Claremont is the Southern Suburbs' shopping and office hub, built around Cavendish Square, Main Road and the station, with leafy residential streets running up towards the mountain. Our work here swings between commercial kitchens and retail on one side and older family homes with big trees on the other.
Wasp nests in Claremont
The big oaks, plane trees and clipped hedges along Claremont's leafy streets give paper wasps plenty of sheltered places to build. We find nests under eaves, inside hedges, in pergolas and under garden furniture, and gardeners trimming a hedge in December are often the ones who find them first, the hard way.
Nests are started by a single queen in spring and grow quickly through summer. We treat the nest, take it down once the wasps are dead and check nearby hedges and eaves, because where there's one nest there are often more. Calling early in the season means smaller nests and a quicker job.
Worth knowing
For body corporates and estate managers, one property owner removing nests while the neighbours do nothing just means wasps move next door. A coordinated plan works far better.
Signs to look for
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
Why it matters: Paper wasps sting when their nest is disturbed, and they can sting more than once, which is a real danger for anyone with a sting allergy and a misery for children playing outside. Nests in letterboxes, gate motors and garden furniture lead to stings because people touch them without seeing the nest. On farms and in the Winelands, Polistes damages soft fruit and grapes and gets in the way of harvest work. Because the species is invasive, every nest left alone produces new queens that start more nests nearby the following spring.
What happens when we come out
For ongoing wasp control we combine nest treatment with prevention rather than coming out once a year to remove whatever has grown. Active nests are treated with an insecticidal dust or spray applied directly into the comb, usually early in the morning or late in the day when the wasps are on the nest, and the comb is taken down once the colony is dead. On properties with repeat problems we do a sweep in early spring to find and remove young founding nests while they are small, and we can apply a residual treatment to favourite nesting spots such as eaves and pergolas. We also look at what is drawing wasps in, like water points, fallen fruit and open bins, and give practical advice on fixing it. For farms, estates and complexes, scheduled visits through the wasp season keep numbers under control instead of letting them build up.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our wasp control service works.
Prevention that actually works
- Pick up fallen fruit and grapes promptly, because ripe fruit draws foraging wasps in late summer.
- Check garden furniture, umbrellas and the inside of letterboxes before using them in summer.
- Seal holes in hollow gate posts, steel poles and roller door channels with a cap or sealant.
- Keep outdoor bins closed and clean up after a braai, as wasps scavenge meat and sweet drinks.
- Walk around the house once a week from September and knock down any nest smaller than a coin with a long pole, at dusk, wearing long sleeves.
How much will it cost?
Wasp control is priced on how many nests there are, how high and hard to reach they are, and whether you want a once-off treatment or ongoing visits through the season. A house with one or two nests at ladder height is a straightforward job, while farms, estates and complexes with nests spread over many buildings take longer. For properties that get wasps every year, a seasonal plan usually saves money compared to repeated call-outs, and the quote is free.
Queens come out of hiding as the weather warms in late August and September and start small nests on their own, which is the cheapest and safest time to deal with them. Colonies grow quickly through the hot, dry summer and reach their biggest and most defensive in February and March. With the first winter rains and cold fronts the colonies die off, and only the new queens survive to start again next spring.
Wasp Control questions from Claremont
Is the European paper wasp really invasive?
Yes. Polistes dominula is not native to South Africa and has spread widely through the Western Cape, where it competes with local insects. That is why we treat it rather than leave it.
What if the nest is inside a wall?
We treat it through the entrance hole with a dust, wait for activity to stop and only then seal the hole, so the wasps are not forced inside the house.
Do wasp traps work?
They catch some foraging wasps, but they rarely reduce the number of nests and can attract more wasps to your garden. Finding and treating the nests works much better.
Should I kill native wasps too?
Not necessarily. Mud daubers and many native wasps are harmless and useful in the garden, so if a nest is out of the way and not a stinging risk, we may suggest leaving it.
How quickly can you remove a wasp nest?
Our average turnaround is around 48 hours, depending on the season. If a nest is right by a door or someone is allergic, tell us, and we can arrange an after-hours or weekend visit on request.
Why are there so many wasps in Claremont gardens?
The trees and hedges give paper wasps plenty of sheltered nesting places. Finding nests early in spring is easiest.
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