Wasps or bees? (Trigger warning - gross insect picture)

[Stingingwankers]

Tried to move a half empty compost bin today. It just had a few bits of hedge trimming and dried grass in. I knocked it over and as I tried to shove it all back inside the bin I disturbed a nest of either bees or wasps.
There were somewhere between dozens and hundreds, and I got stung a few times as I ran away. Now I can’t go out my front door because they keep coming for me again.
I’ve looked at the council’s pest control page but it says they’ll only move a wasps’ nest, not bees. And obviously I won’t be able to contact them now until Monday.
Any ideas whether this is a wasp or a bee please? This is one I pulled out from under my bra as it was stinging me. I then trod on it to stop it stinging me again, hence the grossness.
Has anyone successfully dealt with a nest without involving the council?

That’s a wasp

I'd say wasp. Sorry you got stung.
We have a bee nest in our compost bin and they do their own thing mostly.. wasps are bastards

definitely wasp

Thank you. I managed to get away fairly lightly I think, though the one that flew up my dress, stung my waist, and then tried to sting me again by crawling under the band of my bra deserves a special place in hell.

That’s a wasp I have a nest in my garage , we have just left it and will get rid once they leave in autumn we are just using our driveway instead now as they are quite territorial and persistent

I remember getting stung by a wasp years ago and bursting into tears at the shock of how much it hurt! Poor you OP. I would just stay away from the area until you can get the council out.

Yep, I think we’ll be using the back door for the next few days. I pity the postman. It’s my birthday this week so I’m expecting lots of cards! I hope he manages to avoid getting stung.

£76 for a council visit to remove the nest 😥

Can you move the bin at dusk? they will be a lot quieter then and less likely to go for you but wrap up well!
btw they attack only when threatened and from their pov you tied to destroy their home.

The wasps will all die off in the next few weeks, they are fantastic pest controllers.

You can buy a can of wasp killer foam from Screwfix that you can aim the jet and spray all over the nest from a distance (metres away), which works really well - and costs a lot less than £76!

I’m not sure if the nest is still in the bin, or if it’s in the compost that’s on the garden. I think I might try to drag the bin further away to try and pinpoint where exactly it is, but if it’s in the spilled compost I’m not sure how I would move that.

I can’t see the actual nest unfortunately. Not without disturbing the compost again, which I’m reluctant to do after this afternoon’s debacle.

Load of fuss about a few insects, just leave them alone. Poor things. Just as much right to life as you do.

Use the back door to go to Screwfix and get the spray.

When you're back, trousers tucked into boots, a jacket with tight cuffs, gardening gloves. Do you have a very thin scarf? Put that over your face and tuck in at the neck and top off with a hat. Then go and blast the buggers!

I can’t use my front door. No one can visit my house. I was stung multiple times. My husband is allergic to wasp stings and will go into anaphylactic shock and possibly die if he is stung. But yes, you’re right, I’m just making a fuss.

What a horrible thing to happen, OP. If your husband is allergic I can understand yur anxiety to have it removed. But having said that, now that you know the nest is there, it should be possible to move around quite close by without further problems. We have had multiple wasp and bee nests in the garden and in some timber on the outside of the house and it hasn't been a problem.Currently there is a bees nest just above our front door.

Having said that, we did have a bees nest in a compost bin one year and I decided I didn't want to surrender the bin to them. I zipped up a raincoat all around myself and made several quick sallies with a gardan fork and hosepipe. It worked, but I felt pretty bad about it.

Definitely a wasp. 🐝

100% a wasp. Personally, I'd leave it. They only live a few months then die. You won't get a reoccurrence of nest because wasps are territorial and don't build on old nest sites.

Just seen your update. In which case, buy the spray first and see if that works.

That's a wasp.

I sympathise, we had a wasps nest destroyed yesterday. I used a local pest control and they came within a couple of days and sorted it out for £80. It was money well spent as there were loads of wasps and come late summer/early autumn they would have been a real nuisance.

We also have a bumble bees nest in the garden but they don't cause any bother at all.

I’m pretty live-and-let-live with my garden usually, but every time I open the front door about twenty of them head straight for me. I don’t think it’s workable to have no access to the front door for the whole summer. The nest is about a metre from the door. In an ideal world I’d relocate them to a different bit of the garden, but I’m not sure how to move the pile of compost.

My FIL had to be rushed to hospital after a wasp sting, which resulted in polymyalgia for 10 years, so I’m definitely wary of my husband getting stung.

If you watch the wasps as they return to the nest they'll make a bee line to the nest entrance. That's where you need to apply the insecticide. Ant powder will kill them. You may be able to apply it from a distance, tie a spoon to a bamboo pole, fill the bowl of the spoon with powder and dump it on the nest entrance.

If the wasps weren't being a nuisance I'd say leave them. Obviously you'd been neighbours for a while with no bother. But the situation you're in is not acceptable. It must have been a horrible experience. I hope you can get them sorted out.

They should settle down soon, it's just that the initial threat to the nest will have put them on high alert for a few hours.

100% a wasp. We used the foam as mentioned up thread and it worked! You do it at night when they're all in the nest. Spray it in then run like fuck. Also it's a lot cheaper than a pest control company.