Got a grey paper football hanging under the eaves, a stream of yellow-and-black insects flying in and out of a wall, or a nest you simply do not want to poke? You’re not alone. Every summer I get dozens of messages from people across Nottingham who are not sure whether they are looking at honey bees or wasps.
I still collect honey bee swarms for free. That has not changed. What has changed is that I now also offer professional wasp nest removal Nottingham and across the surrounding villages.
Send me a photo or a short video on WhatsApp. I will tell you what it is, give you a clear price before I travel, and we will agree a date. No extras added on the doorstep. Honey bee swarms stay free.
Why a local beekeeper now removes wasp nests too
I am a Nottingham beekeeper first. My apiaries sit in and around Woodborough, Bingham, Whatton, Wysall, Strelley and Oakwood.
A lot of people still ring me for a bee collection. Very often it is not honey bees. It is a wasp nest. Sometimes it is another pollinator. Other pollinators I leave alone. I will tell you what it is.
Leaving a wasp nest next to a doorway, play area or loft hatch is a different problem from a calm honey bee swarm hanging in a tree. Wasps defend a nest. A swarm of honey bees usually does not. That is why I still move honey bee swarms for free and now offer paid wasp nest removal when the nest is a genuine risk.
How the wasp nest removal service works
The process is simple on purpose.
- You send photos or a short video on WhatsApp to 07845 755733.
- I confirm the insect (wasp, honey bee, bumblebee, hornet or something else).
- I give you a price based on access, height, size, how many nests there are, and how long the drive will take.
- We agree a date and time that suits you.
- I attend. If it is a honey bee swarm, I collect it free. If it is wasps and we agreed the job, I treat the entrance or remove the nest on that visit. If I can only inspect and must return, the inspection is £40.
Why evening visits work better
I either treat the nest entrance with insecticidal powder or take the whole nest out. I do not spray rooms or gardens. Honey bees are never treated with insecticide.
When I take the nest away, evening is better. During the day a large share of the workers are away foraging. The nest can come out then, but those wasps often return an hour or two later. By dusk most of them are back inside, so the nest and the wasps leave together.
If I treat the entrance with powder, daytime is often enough, because foraging wasps pick the product up when they return. If you need a daytime removal I can still do it. I will just be clear that a few workers may come back to the site afterwards.
Wasp nest removal prices
Job prices
| Job | Before 6pm | From 6pm |
|---|---|---|
| Treat entrance — easy access (powder, also cavity / wall void) | £70 | £90 |
| Treat entrance — ladder needed | £90 | £110 |
| Remove whole nest — easy access | £80 | £100 |
| Remove whole nest — ladder needed | £100 | £120 |
| Second nest, same visit — easy access | +£30 | +£30 |
| Second nest, same visit — ladder needed *** | +£50 | +£50 |
If the nest can come out, I take it out. That is one visit and the job is finished.
Powder is for nests I cannot reach or pull out — cavity, soffit, wall void, or a nest with no safe access. If I treat with powder and the same nest is still active after 3 days, I return once within 7 days at no extra charge.
***A second nest is +£30 when I can handle it from the same spot. +£50 is only when the extra nest requires its own climb or a fresh ladder set-up.
Two or more awkward nests are quoted on WhatsApp before I set off, so the price is agreed — not added on the doorstep.
Visit fees
| Situation | Price |
|---|---|
| Photo or video on WhatsApp | Free |
| Honey bee swarm — identified and collected | Free |
| Wasps treated or removed on that same visit | Job price only |
| Inspection only, or I must return another day for wasps | £40 |
| I attend and there is no nest / nothing to treat | £40 |
Extras on the day
| Extra | Price |
|---|---|
| Wasps already flying inside one room — collect after the nest is out | +£40 |
| Second room, or a heavy indoor infestation | +£60 |
Easy access — ground, low hedge, shed, low wall, short step.
Ladder needed — first-floor soffit, high wall, tree, extension ladder.
Cavity / wall — powder into the entrance. I do not open brickwork.
If wasps are already inside the house, tell me on WhatsApp. If we only see it on the visit, I agree the extra before I start clearing the room.
