29 SEPTEMBER 1944, Page 14

Queens in Quantity

Wasps are still attacking apples and plums, and proving a nuisance at the breakfast table. They have been so numerous, and greedy, that they have robbed many hives of the better part of their honey. To some it has seemed surprising that such numbers should appear after a year when there was scarcely a wasp to be seen ; but unlike the bee the wasps produce a vast number of queens late in the season ; and since only the queens can survive the winter, the continuance of the species is assured. One nest will produce enough queens to populate a wide neighbourhood if hibernating conditions are favourable.