Stay back from any nest
Keep people and pets well away and don't spray, block or knock the nest. DPIRD warns that disturbing a busy wasp nest can lead to thousands of painful stings. If someone stung has noisy breathing, a swollen tongue or throat, or collapses, call 000; if they carry an adrenaline autoinjector, use it first.
European wasps and Perth
Kept out of WA, mostly found in Perth
DPIRD says it has stopped the European wasp settling in WA since 1977 and had destroyed 1,765 colonies to 2026. Of the nests it has found, 95% were in metropolitan Perth, and 90% were hidden underground.
Where nests turned up last season
In the 2025 to 2026 season, nests were found in Perth areas including Canning, Cockburn, Gosnells, Swan, Belmont, Bayswater, Melville, Wanneroo, Kalamunda, Victoria Park and Mundaring.
When to look
DPIRD says European wasps are easiest to spot between December and May, though they scavenge for food all year. Between November and April it runs more than 3,000 surveillance traps across Perth and regional WA.
How to report
Contact DPIRD's Pest and Disease Information Service, or use the MyPestGuide Reporter app. DPIRD's advice for a nest is to report it and not treat it.
Paper wasp or European wasp?
| Paper wasp | European wasp | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Slender with a very narrow waist; mainly black abdomen with some yellow or orange bands | Bright lemon yellow with black stripes, yellow legs and black antennae, about the size of a honey bee |
| In flight | Back legs dangle | Fast, with legs held close to the body |
| Nest | An open, upside down cone of cells under eaves or branches, golf ball to side plate size | Rarely seen: usually underground or in a wall or roof, with wasps using one gap |
| In Perth | A normal pest job | Report to DPIRD, don't treat |
What a paper wasp job involves
Paper wasps aren't as aggressive as European wasps and normally sting only when the nest is disturbed, says the Australian Museum, but several stings at once can cause a more serious reaction. Victoria's Health department says they shouldn't be allowed to nest in or near the home.
The technician treats the nest from a position they can reach without risk, then comes back or advises on taking it down once the colony is dead. A nest high on a two storey wall, above a door or near power lines takes more setting up.
Ask the pest business
- Are you sure it's a paper wasp nest, and not one I should report to DPIRD?
- Will the nest come down afterwards, or stay up once the wasps are dead?
- How long should we keep children and pets away from that area?
- What happens if wasps are still flying around it in a few days?
Where we'd start with wasp nest removal in Perth
If the wasps are bright yellow and black and disappearing into the ground or a gap in the wall, we'd ring DPIRD and leave the pest businesses out of it. If it's an open grey comb under the eaves, 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.
