Queen Wasp Question. Advice Needed.

[julia.julibob]

My neighbour has a large wasp nest in their roof (under the tiles and down the boiler flue). They dont want to do anything about it, but we have been plagued with them! I have put 2 wasp traps (the glass ones with a cork in the top) up my garden by my apple tree and have been catching 5 - 10 a day in each.

All of a sudden, this afternoon, there is much more activity around the traps, and I noticed a very large wasp in there (about 2.5-3cm long) and I dont think it is a hornet. It is still wandering around in the syrup trying to get out.

Is this likely to be a queen, and the other wasps are attracted to it? I didnt think queens were about this time of year?

I would be very grateful of your opinions.

Julia

[eucera]

Could easliy be a worker of Dolichovespula media (Median wasp) which are much larger than the Common or German wasps (Vespula vulgaris & V. germanica). What is more, D. media is very easily caught in sweet baited traps.

[dragonfly]

Hya I do believe we now have the european wasp which is very much larger than our own
it will have come from another nest

[eucera]

Every species of wasp we have in UK is also found in continental Europe. The most recent arrival is the social wasp Dolichovespula saxonica (arrived in early 1980's) and is almost identical in size to D. sylvestris (a long term native)