Know Your Foe - Wasps ID

Did you know that the most commonly encountered species of wasps in the UK fall into three distinct groups? 

The Vespula family – those wasps that make their nests in cavity voids, airbricks, holes in the ground,  lofts, garden sheds etc

The Dolichovespula family – these species of wasp make their nests in aerial sites, in nearly all cases suspended from the branches of trees and shrubs, from ground level to a height of several metres.  The surrounding foliage usually hides a nest and protects it from rain and direct sunlight.

Vespa crabro (The hornet) – the hornet is by far the largest in size.  Nests are usually in aerial situations, particularly inside hollow trees, but also in attics and outhouses.

Pest Control Ipswich  Click here to view our website.

Effective Wasp Extermination Ipswich – Calling on the Professionals

Wasps can be a major nuisance in the height of summer, and it is important to call in the professionals for wasp extermination in Ipswich, as getting rid of a nest is not something that is straightforward to do. The insects not only cause painful stings, but can put some people at risk of anaphylaxis, a dangerous allergic reaction. It's estimated that 1,000-plus people in the UK need hospital treatment every year because of various complications caused by stings, while hundreds of thousands require some kind of medical treatment, including over-the-counter creams.

Fortunately, at Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions, we are highly experienced in wasp extermination in the Ipswich, Suffolk and Essex areas and we not only offer effective wasp control, but we also guarantee our work.

Whether you have a wasp nest in your home or garden, or at your business premises, it is never advisable to get rid of these pests yourself as this can be extremely dangerous. A nest may contain vast numbers of wasps, so if someone without expert knowledge tries to remove it there is a risk of them suffering multiple stings, which makes an allergic reaction more likely. There are various safety issues to comply with so no one is put at risk, which is why it is important to call in the professionals.

Here are some of the methods we at Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions use for wasp nest removal, spotlighting the health and safety considerations that must be complied with in each case.

Wasp Extermination Ipswich  – contact us now for an effective and friendly response.

Insecticidal Dust – An insecticidal dust can be applied to the entrance of a nest. This will be picked up by wasps in the nest, or on their return, usually destroying all the insects within 24 hours. Wasps are often found in the roof space or eaves of a building, but health and safety regulations state any work should be carried out at ground height if possible, to prevent any accidents and injury from falls from ladders. So, in order to treat wasps in the roof space or eaves, we use a dust stick or extension lance. This makes it possible to treat the wasp nest from ground height, with air being blown up the stick to propel insecticide into the nest, without putting anyone at risk of injury or of breathing in the insecticidal dust. Another alternative is use of a DR5, a small plastic tank which can be pressurised by hand pump up to a max pressure of 3 bar. The pressure is released by a fogger, which blows the dust into cavities.

Spray Treatments – This method is used when immediate nest removal is necessary: in an area where the insects pose a risk to people. Examples are nests next to a footpath or playing field, in school grounds or in parkland. While carrying out removal by this method, Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions staff wear bee suits and veils together with full face masks, to protect them from the danger of stings and also prevent them from breathing in the pesticide or from the spray coming into contact with their eyes.

Effective Wasp Traps – Effective wasp traps are another way of getting rid of wasps, especially in pub gardens and other outdoor eating areas. It is important that, when wasps are trapped, they cannot escape, as this could create a small swarm around the trap. Ideally traps should be sited between the nest and the site they are protecting. This is normally down-wind from the site, as wasps will tend to be drawn by the smell being blown to them.

For maximum effect, and to site the wasp traps in the right area, it is important to take advice from the experts. Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions will start by taking a full survey and trying to find the wasp nest if possible to treat it. If not, we will advise on where the wasps are coming from and the number of traps required and site traps accordingly. We will also advise on hygiene – such as cleaning of tables, regular emptying of rubbish bins, which can act as a magnet for wasps, and removing waste. Tablecloths which can easily be removed may prevent food becoming engrained in tables.

Other Health and Safety Considerations for Effective Wasp Extermination Ipswich
There are various other considerations that pest control professionals must take into account when dealing with wasp extermination in Ipswich.

