WASPS

Wasps are classified under the order Hymenoptera, which means membraneous wings. All the stinging insects belong to this group, and they are a highly evolved group of insects. Some Wasps live in Wasps nests in the UK. They all have complex social structures and ways of doing things. However, they all share a common aim to survive as a species.

Appearance

Large, conspicuous buzzing insects with yellow and black striped, wasp-waisted bodies, which are 10-15mm long. They have a sweet tooth at one end and a painful sting at the other.

German Wasps

Common Wasp

Characteristics

The queen wasp is larger than normal wasps (about 20mm), and she hibernates over winter, making a nest in the spring in which to lay her eggs. She feeds the grubs on insects until they develop into worker wasps, three to four weeks later. Workers, all sterile females, forage for over a mile in search of food. At the end of the year when the colder air arrives, and any fruit that has been edible starts to perish quickly, wasps start to starve as food becomes increasingly hard to find. The adult worker wasps start to die off, and the new queen wasps go into hibernation and emerge in the spring to initiate the process again, building completely brand new nests. One nest may produce 30,000 wasps in a year.

Diet

Natural pest controllers wasps tend to eat other insects. However at their peak in August and September with the youngsters reared, the workers turn to the sweet food they prefer and become a nuisance wherever this is available.

Habitat

Common Wasps, generally build their nests inside something, this can be a roof space/loft, garden shed, inside an air brick or even in the ground. Other Wasps build their nests in bushes, trees, hedgerows and even underground. They build their nests anywhere that they find suitable and where it is protected from the elements and is undisturbed. They build their nest itself using chewed wood and saliva to make a papier mache material. The nest material is durable, lightweight and surprisingly waterproof.

Why control Wasps?

One of the most feared and aggressive pests, wasps will attack and sting, sometimes unprovoked but usually if threatened. This is a risk and a cause for concern, if you have small children or pets as for some wasp stings, can be very dangerous causing severe reactions, with several people dying from wasp stings every year.

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