End of 2012 wasp season

As the 2012 wasp season comes to an abrupt end, reflecting back it could be said that it has been the worst season in living memory. Attending the annual pest control event today (Pest Tech) the topic that stood out to me was how poor the year had been (from the point of view of a pest controller).

I predicted in June that it would be a less than productive year as far as wasps were concerned and nests would be a month behind normal. I was wrong, I admit it! Nests were TWO months behind normal and only this last week has seen queen emergence, much later than normal.

The question that will be on most pest controllers minds (whether they will admit it or not) is: will next year be as bad?
If we take a look at what is happening now: late queen emergence and cold weather, I do ponder if these late hatchlings can get mated in time and get themselves into hibernation quickly enough. Having said this, nature normally has a way of sorting itself out, so I am not too worried at the moment.
Early weather predictions for the forthcoming winter look promising with a cold winter (note I didn't say Arctic winter) which hopefully will last until the spring.
I know I keep on about colder winters being beneficial to hibernating queen wasps, when I say cold, I mean a normal cold winter and not Siberian conditions (although wasps and other insects do survive in Siberia). I often wonder how a harsh winter effects the predators of overwintering wasps and other insects. Does it kill or severely hamper predatory insects during prolonged spells of very cold weather? Maybe someone can share their thoughts on this?

All being well with a normal or a colder winter, we should see an improvement in wasp numbers next season (2013), well, it can't be any worse can it? Blog menu