Stay back from it
Keep children and pets away, feed pets indoors while the wasps are about, and don't try to treat the nest yourself. If a stung person has noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, or collapses, call 000, and use their adrenaline autoinjector first if they carry one.
European wasps in the ACT
Mostly underground
The ACT Government says European wasp nests in Canberra are usually in the ground, and the entrance can be well hidden. The giveaway is a steady stream of yellow and black wasps going in and out of one hole.
Sometimes inside the house
Nests are also built in wall cavities and roof spaces, and the wasps can enlarge them by chewing into the plasterboard. Wasps at a crack in the eaves or around a window frame deserve a careful look from a distance.
A season that runs late
In February 2021 the ACT Government said the peak of the European wasp season continues until May. Colonies start in spring and keep growing, so a nest found in autumn is often at its largest.
On ACT Government land
Lodge the European Wasp, Ants or Bees Report form, then contact Access Canberra with the reference code. The ACT Government aims to investigate and control nests on its land within 5 to 10 business days, and puts reports with a known nest location first.
Which wasp is it?
| European wasp | Asian paper wasp | Native paper wasp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | Bright yellow and black, with yellow legs | Vivid black and yellow | Dull brown |
| Shape | Stout, with all black antennae | Slender, with a thin abdomen | Slender, much like the Asian paper wasp |
| Nest | Hidden: in the ground, a wall or the roof | On buildings, or tucked into trees and bushes | An open cone of cells under eaves or branches |
| Who handles it | The ACT Government on its land; a pest business at home | A pest business, if it's near the house | A pest business, if it's near doors or play areas |
While you wait
You can
- Note landmarks near a ground nest from well back, so the technician can find the entrance.
- Keep bins shut and cover sweet drinks and meat outside.
- Bring pet bowls inside.
- Check whether the wasps fly in over the fence: European wasps forage up to half a kilometre, so the nest may be next door.
Leave to a pest business
- Treating a nest in the ground, a wall cavity or the roof space.
- Anything above head height or beside a doorway.
- Coming back if the wasps are still active afterwards.
Our take on wasp nest removal in Canberra
If the nest is in a park or on other ACT Government land, report it to the ACT Government. If it's in your yard or your house, keep everyone well back and tap A wasp nest with where it is.
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.