Travel is in the job price when I do the wasp work that day. £40 is only for inspection or a wasted journey.
Honey bees are never treated with insecticide. Lantra Wasp and Bee Control. Public liability insurance.
If it turns out to be a honey bee swarm, the visit stays free. That is the same service described in my free bee swarm removal Nottingham guide.
Need bees or wasps moved?
Areas covered for wasp nest removal
I work from Nottingham and cover the city plus a sensible radius into Nottinghamshire and the nearer Derbyshire and Leicestershire borders.
Typical places I already visit for bees and now for wasps include:
- Nottingham city and suburbs (Aspley, Wollaton, Beeston, West Bridgford, Mapperley, Arnold)
- Woodborough and surrounding villages
- Bingham and the Vale
- Whatton, Aslockton, Orston
- Wysall, Widmerpool, Keyworth
- Strelley, Bilborough, Broxtowe
- Oakwood and nearby Derby-side villages when travel makes sense
If you are a little further out, still send the photos. I will tell you straight away whether I can reach you this week. The quote will include the extra travel time if I can.
Wasps, honey bees and why the difference matters
A hanging rugby-ball cluster of fuzzy brown-orange insects is almost always a honey bee swarm. Those bees have gorged on honey, they have no brood to defend yet, and they are looking for a new home. I collect them, give them a hive, and they go back to pollinating local gardens.
A grey, papery nest with a single entrance and a constant stream of smooth, bright yellow-and-black insects is a wasp nest. Common and German wasps build enclosed “paper” nests from chewed wood. Paper wasps often build an open comb that hangs like a small umbrella.
Wasps become more defensive as the nest grows through July and August. They will forage on sweet drinks and protein, and they will sting more than once. Honey bees usually leave their sting behind and die. That single fact is why mixing the two up is a bad idea.
I will not treat a honey bee colony as a wasp nest. If the photos show bees in a wall or chimney, we talk about options instead of treating them as a wasp nest. That is the same principle behind my protect pollinators work and the free swarm collections. Late summer is when a nest feels worse: more wasps, more sugar, a sharper defence. The longer explanation is here: Why wasps sting more in late summer.
European hornets
European hornets (Vespa crabro) are native and usually calmer than common wasps. They are still hornets. If there is a nest on the house, by a door, in an outbuilding or over a play area, it needs to come out. I treat or remove the nest in the same way as a wasp nest.
Yellow-legged hornets (Asian hornets)
Yellow-legged hornets are a notifiable invasive species. I do not remove that nest as a private job. If the photos look suspicious I will tell you straight away. The sighting must be reported to the National Bee Unit through the Asian Hornet Watch app or the official BeeBase form. Once a nest is confirmed, APHA’s National Bee Unit deals with it.
What you should (and should not) do while you wait
Do not poke the nest, spray it with supermarket killer, or block the entrance. Disturbed wasps come out looking for the source of the problem. That is usually you.
Do:
- Keep children and pets away from the flight line
- Close nearby windows if the nest is on the house
- Take a photo from a safe distance (that is all I need)
- Note roughly how high it is and whether you can see the entrance
A single foraging wasp on a picnic is not a nest. A nest is a structure with traffic in and out.
Why DIY wasp nest treatment often goes wrong
A supermarket spray looks like the cheap way out. It rarely is.
Once you disturb a nest — poke it, block the entrance or hit it with a half-strength spray — the wasps come out looking for the threat. That is when they get aggressive. They can sting more than once. One sting is painful. Several stings in a short time can leave you swollen, shaky and in a much worse state than the nest itself.
For someone with a venom allergy it can turn serious very quickly. Breathing problems, a rapid swelling or a drop in blood pressure are not things to manage on a stepladder under the eaves. If anyone in the house has a known allergy, do not try this yourself. Book the visit and keep the medicine your GP has prescribed close to hand.
I either treat the nest entrance with powder or take the whole nest away. Leave the nest alone until then. Send the photos. Wait.
The NHS pages on insect stings are a sensible first read if you are unsure about symptoms.
I still collect honey bee swarms for free
This new offer does not replace the community work. If the cluster is honey bees, I collect it at no charge, the same as I have done for years. The bees go into one of my spare hives. You get the garden back. Nottingham keeps a few more pollinators.
