[Eristic]

There seems to be a complete absence of wasps in my locality this year and was wondering if this is widespread or just local. Don't get me wrong here, I dislike them as much as anyone else, but the sudden total absence of a common indiginous species should be of concern to us all.

How many wasps have you sen today?

[GrannieAnnie]

Actually Eristic, you are right, we've not seen hardly any this year either!

[noshed]

I saw loads when I was camping three weeks ago. They seem to be particularly attracted to my pink bowl, which I was eating most stuff out of owing to a slight housekeeping glitch.

[Heather_S]

Stupid amounts here but they've mostly gone now. They ate a half of an apple. Completely! on the tree! I think they've doped themselves up on too much of my apples to bother anyone now. Plus we got those glass wasp traps and trapped quite a lot of them (hung in the apple trees). The wasps seem to have all gone from here now but the above happenings were previous weeks ago. They were constantly flying in our flat and annoying us.

At the moment the current infestation here is daddy long legs...  :?

[John]

We had quite a few at the start of the year - there was a nest in the garden but thinking about it, I've not seen as many as usual since the summer.

[Annie]

Not many here,very few eating the windfall of bird pecked apples,I usually have to wear gloves to clear them.LOTS of hornets though.

[milkman]

No wasps in my garden to speak of this year - windfall apples are being eaten by red ants and earwigs instead.

[jgsmuzzy]

Someone told me that late frosts after warm periods for two years running has decimated the wasp population.  What a pity.  I, for one, will not be shedding any tears.

As for hornets, I would move house if I even so much as saw one of them in my garden!

[John]

Our friend in France had a nest in her chimney and we had to go past the fireplace on the way to bed. They're huge slow flying things - V1s - especially dangerous when silent as they were on the floor and stepping on one was not the best thing to do.

[Annie]

We`ve had them in the greenhouse-speedy retreat,open doors wide and hope they find their way out before the veg expired.
    In the bedrooms,this was during the hot spell whenclosing the windows was not an option.Waking up to loud divebombing hornets,putting the lights on,managing tokill it,laying down,waiting until your pulse rate slows to normal and...there`s another in the room.We did(cowards)try just to hide under the sheets but they`re too loud,big and scarey.(the hornets not the sheets).
  However on the plus side for the few times we did see wasps they looked so small.

[James]

Top tip:  don't clear windfalls, otherwise the birds and wasps will have to ruin good, new apples.  Instead, cut the windfalls in half and let the wasps at them.

[Annie]

Tried that .no wasps but a load of fat birds,never mind after a few years of enthusiastic pruning our biennial bearing apples go over board every year so there areenough for the birds us and lots of juice and cider.We have a breif respite now before the next lot are ready and these we do want in good condition because they keep through to feb/march.

[Eristic]

cut the windfalls in half and let the wasps at them

But there are no wasps!

[hayles62]

I have a profesional Candyfloss machine and have had one since I was eight years old and every year up until four years ago was plagued with Wasps, I've been wondering where they have all gone myself... :?:

[Ian_P]

Yep completely agree there have been very few this year, but if you want some I've just noticed a load nesting in my roof.