Lodi’s UK Key Account & Business Development Manager Ross was out visiting a client last week when he saw this wasp coming out of hibernation! We often think of wasp season being between March and August, but this clip shows that it is never too early to think about wasps.
This wasp is a queen that has spent the winter months hibernating. She has emerged too early and will struggle to find enough to eat.
Normally, queen wasps emerge once the weather begins to warm up in springtime to feed on nectar from plants and flowers. They then build a nest by stripping wood from fence panels and sheds, which they form into a paste. One of the tell-tale signs for a queen building a nest nearby are little white lines on wooden surfaces. Once the nest is completed, the queens will lay their eggs and feed their larvae on insects, growing the nest as they go. In the autumn, the nest reaches its maximum size and the queen will lay eggs which will become next year's queens.
Make sure you keep a can of Digrain Wasp and Hornet or Insecto Pro Fly & Wasp Destroyer handy for later in the year!