Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Hundreds of wasps

33 replies

lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 08:13

Seriously, wtf? In April?

My garden is full of them. I've been up since 6 am and they were already awake and out in force, loads out front, kamikaze throwing themselves at the front window. Dared have the windows open yesterday and had to gently encourage ten/fifteen of them back outside.

Didn't have a single one in the house last year until September-ish

Google seems to suggest that at this time of year there shouldn't be any established nests yet, and the ones that are around are Queens looking for somewhere to nest.

That can't be right surely? There can't be hundreds of queens in one garden?

Do I bother calling pest control or will they claim the Google line of them just being queens?

OP posts:
Propertywoes · 22/04/2019 08:15

Are you sure they're wasps and not solitary bees? They hang out and nest in groups usually making their nests in soil and stuff like that. They can look a bit waspy the way they fly. There's a lot of them around at the moment. If they are bees then they are passive and very unlikely to sting.

Aragog · 22/04/2019 08:18

I think they're bees.
We've had several - both today and yesterday they've come into the bedroom through the open window. I've had to shut the window today as I can't deal with them in the house.
At least as they're bees they do seem to keep away from you directly.

howmanyleftfeet · 22/04/2019 08:22

It's been unseasonably warm, might they have started (very!) early this year?

Can you take a photo of one of them so we can see / you have proof

a. It's definitely a wasp
b. what kind of wasp they are

FriarTuck · 22/04/2019 08:24

You need to make a giant jam sandwich. (Note - this will only make sense to Mumsnetters of a certain age who read the best books as a child!)

Silvercatowner · 22/04/2019 08:26

I've had loads of bees in my house but no wasps.

MrsWicket · 22/04/2019 08:27

Wasps here too. Got woken up at 6am by a couple of the stingy bastards that had flown into our bedroom. And just had one come into the kitchen. Didn’t see any until late summer last year. DH is going to venture into the loft just to check there’s not a nest being built.

Original poster
lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 08:28

Definitely wasps - bright yellow and black, tiny waists

Hundreds of wasps
OP posts:
Original poster
lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 08:29

not claiming the above is my pic btw - just to demonstrate, I know what a wasp is

OP posts:
funmummy48 · 22/04/2019 08:31

I've noticed this too & they're definitely wasps not bees. I had to shut out patio doors last week as two or three persistent ones kept flying in. They were huge!

OneShotFinch · 22/04/2019 08:31

@FriarTuck 😁
I had that book (still do and read it to my kids!)

OnlineAlienator · 22/04/2019 08:33

They cant be at the sugar-seeking stage of their lifecycle yet so i'd be concerned a nest is being built too close by for comfort!

unicorncupcake · 22/04/2019 08:35

The giant jam sandwich is one of my fave children’s books ever!

We also have had some immense wasps this week-last night there was one in DS’s bedroom and even DH was frightened of it-it was MASSIVE. On our patio doors we have a fly screen from amazon and it’s amazing-makes a huge difference to the number of flies/wasps that come in downstairs. It’s attached with Velcro and pretty ugly, but you can just remove it easily if necessary.

VictoriaBun · 22/04/2019 08:37

We found a nest yesterday in a bag of compost (1/2 bag) my dh opened it to use and hundreds came out.wondering if you can eat honey compost

VictoriaBun · 22/04/2019 08:38

Oops ours are bees !

Original poster
lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 08:39

@OnlineAlienator this is my thinking too. I'm sure it can't be all random queens, there's too many. They must be starting nest activity a bit early, and by the looks of it somewhere in my front garden. Gah.

I've ordered one of those fake wasps nests. No idea if it will actually do anything but seems to have decent reviews

OP posts:
rosy71 · 22/04/2019 08:42

We have had lots of massive wasps coming in the house too. Very strange.

MrsMercurio · 22/04/2019 08:56

We have bees. Lots of Mason Bees. Never heard of them before. We get them every year and always assumed they were wasps.

Hundreds of wasps
Original poster
lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 09:01

Mason bees are sweet. The ones outside and coming in are definitely wasps though. Big ones and unmistakable.

OP posts:
MrsMercurio · 22/04/2019 09:10

Any advice what to do with Mason bees?

BillywilliamV · 22/04/2019 09:14

Just leave them, if they can’t find their way out then use a glass and a bit of card. They’re looking for nest space, they won’t hurt you unless they’re threatened.

AndOutComeTheBoobs · 22/04/2019 09:17

I love that people were telling you that they were bees.

As if they were there, they saw, and they're here to correct you.

Or worse still, you can't tell the difference between a bee and a wasp. 🙄

MarthasGinYard · 22/04/2019 09:19

We have many solitary
masons buzzing around

Sadly many people think they are wasps. Including our guests yesterday who almost swatted one with a shoeHmm

stayathomegardener · 22/04/2019 09:23

@FriarTuck illustrations by John Vernon Lord; love that book!

FormerlyFrikadela01 · 22/04/2019 09:29

Or worse still, you can't tell the difference between a bee and a wasp. 🙄

Mason bees are very often mistaken for wasps. We had a load a few years ago in my baby sister's bedroom and the past control guy said he was called out for them a lot with people thinking they were wasps.

Original poster
lubeybooby · 22/04/2019 09:29

Just found a dying one on the bedroom floor.

Hundreds of wasps
OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread