Wasps

[On the Moors]

We have a wildlife/woodland garden with three small ponds. It attracts plenty of wild life including some unwanted ones, like wasps. Last year a pest controller dealt with a wasps' nest in the garden but late summer we noticed more and more wasps getting into the house. Eventually we found a nest in the loft and called the pest controller. He couldn't easily get to the nest but dosed it with something that seemed to kill most of them. From then on until Xmas we got he odd wasp from the loft (via the loft ladder access) but these seemed very dozy and were easily dealt with.

This week we have found three wasps in the house. I understand that fertile queen wasps can survive a UK winter so these may be what they are. Alternatively do queen wasps return to the same nesting sights and could we have a new nest?

 

[Meadowlark]

Interesting question. Not being certain of the answer, I asked AI and got this response: "Queen wasps generally do not return to the same nesting sites each year. Instead, they seek new locations to establish their nests. After hibernating through the winter, a queen wasp emerges in spring to find a suitable spot to start a new colony. Old nests are often left abandoned and deteriorate over time, as wasps don't reuse them.

However, queen wasps might return to the same general area if it offers ideal conditions, like abundant food sources or sheltered spots."

Reminds me that I need to get fresh wasp traps out around the house.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The queens are slightly larger and usually identifiable that way. Unlike bees they establish a whole new nest each year, and now is the time you may see them out and about as they have to feed the first generation of young when they hatch, as soon as those workers are flying she will leave all the gathering to them and stay in the nest, laying eggs. Bumblebees are the same, that's why you see such big ones this time of year.
I have never known them to come back to the same place, and that nest was basically a failure. As a beekeeper I used to get called out to deal with wasps from time to time, if they were in my loft, or some sort of public area, I wouldn't tolerate them, but if they are out of the way I will, they do a lot of good stuff. For a start off they clean up all sorts of dead stuff, I have watched one chopping a mouse up into bits it could carry and going back and forth to the nest. I also see them touring my cabbages looking for caterpillars.

 

[On the Moors]

Thanks for the replies.

The wasps were not large and seemed a bit docile.

If the wasps don't bother us then we don't bother them. Trouble is that we have what we call our summer house in the middle of the garden between two small ponds. It's a sunny spot which the wasps seem to like. They are such vicious little b*****s that there is no way of cohabiting with them. We get plenty of bees which never bother us.

The builder we use is calling to plug any holes into the roof space. There may be a nest outside but I don't see how they are getting in. Last year we were invaded and in one windowsill alone I counted about 30 dead wasps. We were taken a bit by surprise last year.

Two houses close by had similar problems to us which surprised me as it wasn't a particularly good summer.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

The bench on the deck for some reason under the curve of it some wasps yearly decide to make their mud nest and lay eggs. I finally notice they have done so when I see them scurrying past me as I sit there, guess their aim is care of the nest. So I have to pull the bench forward topple it over to expose the back side, sure enough there it is about 2 inches by 3 inches, with eggs, and only about 2 -3 buzzing about it. So I have to get a long stick, and put my body behind the door to the house, using the stick I jab it off the area, somehow able to fling it to the yard, off the deck. Sadly the 3 wasps are location aimed, and seem confused by the absence of the bench where it was when it was up right, they spend a good 2 hours looking for it. I get myself inside. I have tried things like spraying the area with some detergent or anything that could stop this. but it does not seem to help. Once a year. There are so many other areas on the property to make a nest. SMH

 

[Oliver Buckle]

mud nest

I wonder about this, vesta vulgaris, our common wasp, makes its nest from a sort of paper it makes by chewing up wood. There are lots of different sorts of wasps and I know some make mud nests, as do some bees, but a lot of those other sorts are innocuous, uninterested in humans. If you could identify them you might well be able to just leave them to get on with it, most don't make very big nests either.

 

[Owdboggy]

Also, do bear in mind that they are very good pest controllers. It is a problem we have had in the past, made worse by my better half's allergy to their sting.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I wonder about this, vesta vulgaris, our common wasp, makes its nest from a sort of paper it makes by chewing up wood. There are lots of different sorts of wasps and I know some make mud nests, as do some bees, but a lot of those other sorts are innocuous, uninterested in humans. If you could identify them you might well be able to just leave them to get on with it, most don't make very big nests either.

I guess you are not visualizing the location of them, thought i was pretty clear in my description. Not having buzzing, flying, stinging creatures over my right ear putting me in stress in the morning with my quiet cup of coffee when they have more than enough place elsewhere to go.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I guess you are not visualizing the location of them, thought i was pretty clear in my description

You were clear, my point was that an awful lot of that genus have a sting, but will not use it except in extremis. Also, as the son and brother of Biologists I am pretty used to having stinging, scratching, biting things about me and just getting on with it. Most of them are okay if you are okay with them, and I tend to forget this is not a normal reaction for most people.
You mention detergent as a failed deterrent, have you tried a strong smelling oil, like clove oil or lemon grass? I am assuming a wooden bench that it would soak into a little, it might also make it harder for the mud to stick.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

You mention detergent as a failed deterrent, have you tried a strong smelling oil, like clove oil or lemon grass? I am assuming a wooden bench that it would soak into a little, it might also make it harder for the mud to stick.

Both benches on the deck were fresh stained last summer, maybe that will help. and yes I did try a number of sprays. we shall see.