"Arklay" wrote in message
...

I apologise for the empty response sent just now.

Found a wasp buzzing around my kitchen today.

Where do you think this has came from ? I thought they would all be dead
or
hibernating at this time of year, or whatever wasps do in winter ?

Only the queens hibernate, the others die at the first frosts.

Wasps, like all insects, are cold blooded creatures, that means that theire
body temperatures are that of the ambient temperature. Your wasp - queen
wasp - might have been hibernating inside your house. When it was warm she
was roused and flew. Possibly twice. She won't be able to do anything until
every day is above a certain temperature.

Don't panic. It's nothing to worry about.

I suppose my fear is that there may be a nest in the loft or something ?

It wouldn't be active even if there were. And it won't be re-colonisd. If
"your" or another queen decides to make a nest in your loft it will be in a
different part from any old ones. If 'your' queen survives the winter she's
just as likely to found a new nest somewhere else as she is in your loft. On
the other hand, "someone else's" queen might build in your loft - or in your
garden shed or under your garden or in a tree or in many other places :-)

If you kill "your" queen there will be many more to build nests in your or
others' property. It's estimated that only 3% of all queen wasps which
hibernate survive to found new colonies.

Don't worry about it.

Wasps are marvellously beautiful and intelligent creatures, not to be
feared. Enjoy them.

My wife saw one in the bathroom a few days ago but it disappeared, so not
sure if this is the same one or another one.

See above.

Mary