No wasps this summer?

[Itneverrainsinsocal]

I haven’t seen a single wasp since summer began. I’m in the south east. Has anyone else noticed a lack of wasps? Is it too cold for them? I don’t even see one when we had the brief hot spell! Not complaining as I hate them but it’s also a bit strange…!

They must all be in my garden that's why! I live near woodlands and I can hear the swarm and buzzing of a hive nearby. Can't even open my door without one flying in.
Can't do anything about it as it's not my land and by the time I sort it out with the council they will have left the hive by autumn.

I had 4 of the buggers in my house yesterday.

I’ve seen plenty.
I hate the buggers.
It’s like they’re drawn to my kitchen! 😭

Randomly I had this exact conversation with a pest controller yesterday. Apparently wasp control is their 'bread and butter' over the summer and he would usually expect 6-8 treatments per day. Yesterday was his first day of 4 nests. They're really late, but they are now coming.

I've seen two so far, as a kid I'm sure there were loads, I got stung a couple of times. There definitely doesn't appear to be anywhere near as many around as summers in the past.

This past two weeks I've seen more butterflies than previous couple of months and this morning as I made the bed, a little brown cricket appeared. Took me a while to catch him and relocate outside the window.

Very few and also hardly any butterflies.

Dragonflies are also late and fewer of them

One flew past me carrying a caterpillar yesterday! Managed to find it again and take a pic as I wasn't quite sure what I'd just seen!

I've purposely grew loads of nasturtiums for the butterflies. I've got plenty of eggs and tiny caterpillars roaming around. I never knew they'd attract wasps... Nature is fascinating!

Edited to add I'm in the NW England.

They found me. As you can see by my name change. Yesterday I was gardening and I moved a strawberry planter. They flew up my dress, and in my socks and knickers. The 4 worst affected areas are very large,red and swollen. I am in agony.
I also have bees on my lavender and butterflies, and I live in a northern town.

Was saying this yesterday OP.
Finding it really noticeably different this year in terms of all insect life 🙁
Wasps are usually all over my garden at this point, along with loads of other insects.
I've seen hardly any.
Only a few bees, nothing like the quantities there usually are. My salvias, lavenders, persicarias are usually completely smothered and humming with life.
Not that many flies either.
The garden even sounds different.
It's definitely strange and worrying.

Amazing photo, I had no idea wasps ate caterpillars! It probably weighed nearly as much as the wasp.

@Itneverrainsinsocal I've had a few dozy ones indoors, but now you've said it, we're probably going to have a plague of them!

whilst i haven't seen many wasps, I have seen more hornets this year than I've ever seen in the rest of my years combined (and Im 50)

They take them back to the nest to feed their young, which need protein.

Once when I was having a picnic a wasp landed on my chicken, bobbed up and down for a bit chewing a piece off, then flew away carrying it!

The young then secrete something sugary which the adults feed on. In late summer when they've matured there's no food for the adults any more, which is when they leave their nests looking for sugar, and become a nuisance.

This morning I found a dead wasp in the garage. There are a few going about but not in the usual high numbers. Same for bees and butterflies. We have left large patches of flowering clover untouched in the lawn to help.
I have seen a few more moths this summer going about. We were on a costal walk a few weeks ago and saw dozens of these colourful moths. We're in NE Scotland.

South coast and hardly any butterflies this year apart from a few cabbage whites. I planted beds of butterfly and bee friendly plants this year but only seen bees, and not many of them. Very worrying.

Update on BBC News:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c134621devzo.amp

Lots and lots of bugs here. Bees, wasps and butterflies 👍🏼

I saw one yesterday (glancing around nervously for more) at Shepherds Bush bus station. It was annoying some Filippino guy (that will teach him to wear nice smelling after shave!). I was sitting next to him but I guess the fact I had forgotten to put perfume on saved me from being harrased!

I was just in Paris for a few days (v hot), and there were squadrons of them.

We live in east of England and I have noticed the same! I'm so glad though as they can ruin a picnic etc and I'm petrified of the little buggers.

I found one drowned in my bath. It's the only one I'd seen all summer.

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/climate-change-wasps-weather-uk-b2591054.html

I am really worried about insects generally this year. Far fewer in my rural garden and I have read some doomy reports that the Tories allowed a nasty pesticide four years running.

Slugs galore though.