Wasp Nest in the Ground in Huntingdon

What a Ground Nest Looks Like

From above, a ground nest is just a hole, often no bigger than a coin, with wasps arriving and leaving in a steady stream. There may be a little bare soil around it. You will not see the nest itself, which is paper like any other wasp nest, built in a space underground.

Common wasps do not dig much. They take over a space that already exists: an old mouse or vole burrow, a gap under a paving slab, a hollow among tree roots, the inside of a compost bin, or the loose soil of a bank. The colony enlarges the space as it grows.

Where to look

• Lawns, especially the less used edges and long grass.
• Banks and raised beds, and the ground at the foot of hedges.
• Under decking, steps and loose paving.
• Compost heaps and bins.
• Around old tree stumps and roots.

Gardens that run down towards the Great Ouse, or anywhere with rough grass and banks, give wasps plenty of options, so it is worth watching those areas when you start seeing a lot of wasps low to the ground.

Is It Wasps, Bees or Something Else?

Several insects nest in the ground, and not all of them need treating.

• Bumblebees often nest in old burrows and under sheds. They are large and furry, fly slowly and their colonies are small. They are best left alone where possible.
• Mining bees make small volcano-shaped mounds of soil in lawns in spring. Each is a single bee, they do not defend the site, and they are gone in a few weeks.
• Wasps are sleek and yellow and black, fly fast and straight into the hole, and are there in growing numbers through the summer.

Our guide on how to identify wasp nests has more on telling them apart.

Why Ground Nests Catch People Out

Most nests are above head height, so people notice the wasps before they get near. A ground nest is at foot level. You find it by standing on it, mowing over it, or letting the dog sniff it.

When a ground nest is disturbed, a lot of wasps come out at once, low down, and they tend to go for legs and ankles first. Walk away quickly in a straight line. Do not stop to swat.

What Not to Do

• Do not pour anything down the hole. Boiling water, bleach, petrol and similar are dangerous to you, harmful to the soil and to anything else living there, and rarely reach the whole nest.
• Do not fill or cover the hole. Blocking it with soil, a slab or a bucket traps the colony, and wasps will dig their way out elsewhere, sometimes right next to where you are standing.
• Do not try to dig it out. You cannot see how far the nest runs, and you would be standing over it.

A ground nest is the one wasp nest you are standing on top of.

How a Ground Nest Is Treated

The method is the same as for a nest in a roof or wall. A treatment is applied at the entrance, and the wasps carry it into the nest as they go in and out. That is why the hole must be left open afterwards.

Before we treat, we tell you what we are using, where it is going, when the area can be used again and what to do with pets, and we ask you to follow that. Dogs in particular should be kept off that part of the garden until we say otherwise; if you have questions about your own pet, speak to your vet. You will see activity at the hole for a while afterwards as the treatment works through the colony. Once it has gone quiet, the hole can be filled.

Getting It Dealt With in Huntingdon

The wasp nest removal in Huntingdon page covers our local service, and the main wasp nest removal page explains the treatment in full. The cost is £90 fixed cost for the nest, with no call-out fee, and a ground nest costs the same as one in a roof. Every treatment is guaranteed, which means if the problem comes back within 14 days of treatment, we return and re-treat free of charge. If the nest is out of the way and you are thinking of leaving it, read can I leave a wasp nest untreated first. Call 01223 902388.