Loads of wasps in pine tree

[Lozzie]

Hi
I'm looking for some advice. There are probably about 30 wasps currently hanging around our pine tree. I've telephoned pest control who say it's too early for wasp nests.
Are these Queen wasps and if so, why are there so many? And why are they all in the pine tree? There were z load kn the pampas grass but we've just set fire to that to start February.
I'm not even sure how to identify a queen wasp.
Any advice would be appreciated as one of my dogs is seriously allergic to wasp stings.
Many thanks

[Lozzie]

Sorry just reread that and some of it didn't make sense. We also had a lot of wasps hanging around the pampas grass but my husband set fire to that a couple of days ago ready for regrowth.

[Dogghound]

Can you get a photo of one? Im not sure that they are social wasps. They dont sound like social wasps at this time of year. Nest building will be start around now but colonies will not yet be established.

[Lozzie]

Thanks for that - I'll try and take a photo today

[purple]

I have the same problem.

A couple of days ago - with the advent of some nice warm weather, I have about 60 wasps milling about the conifers outside my lounge window. We did have a nest start in the eves at the end of the season last year, with no signs of activity so it was left. I'm now worried that the queen may have started a new nest in the tree's. As yet I can't see where they might come and go from the trees.

Really not sure what to do about it at the moment.

[Lozzie]

Hi purple - I contacted a website which sells wasp traps etc as they promised to answer any questions in 2 hours and true to their word they replied within about 5 mins. Basically it is entirely feasible for large quantities of wasps at this time of year to all be queen wasps! Apparently 300 per hive are produced ready for spring. Many will die due tonpredators and not being able to find a nesting site. Some of the wasps here are small but they told me that some queen wasps are almost identical in size to worker wasps. They also said that maybe a small nest had been started and the smaller ones were worker wasps.

They said the only thing to do is trap as many as possible which prevents further nests. We have the waspbane I think
It's called, which prevents wasps escaping and going back to the nest to fetch mOre wasps! This is the only trap which guarantees that the scouting wasps won't return back to the nest (thereby telling all wasps snout the free lunch) and therefore cutting the chances of getting more wasps!
So we've our traps up now - fingers crossed!

Couldn't get a photo - wasps wouldn't stay still! ;-)

[Lozzie]

Ps was also told that they'll be either eating the sap or aphids on the tree - doesn't mean they r nesting there