I HAVE a nest of very large wasps in my garden, which can be identified as ?Dolichovespula Media? or in other words ?The Euro-wasp?. Whilst trying to get rid of them with anti-wasp nest powder, the little devils swarmed out at me and I pulled a hamstring in my efforts to escape. Apparently. the Euro-wasp has been in the South East since the 1980s and has gradually spread due to cross channel ferries, from France. They normally nest away from buildings and sheds, in hedges, old birds? nests, etc. but these had taken up residence under the facia boards of my annexe. According to reports, gardeners are at risk and their sting is quite nasty, although they appear not to be so aggressive as our native wasp. They are over an inch long and look like a large form of the native wasp. I wonder how many readers have spotted them. They feed on caterpillars, saw flies, ladybirds, aphids and many other garden pests, with the exception of the ladybird, which is also a digester of aphids. There is no evidence of them fighting with our smaller domestic wasp but I did see a small wasp take a brief look at our nest area then scarper off pretty quickly. So they may be a ?good? pest to have around, provided that they nest in the right places and you are aware of them. Gerry Falvey Yelverton
