[summer '85]

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Nigel Bolton - 23/6/2009 20:32

Tis true, stacks of bumble bees this year, good as I thought they were on their way out with some odd virus that was wiping out many bee species.

No ladybirds yet, in fact I have not seen any for some years now.

It is surprising how insects seem to boom-bust. Just from memory

1973 year of the ants.

1976, year of the ladybirds.

1979, year of the green fly.

1981, year of the thunder bugs

1990, year of the wasp,

1995, Another year of the wasp - in fact this year, they were absolutely endemic along the south coast.

This year seems to be year of the mosquito. I hope none are Anopheles.

N.

2005 was the year of the daddy-long-legs/crane fly.

[louise79]

summer is officially here for me now....i just seen my first worst nightmare of the year (WASP), and i promptly ran down the steps at my house and half way down the avenue screaming like a banshee, the neighbours want to have me officially certified i think.

[zzsladies]

 i have a question,,, are american "wasps"  the same as they are over there ?  what do they look like ? 

 here is a link  about flying insects, bees, wasps,,,,  etc...

http://pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/wasp_and_hornet_control.htm

  we have different types of wasps , as we have mud daubers, and wasps, but they have different nests,,,

 the wasps have a honeycomb type nest, that are in the eves of the house,  a mud dauber has a oval type ball type nest,,, 

 i am scared of ALL FLYING INSECTS.... and make quite a scene when they get around me,,,

stace

 here is what our wasps look like:

 

[Coolcirrus]

The wasp in your photo is a member of the family Sphecidae, the mud-dauber wasps. We have similar species here in the UK but we usually call them digger wasps or spider hunting wasps. There are many families of wasps that are common both to the US and Europe, some of which may be microscopically small parasites of other insects and harmless to us whereas others such as the Vespidae (which build honeycomb nests) can be a real pain (literally) as they sting mammals. Many species of solitary bees and wasps happily go about their business without most people ever noticing them - it's just a small handful of the species that give wasps a bad name.

[Pete Roberts]

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Chris Lloyd - 25/6/2009 10:23
I hate the damn things. Got stung on the back of the neck last year - was under a tree in the garden (without nest) and before I knew it felt the sensation. And because it was on my neck I reacted to it and had breathing problems, having to take anti-histamines. Then a bugger got me on my temple when it got under my helmet whilst out mountain biking. Stung me 5 or 6 times before I managed to get the helmet off. Death to all wasps.

Bee's on the other hand are a completely different story. I spent 30 minutes moving 5 baby bumble bees by hand onto flowers last week by hand. They were crawling along the grass on a cold day and seemed to be struggling, so I gave them a helping hand.

I was asleep when the stripy bugger got me in bed. The sting was on my arm and came up in quite a lump. The culprit died when I rolled over onto it prior to fully waking. Poetic justice!

Bees - much nicer creatures.

Pete

[louise79]

has anyone seen many wasps this year so far? in this past 3 days i have seen 3, but if my memory is correct, once it hits august they normally come out in force, but this year there seems to very few, im normally running around like a headless chicken during august and sept because of my fear of them.

[Rickoza]

Noticed an increase in wasps this past couple of weeks now. I see a lot when I'm out running, they seem to hang around drying out mud pools.

[shadow]

Ive only seen one wasp so far this year :-) hope thats all i see :D

[Bluebreezer54]

I dont think Ive seen one bee so far this summer, and only 2 or 3 wasps. Bees are wonderful creatures and credit to Chris Lloyd who went above and beyond with his rescue mission!! Wasps on the other hand are a complete and utter menace, and will take great delight in ruining any outdoor activity given half a chance. Why are they so persistent when you try and swat them away? The more you swat the more they attack.

[barkin666]

Lots of wasps here in the last week or two, 5 today in the porch alone not to mention how many flew into the lounge through the french doors. In the village people are getting stung and they seem to around in large numbers. As for bees, one or two large ones today in the porch but that is it really.

Hate wasps and wish they would become extinct! Bees, getting used to them but still don't really care for them, trust them slightly more than I do my family!

[Nigel Bolton]

More wasps this year than for many, fortunately, the small English wasp seems to be the prevalent. Appear to have a nest in the compost heap.

N.

[Dave K]

Haven't really seen any wasps around here yet. And as for their usefulness:-

"Wasps can be regarded as beneficial insects because they kill an enormous number of flies, caterpillars and other insects. This helps to prevent plagues of other insects occurring."

In general wasps are probably much more beneficial to the ecosystem and less aggressive than we are ;)

[Ian Williams]

Plenty of wasps here, i killed 4 yesterday whilst sitting outside my local they were trying to get at my pint of Rattler [Cider] More bumble bees than i have ever seen, theres thousands of them but havent seen many honey bees this year, seem to be in decline here the past 3 summers, probably not warm enough for them, that and the 3 previous wet summers we have had. Lots of mozzies around this year, havent seen any Ladybirds or ants for that matter, again probably due to the wet weather.

Had a hornet come into my conservatory about 2 inch long back in June.

Our most commonest wasps are the German Wasp also known as the European Wasp and also the common wasp. Our hornets are known as the European Hornet

[snowflake]

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John Mason - 23/6/2009 12:13

Certainly a strong correlation between hard/mild winters and low/high wasp numbers over here - maybe more of a rural thing as there are less centrally heated hibernating spots for them?

Got a nest in the veg garden, in an out-of-the-way spot. Leaving them be as they're great pest-controllers!

Cheers - John 

I really don't know what I'm talking about, but I did hear from somewhere that if we get a cold spell in early May, then the following summer will have few wasps.

 

[Ian Williams]

Heres a picture of the Queen European Hornet, as you can see its browner than its siblings

[Bluebreezer54]

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Big Dave's Gusset - 8/8/2009 10:28

Haven't really seen any wasps around here yet. And as for their usefulness:-

"Wasps can be regarded as beneficial insects because they kill an enormous number of flies, caterpillars and other insects. This helps to prevent plagues of other insects occurring."

In general wasps are probably much more beneficial to the ecosystem and less aggressive than we are ;)

Beneficial insects? I took full advantage of the nice weather today which incredibly coincided with my days off. Having done several household chores indoors I thought I would treat myself to a can of beer outside in the sun. Despite my best efforts to fight the bugger off in a humane way a particularly persistant and irritating wasp found its way into my can, and stung me on the way out.

Bees dont do that

@-(

[Paul Radon]

Indeed. Had a bit of a phobia of wasps since they chewed through the ceiling of my old house a couple of years ago. Bees don't bother me.

Spent most of the week on the essex coast and there were loads of the blighters which tunnel into the ground. Didn't get stung luckily though

[EllyTech]

Plenty of dive-bombing wasps up on Cleeve Hill, where I had a late outdoor lunch today. Quite annoying.

[Les]

HI There,
Never ever leave a drinks can unattended outside at this time of year you see plenty of people doing it and its wonder that more people arent stung in this way.If wasps bother you ourtside in the garden the answer is simple,just put a few dollops of jam around the garden that way they will buzz round the jam rather than round you.I have nothing against wasps in fact I had a fairly large nest in my attic last year and they hardly bothered me at all.I had to remove a few nests from my sheds in the spring.One of my sheds which I wouldent of minded a nest in as I seldom use it in the summertime as its used for storing firewood which is well away from the house but they werent interested in it!
Regards Les