"Seri" wrote in message
ups.com...
Not much to add to Mary's sane and as ever sensible advice, except some
things you might want to bear in mind:
Wasps don't return to old nests, but the same things that attracted
them to your loft in the first place are likely to continue attracting
them.

They need a dark pace which is easily defenable (i.e. with a small entrance)
and of sufficient size. All roof spaces satisfy those demands and are very
common places for queens to start nests.

Wasps aren't particularly destructive, but they do use 'raw' materials
to construct their nests, quite often these will come from outside, but
it's not unheard of for them to eat wood (joists) or cardboard from
within the loft space for this purpose.

They *might* use roof timbers, although it's more likely that they'll fetch
it in from outside because they're 'programmed' to forage outside. But even
if they do use roof timbers they're not going to weaken the framework of the
house.

To show this, if Nick (or anyone who takes a nest as I suggested) weighs the
nest they'll see how light it is. Generations of wasps, if they exclusively
took roof timbers, wouldn't make any impact on them during a human lifetime!

Basically, there's no need to rush/stress/panic, but do try and find
out how they made it in and then block their entry so they don't become
an annual little 'visitor'.

You can't block every possible entry, it's impossible. If you do you're
courting disaster in losing ventilation.

Seri

P.S. don't fall for the misconception that wasps are bad, they're
actually quite nice little buggers (unless they sting you).

People tell me that dogs are nice but I've been bitten by them - and their
bites have been far worse than any insect stings (to which I sometimes have
a general reaction and could, in theory, die).

Wasps are beautiful, clever and wonderful predators on many of what humans
consider pests in the garden. Without them we'd be ankle deep in creepy
crawlies.

Mary

Mary