Wasps, why so few this year?

[sherbertdip]

I've hardly seen any wasps this year, maybe a dozen, it is supposed to be the peak for them now.

Anybody know why?

[Hooli]

They are all at our place. Had a wasps nest in the roof, think we've got one in the garden & there is one in nextdoor's roof.

I'll post some over if you want?

[RobM77]

Same here - I've not seen a single one and we eat dinner outside virtually every night in the summer. We moved house at the end of July too, so that's no wasps in two different locations, including a giant apple tree at our new place with bucket loads of windfalls to pick up every week - not a single wasp anywhere in sight.

[Petrol Only]

Only one wasp sighting for me too. Not complaining still have a ridiculous fear of them since getting stung by a swarm of angry ones in December as a kid. Not good!

[DoctorX]

I'm not complaining either, I hate the bds. I did find this article interesting though:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-274...

Chris Packham: screw loose.

[RobM77]

DoctorX said:

I'm not complaining either, I hate the bds. I did find this article interesting though:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-274...

Chris Packham: screw loose.

Chris is one of the last presenters who isn't dumbing down TV; I really like the guy

This fact also stood out of the article for me: If left un-predated for a year, one single cabbage aphid would produce enough bugs to cover the planet in a layer of bugs 93 miles deep.

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 17th September 08:51

[condor]

A wasp landed on my thumb yesterday and stung me no provocation from me, was only when I felt a sharp pain there that I saw it - knocked it off and think I must have got another sting from it. It hurt a lot

Perhaps the few that are here are more aggressive?

[speedysoprano]

Horrible things, hate them, but don't want them to disappear if they're relevant to our ecosystem. Come to think, I've seen fewer wasps this year than in the last five.

[theshrew]

speedysoprano said:

Horrible things, hate them, but don't want them to disappear if they're relevant to our ecosystem. Come to think, I've seen fewer wasps this year than in the last five.

What he said.

[bernhund]

All wasps around my house and garden appear to have been replaced by hornets!

[DannyScene]

I've sort of 'claimed' a parking space at work, in a corner next to a nice bush, I noticed the other day its swarming with wasps! Not flying around, just crawling all over it. Safe to say I've changed my parking space

[Mark A B]

Seen loads this year.. Had the door open yesterday and counted 5 that came in. Only one left though.... I hate them.

[otolith]

I've seen very few this year, but recent years have been very waspy.

Wasp populations are known to be cyclic;

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4492?uid=373...

[AnimalMkIV]

Only just started seeing wasps in the garden the last few weeks. The back yard has been planted with bee-friendly plants and we've had lots of bees of various shapes and sizes, but no wasps.

[chrisga]

condor said:

A wasp landed on my thumb yesterday and stung me no provocation from me, was only when I felt a sharp pain there that I saw it - knocked it off and think I must have got another sting from it. It hurt a lot

Perhaps the few that are here are more aggressive?

Agreed, I've only seen one and it was dead. It must have flown up the inside of my shirt sleeve and I felt it crawling up my arm. Didn't think it could be a wasp so kind of ushered it up through the material of my shirt still none the wiser then realised what it was, tried to bat it away and the little fecker stung me on my neck as I accidentally squashed it. Can they sting a few times in succession? The one on my neck was a definite sting but had marks on my arm more like bites as well.

[Mr GrimNasty]

No shortage around here. Picking raspberries has been dangerous from the off. Loads of plums ruined by them too.

[DUMBO100]

You don't want wasps round your plums! There have been millions of the little stripes fkers round here