An over-wintering 'queen' wasp which was found in some folded fabric in the potting shed.
There are over 30,000 different species of wasps, some are used in horticulture as biological controls. The best known is the Yellow and Black Wasp, Paravespula vulgaris which although feared by many, is also useful to the gardener, eating harmful flies and aphids as well as caterpillars. They have a 'sweet tooth', also eating nectar, refuse and fruit.
There are three distinct body divisions; the head with strong jaws; the thorax with two pairs of transparent wings; and the abdomen which has the sting at the rear.
Wasp devouring a caterpillar of the Small White Butterfly.
Living in groups or colonies, they work together in three social types - queens (large females which build the nest and lay eggs), workers (small females which build nests and feed the young), and drones (males). At the end of autumn, all of the wasps die except mated queens, which burrow into leaves or soil to spend the winter.
In the spring the queens emerge and start the nest building process. They are built underground, in buildings, in trees or in bushes. They are complex with many six-sided cells made from chewed wood and plant fibres which are mixed with saliva and dry to form a paper-like substance. The gnawing to obtain raw material can cause superficial damage to wooden fences and buildings, it is often seen on dead branches or fence posts where the edges are smoothed off.
After the first eggs hatch and the larvae mature into workers, the nest is enlarged for further generations forming an intricate labyrinth. Each cell may be employed several times to rear larvae and by the end of the summer the nest may contain 20,000 or more wasps. The final generation of the season has drones and queens which mate for the next year's population.
Treatment
The wasps are more likely to be a nuisance in the autumn when they no longer have larvae to feed and go in search of ripe fruit and other sweet things. However they usually sting in response to a perceived attack which can be accidental if they become trapped in clothing or a nest is approached - button up clothing while picking fruit in the late summer to prevent a curious wasp crawling in while drowsy from eating a sugary meal. Also flapping wildly at their presence is likely to provoke a response so it is best to stay calm and move away slowly or wait until they fly away. However if you are close to a nest they will come straight for an attack and the first you may know about it is the strike.
When they sting it causes a range of reactions from localised irritation for a few hours to a severe anaphylactic shock where the mucus membranes swell up causing the airways to close and can be fatal if not treated immediately. Anyone with a known allergy or if a previous sting caused a prolonged reaction, should be very careful as a subsequent sting will always be more severe. In normal situations the venom, which is alkaline, can be treated with vinegar or another mild acid to neutralise it.
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