wasp nest

[slowfood]

Hello all,

I need to clear some ground on the allotment for a peach tree and two cherry trees, but, apart from tree roots to clear I have a wasp nest that only seems to have appeared this year. As good pollinators, I,m not sure about sprays etc..

Any suggestions..?

[slowfood]

[Melbourne12]

It'll be dead or dying by now.  Just clear it.  Wasps are not an endangered species.

[Geoff H]

The wasps will have finished with the nest as the colony has broken down. However just be careful. There might be a few stragglers in there. I am not sure they are pollinaters. They are very useful insects in that they prey on caterpillars and the like to feed their grubs during the summer. It is a pity that they become a nuisance when the brood rearing stops in late summer and they then go searching for sweet stuff and try to raid bee hives. During the summer the adult wasps get a sweet substance off their grubs. They only become a nuisance when that source of food disappears at the end of summer.

[slowfood]

Thanks both. That makes the job a lot easier.

[betula]

After a good cold snap you can be sure the wasps will be gone.  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I had a massive nest under my lilac; they've all disappeared now. They'll soon be gone.

[small]

I agree that cold weather kills off the wasps.  But make sure you clear the nest completely, and keep a close eye on the site in the spring: we have wasps returning year after year to build in a bathroom airbrick!