Wasp Nest In Attic Winter

However for the rest of the wasps in winter the outlook isn t good.

Wasp nest in attic winter.

As stated we have had hibernating wasp queens in the attic and we found a nest already abandoned. Although wasps will never return to a previously used nest several species of wasp will build their new nest on top of the old one. They can damage the insulation in your attic and interfere with the structure of your walls. Wasp nests in the loft or attic.

In winter wasps are using your walls and your attic crawl spaces to hide from the cold. Another common place to see wasp nests and sometimes an occasional hibernating queen or two is in the loft or attic. So if you intend to go up into your attic or do some renovations in the wall be aware that this hazard is much more prevalent in winter and take measures to protect yourself. While one or two small wasps won t cause much damage to the structure of your home several hundred certainly could.

From your description the nest is probably a bald faced hornet nest which are very common in our area. Therefore it is a good idea to knock down any empty abandoned nests over the winter and thoroughly clean the area before the queen wasp reclaims the area come springtime. Nests are helpful when trying to identify the type of social wasp. Wasp nests do take longer to die off after treatment in the autumn and winter mainly due to the lower metabolism of the wasps making the absorption of insecticide slower.

Spray the nest according to the directions on your spray. The motto of wasps is not survival of the fittest. Once winter is over any surviving queens come out of hibernation and start on the building blocks of a new nest. Once the warmer temperatures return those queen wasps will be desperate to get outdoors and start making nests all over your property.

It s survival of the queen. It can take 10 20 days for a wasp nest to die off when treated at this time of year compared with a few hours in july or august. After the initial structure is in place somewhere sturdy and sheltered which is why wasps often choose loft spaces and guttering the queen will start to lay eggs in the nest s cells. If the nest is a hanging nest make sure you purchase a spray with a projectile shot so that you can completely cover the nest with it.

All members of a wasp colony do whatever it takes to keep the queen alive to lay eggs when the weather warms. I am quite protective and never harm the queens.