent’s skin on pipes, entry points and on “runs” frequented by rodents is another indication of long standing populations.
Rodent tracks in dusty areas.
Harbourages and burrows provide living space for rats and mice. Look for any area that may appeal to rodents. An active harbourage will be free from cobwebs and debris.

Prevention is Straightforward

Prevent access, disinfect food processing areas and secure waste materials.

Food manufacturers undergoing a routine inspection can be shut down immediately for rodent infestation. This can happen regardless of if a complaint is issued prior to the closure or not. This manufacturer immediately loses its ability to make money. Until such a time as it can prove to Local Authorities that the infestation has been resolved, the manufacturer cannot reopen. There is also significant concern with the ability to recall potentially contaminated products. This was exactly the scenario for a supplier of biscuits and crackers to Aldi which you may have heard of in recent weeks.

When it is apparent that a rat or mouse population has established itself, it is possible to take a hands-on approach with poisons or traps. However, when a food manufacturer is faced with the need to eradicate rodents, professional, commercial pest control must be consulted.
Being vigilant in preventing infestation is the best option when weighed against the cost of shutting down and ruining the manufacturer’s reputation. Taking the steps necessary before a rodent infestation becomes established is the best approach.
An infestation is not only costly. Besides being more difficult to eradicate an established rodent population, the product is seen as contaminated by the customer.

The time to implement vigilance is before rodents take control of a manufacturing facility. Once the unwanted rodents take up residence in a food manufacturer’s facility, the product becomes tainted in more ways than one. When it comes to food service, reputation is everything.