Wasps

[greenrook]

I live in West Cornwall, and I haven't seen ANY wasps at all this year. Record numbers of bees and butterflies, but not a single wasp, why is that?

[Canary42]

Don't they usually emerge in greatest numbers at the August Bank Holiday ?

[zebo]

Maybe you're just lucky, the little b's have been going crazy here, Norfolk, this Summer.

[woofgang]

Until today I would have agreed with OP that there have been markedly less wasps this year but today my garden seems to be full of them. It might be the weather, its gone to very overcast and humid here but no rain forecast

[Buenchico]

We must have sent all our Suffolk wasps up to Norfolk, Zebo.

I saw my first wasp of the year yesterday.

Somebody's obviously getting them though:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-45208218

Unlike Greenrook, I've seen far fewer bees this year. (I've got a big buddleia bush and I always allow my privet hedges to finish blooming before cutting them back, so I usually have many hundreds of bees in my garden at peak blooming time. The numbers have been much smaller this year). It's not just honey bees either; most summers have to release one or two bumble bees from my house every day but I've simply not seen any this year).

Those bushes are also usually full of butterflies but I've hardly seen any this summer.

However it's not all bad news. My cats are way overdue for their flea treatments but that doesn't seem to matter much as there aren't many fleas around either. Further, I usually have to throw away any uneaten moist cat food within an hour or two of putting it out during the summer months because dozens of flies will have laid their eggs in it. That problem seems to have disappeared this year; there seem to be very few flies around.

[woofgang]

plenty of bees and too many bluebottles here but not many butterflies other than cabbage whites and no dragons and damsels this year even though I have got three wildlife ponds.

[woofgang]

oh and mozzies.....way too many mozzies and the bites are nasty

[Kathyan]

I'm in Sheffield and I've only seen one or two wasps this year and hardly any flies for some reason.

[Smowball]

Not many wasps but HUNDREDS of Flies and bluebottles. In fact the kitchen is full of them today - despite me having cans of raid everywhere. Hate the things!

[Chipchopper]

I think three are less wasps than usual, in many parts of the UK and the few I have seen seem the smaller type.
My theory is, a lot of them get flooded out during flash flooding and ground nesting colonies are most vulnerable.

[Old_Geezer]

Probably all where I am. Along with their mates, the flies.

[gness]

They are all in my garden...hundreds of the things.......but I am winning the battle...... :-)

[Maydup]

You will be short of wasps greenrock, because they have all moved to Norfolk this year. We had so many on our apple tree at the weekend that I couldnt go near it. And I mean hundreds! All a tiny bit tipsy from the amount of sugar they had eaten and having spent the day in the full sun.

Today I sat in the garden of a cafe in Norwich and lasted all of 10 minutes before wasps arrived to share my juice. We are overwhelmed with them and i cant understand why its not the same across the country?

[DTCwordfan]

I'll lend you some, not too far away, near Trurra/

[gness]

Maydup...I have never killed a wasp until this year. Hundreds from a nest under decking that neither I nor anyone else can reach...

I got advice from abers....the artificial nest didn't work so I have seven home made wasp traps on the decking.....all filled with different drinks......they are partial to Kir and it's fun watching them when they get squiffy....
When a few dozen are swimming about in the bottle I spray in some Cif....that kills them instantly and also I carry a little spray bottle of diluted Tea Tree Oil to spray at them if they come close when we are eating.....that scoots them off......as does peppermint oil.....x

[DTCwordfan]

detergent in a bottle works well, gness....right into the nest...and they don't like it, so watch out but they buzzer off pretty d.quick.

[gness]

It's impossible to get to the nest, DT.

[greenrook]

Thank you all for your comments. The wasp thing is a mystery to me, as is much of what goes on in my garden. We usually get lots of Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, but this year it 's all the the white ones, their caterpillars decimate the nasturtiums.