Wasps at the windows and wasps in the house

April 22, 2021

Wasps at the windows and wasps in the house have been bothering customers recently. These are queen wasps that have been hibernating in the house or roof space over the winter and are waking up now that spring is here properly. The wasps go to the window because they are attracted to the daylight – they depend on food outside and so it is their natural instinct to follow the light to get to the food after not eating at all during wasp hibernation.

You can leave your house with the windows and door shut and then find one or more wasps at the window when you get back, sometime several days running. It is a puzzle where the wasps came from: maybe through downlights from the attic or perhaps from behind a piece of furniture? You’ll never know! The important thing is to know what to do with wasps at the window.

The queen wasps at the window and in the house are single, so they are not associated with a nest at this time of year. They have not come from an old nest that has ‘regenerated’ and they have not yet had time to build a new wasp nest of their own. This means there is not a wasp nest that can be eradicated.

You can swat the wasps with rolled up newspaper. Fly spray will kill them but be aware that this can make them agitated and fly around quite angrily, so perhaps a rolled-up newspaper is best! You could always just open the window and let them go too.

Queen wasps can sting, so be careful if you try and handle them and if you find one on the floor then make sure that children or pets do not step on it.