[jinglejoys]

I'm putting this here because I'm at  a loss to  know where else and thought bee keepers might know.
Knowing there are differant types/tempererment of bees I  was wondering if wasps were the same?
   I had wasps take up residence just by my front step,literally inches away from the front door.At first I was apprehensive and even went out and got some of that Powder stuff to get rid of them.However the wasps were small and "polite" and went about there business without bothering me so I didn't use it.Someone told me they would grow and could become a problem but,touch wood  they haven't.
  However theres another nest in the barn wall.These wasps are far more like the wasps I'm used to,bigger,busier and grumpy!They seem to go out of their way just to follow you So,are the ones by my door just unusually better behaved or are they a differant "tribe" and where can I find out about them...don't mind them comming back next year but I'd hate the others to move in!

[Greenerlife]

Wasps die off every year, except for the mated queens, and I don't think they return to old nests but I could be wrong!

as a beekeeper, I loathe wasps, and always get that foam stuff out and kill nests when I see them.  I hope I won't get reincarnated as one! 

[OldGaffer]

The insects nesting in and around your front doorstep may not be wasps, but mason bees or one of the other solitary bees. My friend has them in the wall of his brick built shed and they are there every year and cause no problem at all.

But as Greenerlife says, wasps (and bumblebees) die off each year and the mated queens if they survive the Winter, will start a new nest in the Spring. But not in the same location. Wasps are useful in the Spring early summer as they eat other garden pests to feed there young, but once they abandon their nest after the new queen has mated, they can become a real nuisance to say the least.

[norfolk newbies]

We have had lots of experience with wasps, in our first home we had a wasps nest on a  tree near a path, which was removed by the council, the next year they were in our wooden garage about 15 foot from previous tree, we got rid of that one, and the next year we noticed nest on neighbour house in barge boards/soffits. So I would say that they come back to a similar area every year.

With regards to gentle wasps. In the new house I cut back a HUGE pyrocanthea (incorrect spelling) and discovered 2 wasps ( and they looked very much like wasps rather than bees) in the dead leaves, as I raked the leaves back there was the paper wasps nest. I had to smoke them out as the kids kept cycling too close to nest.

We recently had a massive influx of wasps not too far from the hives, they landed on a willow tree which was covered with blackfly larvea and proceded to mingle about on the leaves. They have gone now, but we were worried as last year we lost a hive ( before we moved) to wasps. Not sure where the wasps have gone, but the hives seem to be OK.

We also have mortar bees, which have caused the chimney to crumble off (bricks resting on thin air) so whilst they are OK in small numbers over a protracted period of time they can cause quite a bit of damage. ( We have replaced lime mortar with a lime cement mix).  But the mortar bees are vey obvious in their  'buzzing' of the brickwork.

[Plantoid]

Wasps die off every year, except for the mated queens, and I don't think they return to old nests but I could be wrong!

as a beekeeper, I loathe wasps, and always get that foam stuff out and kill nests when I see them.  I hope I won't get reincarnated as one! 

Some nests overwinter especially when there is a decent heat source like a school , hospital  or old folks home  etc. wasps that overwinter  feed at around 8 oCand can work at night as well  ( honey bees prefer 10 oC plus only do day light hours and like nectar production weather  )


On numerous occasions  I have had to deal with wasps that took upresidence in air bricks in a cavity wall , usually ion the sunny side of a house .

They never got big due to the size of the nest being restricted by the size of the air brick cavity  .

Those overwintered nests can weigh several hundred weight and be 4 or so mtrs long by 1.5 mtrs high .