What to do with wasp nests around your home

People aren’t the only ones preparing for the cooler weather.

Bees and wasps are looking for a permanent place to spend the winter and your home might seem like a safe and secure spot to wait it out.

“They’re attracted to the exterior of the building for the warmth and the females, the queens, are looking for a place over winter,” explained Mike Dunn, a branch manager for Orkin Canada.

While bees will find a place to hibernate, most of the wasp population dies during the winter. The queen wasp, however, will stay on her own until she starts a new colony in the spring.

So why are so many of them flying around?

“There may be new virgin queens and males that are getting ready to leave the colony on their mating flight,” said Dr. Andrew Young, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph’s school of environmental sciences. “So you have this situation where you have all these wasps flying around with not a lot to do in terms of taking care of the colony and an appetite for sugary food.”

Since they sense winter is coming, they’re feeding to increase their fat reserves to survive the colder months.

Mike Dunn, a branch manager with Orkin Canada, poses with a wasp nest on Sept. 17, 2024. (Ashley Bacon/CTV News)

Dunn said, this year, we’re seeing more bee and wasp colonies because of the warmer weather.

As a result, pest removal companies like Orkin Canada have been busy.

“We have definitely noticed an uptick in the number of calls we’ve received this summer,” Dunn said. “We had very little snow, of course, and very little cold weather so the survival rate through the winter increases.”

Orkin Canada said wasps aren’t picky about where they’ll build their home. It could be the cracks and holes in your foundation, gaps around the windows or in soffits.

“It basically starts with a through inspection of the exterior of the home,” said Dunn. “We’re looking for cracks around windows and doors, [making sure] the screens are in good repair.”

So, how do people make their homes less attractive to bees and wasps?

The insects are looking to feed, so remove any leftover vegetation from your garden or property. Homeowners are also advised not to keep BBQ meat and sugary drinks outside, as the insects are particularly attracted to those smells.

Dunn also recommends keeping your garbage as far away from your home as possible.

Young said sometimes its best not to disturb the nests.

“If there’s a bee or wasp nest that’s on my property, but not actually attached to the house or in the house, I usually just leave it alone,” he explained. “If there’s a wasp nest in a tree or something, it’s only going to be there for the one year. They don’t survive multiple years. I just give them their space.”

The bees and wasps are, after all, and important part of our food chain.

If a nest does have to be removed, experts also say you should leave it to the professionals.

- With reporting by Ashley Bacon