Save our glorious Queens!

Tucked away in a quiet corner of my garden is a little shed, this may look just like any other ordinary garden shed but is in fact a very important wintering home for many creatures.

Woodlice have been active here all through the Winter months, the House Spiders that also live in the shed have been too. The Spiders' untidy dusty webs look like they are the only things holding the shed together at times, they look to be joining each wooden section together like strands of steel. A few small Moths also took up residence in this warm Winter refuge, it can reach barmy 1 degree centigrade in winter. A family of mice have also taken to using the shed, they have been busy feeding the seeds from a few Pine-cones I left in there last Autumn.

All through the winter I had been keeping an eye on the Common Wasp Queens that have been hibernating in my shed, I am fascinated by hibernation and amazed how small creatures like these can survive in sub-zero temperatures and it has been exceptionally cold this winter. Some of these Queens have been curled up under the roof joists, some tucked into dark crevices and a few have taken a liking to sleeping on the dirty old net curtain that hangs over the window.

By early April two of these large queens were flying in frustration, up and down the invisible barrier that stood between them and the warm sunshine outside, I wonder what insects think of windows? So I gave them a helping hand and released them out into the open where they can do their bit for the planet, what a very important bit that is too.

I wonder just how many people realise how important Wasps are, we seem to think of them as pests with nothing better to do than sting us.
Nothing could be further from the truth though, Wasps are amazing creatures and not aggressive at all, they build wonderful papery nests by chewing wood and then secreting it as a paste to build with.
They form large colonies where every individual plays its part to perfection, (we could learn a lot from Wasps, Bees and Ants), they also take many caterpillars and aphids which surely puts them in the top list of gardeners and farmers friends.

Workers mainly come into contact with us humans in late summer, by that time the Wasp grubs that have been secreting a sugary substance for the workers to feed on, have all turned into new adults. So the Wasps look for fruit to help their sugar craving; the fermenting fruit contains natural sugars. Therefore the Wasps help to break down the fruit by eating it.

The problem is that we also love sugary drinks like pop and beer, so the wasps are attracted to this too and not really interested in us at all. This is why they fly around us on warm days in August and September; they love the sugary drinks and food we like to eat.

So if you should find a Wasp Queen in your shed or house this Spring, give her the respect she deserves. If she is still sleeping then just leave her alone, and if she is awake please let her out to do her work.
Give her a helping hand, as her or her offspring will be helping you!