1) Full risk assessments are made before any wasp extermination is carried out. These take into account the following factors:

• Ensuring that all pets and people have been excluded from the area.
• Risk to fish – avoiding insecticide contamination of water.
• Covering or removal of any foodstuffs.
• Disconnecting water butts.
• Checking the wind direction, as insecticide can drift. Shut windows and doors.
• Extra caution in confined spaces.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) which is required.
• Use of ladders – we observe the Working at Heights regulations.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments of pesticide products used.

2)  As we are local we always know where the nearest hospital is when we visit clients, just in case of a staff emergency.

3) We have a policy that comes into effect when a pest controller is working alone.

4) We always wear the right clothing to protect staff from dangers of stings or breathing in pesticides.

5) All our operatives are fully qualified Pest Control Technicians with ongoing updating of technical knowledge through regular training courses etc.

6) We use up-to-date, state-of-the-art equipment, such as the DR5, which is useful as it forcefully blows insecticide into nests. This is especially helpful when nests are long and flat with multiple entrances, for instance, under roof tiles.

About Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions

When it comes to wasp extermination, Ipswich and Suffolk businesses and households can rely on our expertise. Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions have experienced and professional staff who offer contracts and can deal with all kinds of pests, from wasps and flies to cockroaches, rats and mice.

Wasp Extermination Ipswich  – contact us now for an effective and friendly response.

The Annoying Buzz of Summer

Through their stinging and generally annoying behaviour, wasps manage to earn themselves a pretty bad press, but it is important to remember that they are a vital part of your garden’s natural balance.  They feed on small insects that might otherwise wreak havoc amongst your plants. 

That said, having a garden full of wasps is no fun for anyone so, to encourage your wasps to go elsewhere follow these simple tips:

·         Ensure that dustbins have tight-fitting lids, and keep them closed!

·         Keep food and drinks covered

·         Pack away unfinished foods, clear up food debris and wipe down spillages

·         Clear fallen fruit from your garden

·         A professional pest controller can advise on the effective use of outdoor wasp traps

·         If you think you have a wasp nest in your home or garden arrange to have it removed professionally before it becomes a nuisance

 

And what not to do! 

Wasp venom contains an alarm pheromone.  This means that when a wasp has stung something or been killed, other wasps will become more aggressive.  So remember, there may be a ‘sting in the tail’ for you upon pelting that pesky wasp with your rolled-up newspaper!

 

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Wasp Control in Schools and Educational Establishments

When summer arrives, it tends to bring large numbers of wasps – and you could find yourself looking for an expert to carry out wasp nest removal in the Ipswich area. There can be hundreds of nests per square mile in the UK. While the insects may be a real nuisance for homes and businesses, when there are wasp nests around children the situation is more serious. Wasp stings can be extremely risky for youngsters, especially if they are allergic to them, so, if a nest is found near a school, it is important to deal with it as soon as possible.

Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions are experienced in wasp prevention, control, and wasp nest removal. As the experts in their field, they not only receive callouts from homes and businesses needing wasp nest removal in the Ipswich and Manningtree areas, but also from schools and educational establishments.

Let's take a look at why it is important to deal with any wasp problems around children as quickly as possible and also at action you can take to prevent wasps becoming a pest in summer.

Wasp nest removal Ipswich

How Big a Threat are Wasps to Schools?

Wasps are often regarded as just a nuisance, but they are also a health hazard to children. One very real risk is an allergic reaction to being stung, which could be mild or, in rare cases, even life-threatening. Unfortunately, often people don't realise they are allergic to stings until they have been stung, and it is also possible suddenly to react badly to a sting even if this hasn't happened in the past.

A severe reaction could even mean going into anaphylactic shock, with symptoms including your mouth and throat swelling up and difficulty in breathing. You need to call an ambulance if someone suffers this type of reaction, and sufferers who know they are allergic may have to carry an adrenaline pen. Severe allergies are very rare in children but, if stung by a wasp, at the very least it can be painful and uncomfortable. Wasps are also a health hazard because, like flies, they spread bacteria causing diseases, so a wasp landing on a child's packed lunch or ice cream could bring a risk of a stomach bug as well as the danger of the child being stung in the mouth.

When there is a nest near a school, there is a risk that children might either try to tamper with it or unwittingly disturb the insects and get stung as a result. Wasps are as big a threat in the countryside as to inner city schools, as they congregate around food and drink areas and outdoor bins.

