Wasps and Bees

Latin Name: Vespula vulgaris
Months of Activity: July – October

Wasps are probably the most familiar and least liked of all British insects and are regarded by many as pest which stings indiscriminately. In fact they do not normally sting unless they are attacked or frightened.

Appearance

Adult workers of the common wasp measure about 12-17mm (0.5-0.7 in) from head to abdomen and are decorated with black and yellow stripes.
Queen wasps have similar colouring but are larger in size measuring about 20mm (0.8 in) in length.

Lifecycle

In Spring the queen (who has hibernated over Winter) looks for a new nesting site. When a suitable site is found she sets about making the nest whilst laying her eggs and feeding the grubs.

By about the beginning of July there are sufficient worker wasps to take over some of these duties and the queen then spends all of her time laying eggs. This continues throughout the summer with the nest getting progressively bigger to accommodate the increasing number of wasps.

By late summer the nest will contain several thousand workers and will be about the size of a football.

During late summer male wasps and young queens are produced. When fertilised the young queens leave the nest and search for suitable sites to hibernate over winter. The remaining males stay at the nest but as no eggs are being laid no further building takes place.

Pest Control

DIY treatment of wasps involves using a proprietary powder. This should be puffed into and around the nest entrance (preferably at dusk when the wasps are less active). You should do this quickly and retreat from the area as an attack on the nest will cause the wasps to attack.

Alternatively, wasps can be treated by a qualified pest control technician. We highly recommend you contact a professional technician.

Bees are flying insects, closely related to wasps and ants. Bees may be solitary or may live in various types of communities – the most advanced of which are eusocial colonies found among the honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees.

There are slightly fewer than 20,000 known species of Bee, though many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. Bees are extremely capable of adapting to their environment, and consequently, are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Bee Species

Of the 20,000 known species of bee, few prove problematic to residents in the UK. However, bees are in decline and you should think carefully before destroying them. The clip below may help you.