Wasps:
Wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera, which includes some of the most highly evolved insects. They have a caste system where workers (sterile females) have responsibility for nest building, nursing the young, and foraging for food. Queens are responsible for reproduction, and males are responsible for fertilisation.
All wasps have the following features:-
Elbowed antennae
Mouthparts with powerful jaws
Forewings are linked to hind wings by minute hooks
Coloured black and yellow
An ovipositor modified to form a sting
There are two species of importance to us, as they are the most common pest species. These are:-
Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) and the German Wasp (Vespula germanica).
The workers of these two species are very similar in appearance; identification is not normally required, as they are both major pests and a danger to those of us who are allergic to their sting.
Allergy to these wasp stings can cause anaphylactic shock, which can cause death in susceptible humans. Therefore, wasps must be avoided at all costs and under no circumstances should an untrained person attempt to treat a wasp’s nest.
Treatment of wasps nests:
This is a job for a trained professional only. Under no circumstances should any person other than a pest controller attempt to treat or remove a wasp’s nest. You would normally encounter wasps during the warmer months of the year; typically this would be from approximately May through to September, although this can vary greatly with temperature variations that we have experienced in recent years.
I found a wasp in my kitchen on Boxing Day. The easiest way to identify whether you have a wasp nest or if wasps are just feeding from plants in your garden would be to watch them closely, see where they are flying to and from. If you can identify a definite pattern of wasps flying in and out of a particular hole on or around your house e.g. an air brick, then the chances are that you will have a wasp nest. Wasps will visit your garden to feed from the sap on certain flower heads and from ivy plants.
This does not necessarily mean that you have a wasp’s nest; this may only mean that they are using your garden as a food source. Wasps will also attack and eat other small insects in your garden. If the nest can be identified, depending on the location, they can be treated using either insecticidal spray or dust. It is not normal practice to remove a wasp’s nest during the treatment. If they are emerging from an airbrick, for example, then the nest is not accessible. If the nest is in a loft, again, it depends upon the location; if they are easily accessible, then they can be treated and the nest broken up.