I also continue to help when a situation can be relocated rather than destroyed. That includes the swarm collections described in the free bee swarm removal article.
If you are not sure, send the WhatsApp clip. Identification first, price second, date third.
After the nest has gone
Wasps do not reuse an old nest the following year. The new queens overwinter elsewhere and start fresh in spring.
A good follow-up is sealing obvious gaps in soffits, fascia and air bricks so the next queen does not find the same cavity. If the wasps were coming out of the brick itself, why they use the wall cavity is a separate guide. That is ordinary home maintenance, not a specialist upsell.
That job is separate from the honey bees. If the call had been a swarm, those bees would have gone into one of my hives.
Common myths about wasp nests around Nottingham homes
“If I leave it, it will go away in a week.”
Colonies grow through summer. Late August and September are when they are largest and most defensive.
“All striped insects in the garden are wasps.”
Hoverflies mimic wasps and do not sting. Honey bees are furrier and duller. Bumblebees are larger and rounder. Photos settle it in minutes.
“Pest control and beekeepers do the same job.”
A general pest controller’s first tool is often insecticide. Mine is identification. That is why the free swarm service and the paid wasp service live side by side.
“A nest in the loft will ruin the house.”
Wasps chew wood pulp for paper; they do not eat structural timber the way some other pests do. The real issue is stings and the mess of a large nest, not the house falling down.
Practical tips if you keep finding wasps
- Keep bins closed and wipe sweet drinks off tables.
- Do not leave fallen fruit to ferment under trees if the nest is nearby.
- Check loft hatches and eaves in May and June when nests are still small.
None of that replaces removal when the nest is already established in the wrong place.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can you come for wasp nest removal in Nottingham?
During peak season I aim for a few days, often sooner if the nest is high-risk. Send the photos first so the slot is not wasted on the wrong insect.
What happens to the nest?
If we agreed a removal, I take the whole nest away. If we treat the entrance with powder, the nest stays in place and dies off.
Do you guarantee the nest will not come back?
That nest will not restart. A new queen can choose the same cavity next spring if the gap is still open. Sealing is your best prevention.
Can you remove a nest from inside a wall without opening it?
Often yes, if there is a clear external entrance. If the nest is fully enclosed I will say so from the photos rather than promise the impossible.
What if it is honey bees after all?
The job stays free and follows the swarm collection process. Read the free bee swarm removal Nottingham page for the exact steps.
Do you treat bumblebees?
No. I do not remove bumblebee nests. I will identify them and advise.
Are you insured?
Yes. Full public liability cover.
Can I watch?
From a sensible distance, yes. I would rather you stayed well back while the work is done.
How do I pay?
We agree the price on WhatsApp before the visit. That price already includes travel. Payment details are confirmed when we book the date.
Does a longer drive cost more?
Yes, when it takes a bigger slice of the day. Send the postcode with the photos and I will put travel into the same quote as the nest itself.
Do you use insecticide?
For wasps, yes when treatment is the safer option: powder into the nest entrance, including cavities. I do not spray the garden or the house. Honey bees are never treated.
What if you come and it is honey bees?
The visit is free and I collect the swarm.
What if you come and there is nothing there?
£40 call-out.
What if you need two visits for wasps?
First visit £40. Second visit is the job price from the table.
What if wasps are already inside a room?
Tell me on WhatsApp and I add it to the quote. Clearing one room is +£40. A second room or a heavy indoor infestation is +£60.
Is travel extra?
Not when I treat or remove wasps on that visit. The £40 fee is only for an inspection or a wasted journey.
Ready to get the nest identified?
WhatsApp a photo or a 10-second video to 07845 755733. Tell me the town or village and roughly how high the nest sits.
If it is honey bees, I will collect the swarm for free as I always have. If it is wasps in a bad spot, we will book the removal.
While you wait, the Bee Knowledge Hub has the honey guides, including why honey crystallises, common myths about set honey and where my honey comes from. The shop is there when you want a jar of the real local stuff those free swarms help to make.Send the pictures. Let’s sort out what is actually living in the eaves.