Latest Pest News

WASPS
(information taken from the BPCA Pest information page)

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 start 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. In fact, they build their nests anywhere that they find suitable and where it is protected from the elements and is undisturbed. They build their nest using chewed wood and saliva to make a papier-mache material. The nest material is strong, lightweight and surprisingly waterproof.