Wasps & hornets

In early summer wasps also do pollinate plants and flowers as they feed on nectar. If we were to eradicate all wasps we would cause more problems than it would solve. So, wasps do serve a purpose and despite being a problem at certain times of the year, they are a beneficial insect.
It is difficult to guess the exact numbers of insects which are killed by a single wasp colony through the course of a summer, but the number will be tremendous. It is estimated that a single wasp nest will catch approx 5 metric tons of insect in one year.
So in the natural world, wasps (although irritating to humans) do have their role to play.

Which wasps are a nuisance?

As pest controllers we are mainly called to deal with 3 types of wasps, these are social wasps which form colonies. There are many other types of wasps in the UK, but these are mainly solitary wasps.
So, the main culprits are:

The common wasp (Vespa Vulgaris)

How can we identify a common wasp?
Face view of common wasp, notice the anchor marking.

Looking at the abdomen of a common wasp:

The European wasp (Vespa Germanica)

Face view of a European wasp, notice the three dots instead of the anchor.

Looking at the abdomen of a European wasp:

The Hornet (Vespa Crabro)

The hornet is noticeably bigger than your average wasp and can be an inch or more in length. They tend to have more red colouring.

Face view of the hornet.

Looking at the abdomen of a Hornet:

Are Hornets a wasp?

Hornets although much larger than normal wasps, are themselves classed as wasps (order: Hymenoptera). They are predatory insects the same as normal wasps but are known to predate on larger insects, in fact they will attack a normal wasp nest and kill the adult wasps enabling them to raid the nest and take the wasp larvae back to their own nest as a food source for their own young.
They are also known to attack honey bee hives for the same purpose, although honey bees do have a defence against single hornet attacks. Honey bees can survive a higher temperature than hornets. When a predatory hornet is detected in a honey bee hive, the bees will attack the intruder and "ball" it (they swarm around the hornet) and then using the muscles in their bodies to produce heat, they raise the temperature higher than the hornet can withstand and in essence cook it alive.
The hornets nest although large in size, doesn’t hold as many individuals as a common wasp nest, normally only 300 or so individuals.

The Hornet

What is the difference between wasps, bees and hornets?

Wasps and hornets are different to bees in several ways, they do not use nectar to make honey in the same way as a Honey Bee does and they are not active throughout the entire year like Honey Bees. Although wasps will swarm feed, they do not swarm in the same fashion as Honey bees do.
At the end of the wasp season, in the autumn, a wasp or hornet nest produces new queens and males. Once these hatch out, they leave the nest to mate. Once this has taken place the males die off and the now fertilised queens find somewhere to hibernate through the winter (often in loft spaces and garden sheds).
In the spring, these queens emerge from hibernation and find somewhere to start a brand new nest.
Honey bees differ from wasps & hornets by staying active all year round and storing food (honey) in the nest or hive, in the case of managed honey bees, the honey is harvested and a supplement food source is provided by the bee keeper.

The Honey Bee

Although wasps, hornets and honey bees appear similar in appearance, bumble bees are completely different and appear furry.