Staff and caretakers should be cautious in early summer and carry out regular patrols of low trees and hedges around children’s play areas. Wasp nests can be on the ground in fields, or in the eaves of buildings, as well as in shrubs and hedgerows. So it would be all too easy for a child to disturb a nest by kicking a football into a hedge or hitting a nest hanging low in a tree with a Frisbee or skipping rope.

How We Tackle Wasps in these Areas

Wasp traps can be used to protect sensitive areas and Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions provide highly effective traps to their customers which will give protection all through the summer. Fly zapper units in canteens can also give some protection and help to prevent wasps landing on children's food.

We also carry out wasp nest removal, which should ideally be done out of school hours when staff and children are not around. If you are a school staff member, don’t try to undertake removing the nest yourself, as this is extremely hazardous because you could get stung by large numbers of insects at once. It is always best to call in the experts who know how to deal with nests safely and have the correct equipment and protective clothing to do so.

What to Do if you Spot a Wasp Nest in School Grounds

If a school staff member or child spots a wasp nest in or near the playground or a school playing field, immediate action is needed to prevent children getting stung before Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions arrive to deal with the situation.

It is vital to cordon off the area and keep children well away until the experts arrive to deal with the nest. Being a local company, Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions can attend schools in the Ipswich and Manningtree areas quickly and would give priority to such a situation, where children are at risk. The wasp nest would be treated and removed.

How to Take Preventative Action Against Wasps

As with other places where food is eaten, schools should carry out good hygiene practices to avoid attracting wasps. This includes covering and regularly emptying waste bins, keeping picnic tables tidy, clearing up any food and drink spillages or leftovers and keeping food covered. It is also a good idea to encourage children to drink water outside rather than sugary drinks, which are a magnet for wasps, and offering straws from drinking out of cans or bottles.

Many schools have a recycling bottle bank area attached and these can be extremely attractive to wasps. Wasp traps would need to be strategically placed to prevent tampering by inquisitive children but, at the same time, it is important to ensure they are in the most effective place as possible to combat the insects.

Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions can give advice on where best to site a wasp trap.

Wasp nest removal Manningtree

About Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions

We provide swift, effective action to tackle pests, and give priority to schools for wasp nest removal. As a local company based in Holbrook and serving the Ipswich and Manningtree areas, we offer competitive prices, and you can rely on us for expert advice. We offer preventative contracts and can guarantee our work. 

Wasp nest removal Ipswich

Wasps Ipswich – Tackling the Problem Effectively

Wasps can be a nuisance anywhere, whether you have an Ipswich town centre business or a company in the Essex or Suffolk countryside. In mid-summer, the feeding habits of wasps change and they are attracted to sugary substances such as food and drink, and unfortunately these are where people are likely to be.

Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions provide wasp control in the Woodbridge, Ipswich, Felixstowe, Colchester, Manningtree and Braintree areas.  We receive the majority of our callouts for wasp nest removal from the general public (where wasps affect homes), but we also receive callouts to tackle wasps at Ipswich businesses and organisations further afield: with farms and food related companies among the establishments hardest hit during the wasp season.

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Agricultural Organisations – How to Ensure Effective Wasp Control

It is estimated that there are several hundred wasp nests every square mile and, with wasps attracted to many human food sources, you can see just how vital it is to have effective wasp control. In the farming industry, fruit crops are particularly attractive to wasps and, in addition to orchards, strawberry and raspberry fields make excellent nesting sites. 

In the farming industry, wasps are a pest to customers and staff at farm shops and cafes. For successful wasp control in Woodbridge, and elsewhere in the East Anglian region, it is always best to bring in the experts. One of the vital pieces of equipment we recommend at any eating establishment is an electric fly killer unit (or fly zapper unit), which we sell or hire at Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions. In addition to this, we also recommend screens with anti-insect mesh and would advise on the installation of wasp traps around the perimeter of premises.

