Wasps
The adult winged workers measure 10-20 mm in length and display a distinct black and yellow coloration, which should not be mistaken for the dark brown/pale orange bands seen on Honeybees. It is crucial to differentiate between Wasps and Honey Bees because bees are not considered pests.
In mid-April, the Queen wasp emerges from hibernation and searches for a suitable location to establish a new nest for a colony. These nests are often found in loft spaces, sheds, garages, roof eaves, and cavity walls. The initial brood consists of 10-20 adult workers (sterile females), and their numbers can increase to 3,000-5,000 individuals during the summer.
The workers can be heard making a scraping noise in attics as they chew dried wood and mix it with saliva to expand the nest. The wings of the workers create a resonating noise as they fan air around the nest to regulate its temperature. During the summer months, wasps remain busy catching insects to feed the developing larvae within the nest cells. The primary purpose of the nest is to produce new queens for the following year, which emerge in late summer. However, worker wasps can become a nuisance when they no longer serve a function in the nest and switch to feeding on fallen fruit and sweet beverages at barbecues. These sugary foods and drinks mimic a sweet substance produced by the growing larvae.
Having a wasp nest in a home or business is not only bothersome, but getting stung can also be quite painful. Multiple stings on the head or near the airways can pose a serious threat. In fact, 50% of all fatalities caused by venomous animals are attributed to wasp stings in the throat. In rare cases, a single sting can trigger an anaphylactic shock, an extreme allergic reaction to the toxins in the wasp's venom. Without prompt medical attention involving epinephrine (adrenaline), this can lead to death.
What they eat:
Adults feed on the sugary liquid secreted by the wasp larvae. In late summer, as the larvae have matured, they eat nectar and other sweet substances, eg windfall fruit. Larvae eat carrion and insects.
Wasps can be seen from late spring until early autumn, although much more common in late summer.