Why Wasp and Hornet Nests Are Going to Cost More to Treat This Year
If you’ve had a wasp nest or hornet treated before and need professional pest control again in 2025, you may be surprised by the cost difference.
Historically, pest controllers have widely used a product known as Ficam D® (a powder insecticide) to treat wasp nests in buildings. The active ingredient in Ficam D® was a product named Bendiocarb, and for over forty years, this has been a very effective tool in a pest controllers toolbox for the control of wasps and hornets. It was particularly successful for eradicating wasp and hornet nest activity in inaccessible locations such as under roof tiles etc, where the nest itself was not directly accessible from inside or out. Unlike most other products, Ficam D® powder did not need to be discharged directly into the nest. Just a small dose of the product applied near the entrance was usually sufficient, as wasps would walk this into the nest and spread the powder around. It was very effective as just a very small amount of the insecticide powder would usually result in full nest eradication.
However, recent changes to the registration of products under the Biocidal Product Regulations has resulted in the removal of Bendiocarb, and therefore Ficam D®, from the UK market . From 26 January 2025 it is no longer legal for anyone to use Ficam D® in the UK.
The Challenge of Treating Inaccessible Nests
There are a range of alternative products available to treat wasp nests, and most are very effective where a nest is easily accessible, and where the product can be deployed directly into a nest. However, a large number of wasp nests are hidden behind roof tiles, soffits, and air bricks etc, and cannot be directly accessed for treatment. Our own trials of other products have indicated that there are currently no insecticide products available that are as effective as Ficam D® powder was for locations where nests are not directly accessible. This view is also held by many other pest controllers.
More Treatments Mean Higher Costs
The result of this is that wasp and hornet nests which are not directly accessible for treatment may require more than one visit to achieve total eradication of all wasp or hornet activity. This is not an ideal situation for our customers or for us. Our trial of one of the most common alternative insecticide products last year (a Permethrin based powder insecticide) indicated that most inaccessible nests required two visits, and some even required three visits for treatment before total eradication was achieved. This increased number of visits and increased use of insecticide has a direct impact on our costs. Permethrin also causes wasps to react in a different and more aggressive way than Bendiocarb used to.
Unfortunately, due to the anticipated increase in the number of visits to successfully eradicate all wasp or hornet activity from a nest which is not directly accessible, customers are likely to see the cost of wasp and hornet nest treatments increase fairly significantly this year across the UK, as pest control businesses cannot absorb the cost of what may well be two or possibly even three visits in some cases, for what used to often require only one visit.
Beware of Illegal Wasp Treatments
There is also a cautionary note in this. If any professional pest controller is offering low-cost wasp nest treatments this year, customers might want to enquire as to what insecticide is being applied, as it is suggested some pest controllers will continue to use up remaining stocks of Ficam D® powder, despite it no longer being permitted for use after 25 January 2025. At iX5 Pest Control, we do not take risks with safety or cut corners, and this is why we are Trusted With Results!