Wasp Nests - On treating a nest in an agricultural site, Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions take a number of things into consideration. We ask for the removal of animals, pets and people near the wasp nest and we cordon off the area to be treated when necessary. The next step is to ensure all water sources (e.g. water butts) and human and animal foodstuffs are not contaminated by the pesticide. We would usually disconnect water sources such as guttering (if the nest is on a roof, or on the eaves of a farmhouse) to prevent any contamination of water entering a water butt.  We would not, however, treat a nest with pesticide if it is above a watercourse (such as a river or stream). As well as paying special attention to water sources, any plants/vegetables/fruit and other food sources nearby also need to be covered before wasp nest treatment is carried out.

The Hospitality Industry – Dealing with Wasps

Wasps can present a real problem in Ipswich, Suffolk, and Essex bars, restaurants, tea rooms and hotels, as they annoy consumers and, at worst, prevent customers from returning and give a business a bad reputation.

Working with the hospitality business is very complex and, here at Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions, we take a proactive approach and work with our clients to put various measures in place to prevent wasps becoming a problem.

If a large nest is close to an eating establishment - and down-wind - wasps can be attracted by the smell of food and drink in increasingly large numbers. If a nest is near to people, and visible, we would advise on destroying the nest; however, this may need to happen out of hours when customers and staff are not around, a service that Essex and Suffolk Pest Solutions is happy to provide.

If the nest can’t be found, then good hygiene is needed to minimise the problem. Wasp traps should be sited in the right places, but these are unlikely to work without good hygiene practices. This is because the bait in the wasp traps would be in competition with the smells from other food and drink sources.

So we offer the following advice:

• Regularly wipe tables in between customers, or use table cloths.
• Use metal, rather than wooden, tables if possible, so that food and drink residues do not become ingrained in the table.
• Make sure food is covered.
• Site waste bins well away from food service areas.
• Regularly clean and empty waste bins.
• Avoid flip top bins as they can get sticky and attract more wasps, or other pests such as ants.
• Offer straws to customers if you are selling drinks in cans or bottles.

For any of our pest control services, including wasp control, we provide unmarked vehicles on request.

Wasp Control at Supermarkets, Warehouses and Factories

In addition to outside eating areas, wasps are also a problem at supermarkets, factories and warehouses. Here they pose more of a threat to staff, rather than drive away customers. However, on the plus side, wasps are unlikely to damage packaged food or produce.

Automatic doors are always a help to prevent wasps from entering warehouse and factory premises as are insect mesh curtains (strip/chain curtains).  One of the biggest problems are wasps surrounding waste bins. We encourage staff in these areas to clean bins and waste areas, and to pressure wash daily. It is also important to seal or tie all waste inside plastic bags and ensure that all rubbish is placed in bins with lids.

Electric fly killer units  are also a great help and, at Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions, we sell and hire these out. In addition to this, we also offer customers advice on where to site these units so they are positioned in the most appropriate and effective area of their business.

At Essex & Suffolk Pest Solutions, we offer pest control contracts to tackle the issue of wasps in Ipswich, Suffolk and Essex, as well as a host of others pests including mice, rats, cockroaches, flies, pigeons and ants. For more information on wasp control or any of our other services, just click on the link below.

Wasp Control Woodbridge –  contact us now for friendly, effective service.

Rat In Operating Theatre

Operations at a hospital were cancelled after a rate was found in an operating theatre.  Rat control experts were called into the hospital and as a result, about 40 operations had to be cancelled. 

'Eradicate the problem' - Director of Operations at the hospital said she was shocked to learn evidence that a rodent had been found in an operating theatre.  She said 'As soon as we became aware of this fact the following morning, we immediately too steps to thoroughly clean the area and called in external pest control experts to eradicate the problem'. 

Rats can spread salmonella and carry the potentially fatal Weil's disease, so it is vital to call a rat control expert promptly whenever they are seen inside homes or businesses.

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Wasps Washed Out?

There were a fraction of wasp nests around Essex and Suffolk last year leading to a drop in demand for wasp nest removal to around 10% of those treated in 2011.

The mild weather of the very early spring period encouraged Queen wasps to emerge early from hibernation.  This followed by a very wet and cold April and May had a detrimental effect on the Queen wasps that had commenced their nest building, and may also have affected many Queen wasps still in their hibernation cocoons.  The consequence has been that the wasp population in terms of the number of wasp nests was very small of the summer of 2012 and we saw far fewer requests for wasp nest removal as a result. 

Read the rest of this article here

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