For years the ‘Go to…’ treatment application for wasps entering a part of the building where there was no access to gain direct access onto the nest was ‘Ficam D’ – Active Ingredient ‘Bendiocarb 1.285%. it was brilliant, but it was highly toxic.

This years Wasp season will be the first without this active ingredient and for those of us whom treat nests are going to find it more challenging than previous years. With Bendiocarb a pest controller could just contaminate the point of entrance with the correct applicator for the job and within a few hours the nest would be dead.

You would get a gathering of wasps at the point of entrance but the activity would slow down quickly and you would be out in the garden having your BBQ in no time. In 2025 this is going to change, especially with large nests where there is no direct access.

When we used Bendiocarb the wasps would literally do the work for us, they would unknowingly walk the product into the nest infecting it quickly. The new actives of use are ‘Pyrethroid’ based dusts like permethrin. Ultimately they are faster acting which sounds good you may think..

The truth is that because they are faster acting they are more repellant, so infected wasps may not make it into the nest in time to infect it before they die. They will also display a much more defensive behaviour. Once treated they will become more aggressive.

Previously when arriving on site to treat a nest I would always ask the customer if they have attempted control before my arrival, if the answer was yes then I knew to expect extra aggression as permethrin would have normally been used.

I use LEGAL, approved products to protect you, your family and the environment….

Expectation Management.

This year and going forward there is no more spray and walk away treatments. While all applications will be the results of risk assessments, environmental assessments, nest location, product selection and application selection every effort will be made to ensure that treatments where there is no direct access to the nest will result in complete eradication with a single application.

However, this cannot be guaranteed… if I can get directly onto the nest then I will treat it directly thus minimising product use and ensuring complete eradication first time around i will.

If the point of entrance is into a cavity wall, a roof void or other areas where there is no access then single treatment applications may not work. Unfortunately charges will reflect for the second visit risk… I’m just being honest from the outset.

So, if after 48 hours of the treatment you still have wasps.. it will need a second application. Sorry..