Why suddenly so many wasps?

[Myrrhine46]

Does anybody know what this plant is and why it’s attracting so many wasps?

It was wasp free last year and the year before. However this year it is literally full of them! The whole floor around the tree is also crawling with wasps too. We’ve cut lots of branches off to get a clearer view of the tree but can’t see a nest anywhere.

We hung 2 wasps traps about 48 hours ago and they are full to brim of wasps already. It’s grim in there, just piles of dead wasps with new ones flying in and crawling over the dead ones. I almost feel sorry for them!

Do we just need to cut the whole tree down and get rid?

Is there a nest behind the tree in the fence? (I can't tell if that's possible from your photo)

There’s definitely a nest somewhere!

Not that I can see. I guess there must be one somewhere for there to be this many wasps though. I was hoping that maybe the plant itself was some kind of super wasp attractor though instead!

Having been stung two days ago by a wasp. Just what is the point of them? My hand has swelled up and the itching is horrible.

They’re horrible creatures aren’t they!?

I made sure that the traps are bee friendly - not sure why but they aren’t tempted to go inside. Just waspaggedon in there.

They are hugely beneficial to gardens, believe it or not. I do have a fear of them and have been stung a few times, but I have come to appreciate them and try and leave them alone. It does ruin a few bbqs especially when the queens kick them out of their nests and they go around eating the fermenting apples etc and get a bit aggressive
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41042948

I wonder if there is a nest nearby op. They do release a pheromone when under threat which, with your wasp traps they might be releasing and which is why you are getting so many. We did have a willow tunnel in our last garden which was covered in them. We realised they were actually feeding on the aphids living on it so we got rid of the arch.
You can also get pretend wasp nests which are meant to deter them from your garden. Maybe try those instead of killing them?

Yes please don't kill them - wasps are a vital part of the ecosystem! Please try to find a different solution if you can xox

Ooo do those traps work? How do they do it?

Yes, there will be a nest close by.

Does the plant have any sort of pest on it? Specifically, giant willow aphids, which look like this: www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/large-willow-bark-aphid

If so - aphids excrete a sweet, sticky substance (they basically shit sugar), and which attracts wasps by the bucketload. We had this exact issue, and ended up having to remove a mature willow tree because we were infested every summer.

The only good news is that the wasps eat so much of the sticky stuff, they're extremely docile. Like wasps on weed.

Meant to say - there was no nest. Just aphids and their shit. So that's £150 on a pest removal call out I won't be seeing again

I'm sure I've heard before that some types of wasp makes their nests in the ground, so it may not be a typical nest up high that you actually need to be looking for. Just an idea.

Their nest is coming to an end so more more sweet secretions from the baby wasps.
Wasp larvae are fed on insects the adults catch and bring back to the nest.
Earlier than it should be which is a concern.

careful with the wasps, when they feel threteaned and their nest they will chase you.
And it comes to August they becamoe more agressive as there is a lot of fruits under trees that are fermenting so they are drunk.
I know it's sound silly but my partner (he is gardener) ususally getting stung in August ( 3 years in a row now)

Thanks so much for the advice everyone!
I’ll get rid of the traps (I didn’t expect them to work so well and definitely feel guilty about how many wasps went in). I think we will get a fake nest deterrent and see if that works.

Before you do that, can you please tell me how they work first?

@gamerchick most wasp traps work by having a pheromone being emitted, and a one way trap that the wasp can fly into but not out of.

Mint, thankyou.