People in Canberra are being warned against taking matters into their own hands when it comes to dealing with backyard wasps.

Since August the ACT Government's eWasp hotline has received almost 1,000 calls with reports from residents.

"The majority of nests have been reported on residential land in wall cavities," said Jim Bariesheff, a pest and weed specialist at CoreEnviro Solutions.

"In four cases the wasps gnawed through the gyprock and entered homes.

"European wasps can be very aggressive at this time of year."

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A fortnight ago Mr Bariesheff was called to inspect an active nest on a nature strip beside a home in Franklin.

Residents as far as 100 metres away from the nest were reporting large swarms of wasps in their backyards, especially when preparing food.

When Mr Bariesheff found the site, he discovered it was 10 times the size of a regular nest, measuring 95 centimetres across and 50 centimetres deep.

ACT Government invasive species officer Jenny Conolly took on the task of treating the giant nest.

"It had four entrance holes with a huge number of wasps on site. Even wearing a bee suit I had wasps flying at the visor trying to sting my face," she said.

The nest was discovered in parkland, not far from the neighbourhood park.

"If someone had accidently disturbed a nest of this size we would have a very serious situation on our hands, the possibility of multiple stings, anaphylaxis and a trip into hospital," Ms Conolly said.

Jim Bariesheff and Jenny Conolly are dealing with unprecedented numbers of wasp nests. ( ABC Canberra: Hannah Walmsley )

Rangers expect to find more super nests as the season progresses. ( ABC Canberra: Hannah Walmsley )

This season has already brought with it unprecedented numbers of European wasps in Canberra.

"These types of super nests are posing a very real threat to human life and pets too," Ms Conolly said.

"When you're dealing with 8,000 to 10,000 wasps, people can be stung severely.

"We've still got another two or three months left of the season and I'm expecting to see more nests, some even bigger than this one."

Typically there are around 3,000 wasps in a European wasp nest which would normally expand to about the size of a soccer ball.

"But a super nest is likely to house more like 10,000 wasps," Mr Bariesheff said.

"At this time of the season they start to get super defensive of their nest — they're on hyper-alert."

And while it might be tempting to research measures to remove nests yourself, Mr Bariesheff said people should steer clear.

"We've had people go out and buy treaters to deal with nests in their home and have then been stung," he said.

"It does cost money to have wasp nests removed by a professional, but at this time of year people trying to treat nests in their backyards themselves are just asking for trouble."

A European wasp nest found in Canberra typically accommodates around 3,000 wasps. ( ABC Canberra: Hannah Walmsley )

What sort of wasp is it?

The eWasp hotline helps residents identify what type of wasp is buzzing around the backyard barbecue.

"If it's a native paper wasp, a mud wasp or a potter wasp, we advise that if it's out of a high-traffic area just to leave them," Mr Bariesheff said.

"These types of native wasps are beneficial — they pollenate native plants really well.

"They also keep the number of pests in the garden down and play a helpful role in the native ecosystem.

"Asian paper wasps and European wasps are much more aggressive in our environment."

European wasps (vespula germanica) can be cranky this time of year. ( Wikimedia Commons: Richard Bartz )

If and when you're stung

One or two stings from a European wasp will typically lead to four days of painful irritation, depending on allergies, general health and age.

"It hurts for the first day with intense heat and then it itches for the next couple of days while the swelling is up," Mr Bariesheff said.

"That swelling and itch will usually subside after four days."

But in the case of multiple stings, the reaction can be much more severe.

"A couple of weeks ago I spoke to a guy who had been stung 70 times," Mr Bariesheff said.

"He was standing beside a bobcat when the bobcat hit a nest.

"He was rushed to hospital and had a tube put down his throat to stop his throat from closing up — it can be really bad."

Residents can report nest sightings via the eWasp hotline on (02) 6258 5551.