Wasps everywhere?

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glallotments
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Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 4:27 pm
Location: West Yorkshire
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For the past month or so we have had lots of wasps on our plot. They seem to be exploring all our plants so we need to take care when weeding, picking flowers or any other activity.

I wondered if they were browsing for insects maybe aphids, caterpllars and other things.

We also now have lots of whitefly which hasn't been a problem this year until now - I wonder if the wasps are likely to be gathering them?
Elaine
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Location: Hull, East Yorkshire.

Hi Glallotments. We were on our allotment yesterday and there lots of wasps. My husband was digging up the potatoes and unearthed an ants nest, which caused the ants to be frantically scurrying around carrying the grubs and eggs to safety. Suddenly we were surrounded by wasps homing in on the disturbed nest...husband and I stood back a bit to watch as the wasps grabbed the ants plus eggs/grubs and flew off with them.

How did they know? Were the ants' distress signals to each other transmitted to the wasps? Are they on the same wave length?? How long before they go digital??

Last week, I watched in amazement, as a wasp carried off a fully grown caterpillar...it was a big 'un too, being a large white caterpillar. Why didn't the wasps do this a couple of weeks ago when the brassicas were covered in them!
Cheers.
Happy with my lot
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glallotments
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I had a similar any experience when weeding parsnips earlier in the year but no wasp activity then.

I know birds change their food gathering habits at certain times as the growing nestlings require insect food when growing feathers etc but don't know if the wasps behave in the same way when maybe they are rearing next year's queens but I'm sure someone will be able to tell us.
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Elle's Garden
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Location: West Sussex

The wasps nests are all pretty much finished now, and so there are no more grubs to reward the working wasps with a sweet sticky substance for bringing the grubs food. The wasps now go searching for sustenance from anywhere else until the cold weather starts and kills off all the worker wasps. The Queen wasps will be holed up in those little golf ball size nests where they over winter before raising their own 6 young worker wasps next year ready to find and found a new nest in a new site.

Hubby has his own pest control company :)
Kind regards,

Elle
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