Wasp Control Strand

Strand is a beach town first, so a lot of our work follows the holiday calendar. Flats on Beach Road sit empty for months, then fill up over December, and pests that moved in quietly during the off-season suddenly become everyone's problem.

Wasp nests in Strand

Wasps are less common right on Strand's windy beachfront, but paper wasps build nests under the eaves of inland homes, in carports, under balconies and in garden sheds on the sheltered side away from the South-Easter. Nests grow through summer and are often found when someone opens a shed or garage cupboard that hasn't been used for a while.

We treat the nest, remove it once it's safe and check other sheltered spots around the property. For blocks of flats, we can check balconies and roof overhangs across the building at the same visit.

Further back from the sea the streets are older freestanding homes and townhouse complexes, plus a busy commercial strip with takeaways and small supermarkets.

What gives them away

A note from the field

If you have children or a dog that spends the day in the garden, check the jungle gym, the dog kennel and the underside of outdoor tables. Those are common hidden nest sites.

Wasps are attracted to water as much as food. A dripping tap or a pool edge can keep them coming back to a garden all summer.

How the treatment works

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.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Fix dripping taps and irrigation leaks, since wasps need a steady water source to build nests.
• Pick up fallen fruit and grapes promptly, because ripe fruit draws foraging wasps in late summer.
• Seal holes in hollow gate posts, steel poles and roller door channels with a cap or sealant.
• 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.
• Keep outdoor bins closed and clean up after a braai, as wasps scavenge meat and sweet drinks.

What affects the price

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.

Knocking down a tiny new nest in spring is a reasonable DIY job if you are not allergic and you do it at dusk. Once a nest is bigger than your palm, or it is high up, inside a wall or near where children play, we would rather you left it to us, because most of the stings we hear about come from people tackling a big nest with a can of spray in daylight. And if wasps keep coming back every year, the problem is the property and the neighbourhood, not one nest.

Questions we get asked in Strand

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