Wasps

Are you sure they're wasps, fieldwake? We have bees going in and out of holes in the brickwork every year.

Wasps are pollinators.

Goodness nanaej thanks didn't know that. Well the 'house' is away from the house but not sure I want to breed them. It is a tiny courtyard and if I sit out with any food or drink they seem to be there.

Well Anagram (gran)? I will need an expert. They look small and slim and I thought bees were sort of round?

They're probably masonry bees (not all bees are round!). Have a Google and find a photo.

Mosts wasps are predators and are good pest controllers.

Wasps are very useful beasts. They eat other insects.

Thank you Anagram and Bags I am going to view them differently now. I shall wear the keep insects away cream and leave them be. Do they have a different buzz to distinquish them?

I found a ladybird in the bathroom early spring and had thought it lovely to have more around but now I have just the red wooden applique on the house! I do have some other red, without spots, insects eating my lilies.

Those are definitely lily beetles! The bane of lily-growers' lives!

Heavens Anagram how have these beetles found my 2 lilies in this isolate spot? They are a lovely red and I haven't had the heart to touch them.

They seem to be able to seek out lilies by radar....!

So radar wasn't discovered by 'man' then

I expect you know all about greenfly too.......

I must admit, much as i like insects, I do squash lily beetles when they attack the snakes head fritillaries...
Wasps I agree - they eat caterpillars at this time of year. They tend to build large, vase-like, "paper" - i.e. chewed wood - nests in sheltered places. Fine structures but would not want one too near the house.Other similar insects are hornets (giant wasps) and hover flies (tiny hovering stripey jobbies - they also are great at controlling pests). