wasp identification

[chesters1]

i dont want to condem them to death before i find out what they are, believe it or not ordinary wasps are gardeners greatest ally (except when they live with us) the catch a huge number of aphids and catapillars ,ive watch one try to lift off with a caterpiller found it too heavy it then cut it in half flew off with one bit and five minutes came back for the rest,saves all those chemicals and some are protected we had a hornets nest years ago in a tree ,the local wasp man got intouch with an expert who came that evening and removed the whole nest for transplanting elsewhere ,these little wasps seem undisdurbed by us so hopefully can live out there short lives in out loft

[ayjay]

The best match in my books to your picture is a Tree wasp,black dot on face and more simply banded abdomen than common wasp,constructs large paper nest in hollow tree or roof etc, but it gives the size for them as body length 15 - 19 mm compared to a common wasp body length of 14 - 18 mm so that's probably not it.

 

It does also look a lot like a wall-mason wasp with a body length of 4 - 6 mm but they are solitaires.

 

Is it a big nest or just a couple of wasps?

[chesters1]

cant see the nest its in the loft overhang but theres lots of comings and goings so not solitary bees ,talking about them i found one filling a drilled hole in the shed with shreds of leaves so i drilled about 30 more holes EVERY one has been used so there will be a good crop of them this year we have a small bees nest in the roof of the shed not bumble bees but a smaller darker version ,its like a wildlife park here ,unfortunatly we get horseflies as well ,they are swiftly dispatched

 

[ 25 June 2002, 11:25 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Tyke]

Just one word chesters.................BAIT

[Zinky]

Smart move Tyke how do you stop the buggers stinging you when hooking on a 22's

[peterpikefisher]

What yu've got there are probably Norweigen wasps there smaller than our uk wasp but there sting is more potent get rid of them asap your local council may do it free the private firms charge from £30.00 to £125.00 +vat

[Hollinz]

Most wasps don't sting. Many types are completely harmless not only to people but also to your house and that. Like someone said, they are also very very good for the garden.

 

It's an overreaction to just get them destroyed. You must make sure you know what they are before you do this as some are even quite rare and almost endangered.

[John S]

Dragonbat:

Smart move Tyke how do you stop the buggers stinging you when hooking on a 22's

Whack 'em on the head with a small mallet

[Nugg]

Wait for a big smile then shove the hook in quick

[chesters1]

this is the best i can do ,they dont wait about for pictures