If someone has been stung
Call 000 for noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, wheezing, a change in voice, dizziness or collapse. If they carry an adrenaline autoinjector, healthdirect says to use it immediately and then call 000. Lots of stings needs a doctor too: healthdirect's line is 5 or more for a child, 10 or more for an adult.
Wasps around Brisbane homes
Paper wasps
Found throughout Australia, paper wasps build upside down cones of six-sided cells under branches and the eaves of houses. Victoria's health department puts most nests between golf ball and side plate size, usually above ground.
Mud daubers
Also found throughout Australia, mud daubers build mud nests in sheltered corners of houses and are often seen collecting water and mud. They can sting, but the Australian Museum says attacks are rare.
Hot, humid summers
South East Queensland's summers average 24°C, so decks, pool fences, pergolas and eaves get plenty of use. Those sheltered spots are exactly where paper wasp combs hang, which is why summer is when most people notice one.
A wasp with a hidden nest
If you see yellow and black wasps streaming in and out of a single hole in the ground or a wall, tell the pest business. European wasp records in our sources come from southern states and WA, so it's worth a careful look.
Paper wasp, mud dauber or bees?
| Paper wasp | Mud dauber | Honey bees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The nest | Open grey comb of cells, hanging from a stalk | Mud cells or tubes stuck to a wall or ceiling | Wax comb hidden in a cavity, or a hanging swarm |
| The insect | Slender, narrow waist, black with yellow or orange bands, back legs dangling in flight | About 3 cm, often seen collecting mud or water | Rounder and hairy |
| Stings | Painful, and they defend the nest | Painful, but attacks are rare | Leave the sting in the skin |
| Who deals with it | A pest business | Often nobody, unless it's by a door | A beekeeper for a swarm; see our bees page for bees in a wall |
When a nest is worth treating, and when it isn't
Victoria's health department says paper wasps shouldn't be left to nest in or near the home, because they'll defend a nest they think is threatened. Near a door, a clothesline, a play area or a pool gate, that's a job.
A paper wasp nest at the back of the yard, well away from where anyone walks, is different. Native paper wasps feed caterpillars to their young, which helps in the garden. Mud dauber nests rarely need anything at all: they're nurseries stocked with paralysed spiders.
The job is bigger when the nest is high, over a doorway, near power lines, inside a wall or roof, or when there are several nests around the house.
While you wait
You can
- Close the doors and windows nearest the nest.
- Keep children and dogs away from that side of the house.
- Don't hose, spray or poke at it, even if it looks small.
- Take one photo from well back, so the pest business knows what to bring.
Leave to a pest business
- Treating the nest from a safe position and taking the comb down.
- Nests at height, over doorways or near power lines.
- Anything inside a wall cavity or roof.
Things to ask on the call
- From my photo, is it a paper wasp nest or something else?
- Can you reach it without working near the power lines?
- Will the empty comb be taken away once the wasps are dead?
- How long should we keep the kids and dog inside afterwards?
Our take on wasp nest removal in Brisbane
If the nest is near a door or where children play, keep everyone clear and tap A wasp nest. If it's a mud nest, or a small comb on a far fence, it's fine to watch it for now.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
