Wasps

[pargyle]

Thanks Itma. it had turned into a slaughter fest which wasn't the point!
Cazza

Oh ... I don't know ... I think you might have started the ball rolling !

"Some people will use wasp traps. I don't. If you must, make sure they are high efficiency ones, home made jam traps are more of on attractant than a deterrent."

 

[Karol]

<snip>
The nest is on a bank under some dense cotoneaster and is identifiable by the "hole" in the foliage that has developed.

Most likely Vespula germanica sometimes referred to as the European or Germanic wasp. (Not to be confused with the Euro wasp which is Dolichovespula medians). Germanica is a predominantly low level nesting wasp and prefers to excavate in the ground.

The colony was active very late in 2013 but it is only recently that traffic has become obvious in 2014. I had wondered whether this might be re-colonisation or something else.

Ground nests don't tend to survive very long once the colony has died out. They are after all made out of papier mache which can't withstand prolonged soaking. The fact that the burrow has been re-colonised to coin your phase is no surprise when you consider that you can have somewhere of the order of 1,500,000 queens per square mile looking for nesting sites so a burrow excavated in a previous season will be a boon for some lucky queen.

 

[Cazza]

Oh ... I don't know ... I think you might have started the ball rolling !

"Some people will use wasp traps. I don't. If you must, make sure they are high efficiency ones, home made jam traps are more of on attractant than a deterrent."

I think the tone of disapproval is clear!!
Cazza

 

[pargyle]

I think the tone of disapproval is clear!!
Cazza

Preaching to the converted here caz ... I don't use traps for the sake of killing wasps and if you look back you'll find that I let them go when I do !
P

 

[Cazza]

Preaching to the converted here caz ... I don't use traps for the sake of killing wasps and if you look back you'll find that I let them go when I do !
P

My hero!
C