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by the snow.I regularly find queen wasps curled up, with their wings folded and tucked down underneath their bodies. With metabolism turned down to barely tick-over, they are immobile and can be closely examined (but not picked up) without risk of startling

marble or polished granite.But, as ever, it is the wasps that are making more than their fair share of the humming. And it is also they that are being killed. There are several spider webs amongst the ivy flowers, and some rather fat-looking and obviously

queen wasp making a nest in the shed. Much as I like wasps, and no matter how long I bang on about them being 'the gardener's friends' - helpful, interesting and attractive - I can't have a nest of 10 thousand of them guarding the rakes and spades

had met a foul end because of their ill-deserved reputation and wholly misunderstood life style.Despite their size and loud buzzing, hornets, Vespa crabro, are the most docile of our social wasps, and also the most secretive. It was a wonder to see

, use the parasitic wasp, Metaphycus helvolus, bought by mail order as a biological control.Use a pesticide containing deltamethrin on ornamental crops - organic fatty acid sprays can be used on fruit bushes and trees.a wide range of plants, house plants

Ants are eusocial insects that belong to the same order as wasps and bees.

and 1950s, there was a series of sightings of this spectacular insect, which, as time went on, became more frequent.Most black and yellow wasp-like hoverflies bear aphid-eating larvae so beloved of gardeners. Volucella larvae have a much more exotic life

is disappointing. Their flavour is poor due, I presume, to lack of sun (which they need to build up sugar content). They are also very watery. Interestingly, there has been almost no wasp damage on the fruit, proving that wasps are as fussy about their plums as I

by hand any affected leaves and shoots. pearsspring to autumnMore advice on growing pearsTreating apple and pear scabPreventing pear wasp damageDealing with codling moth on fruit treesMonty's favourite fruit varieties

', 'Laxton's Epicure' and 'George Cave'Sow parsley in pots for winter and spring useThin out heavy crops of plums to prevent branches snappingHang wasp traps in fruit treesPinch out the tops of outdoor tomatoes, as further flowers are unlikely to produce ripe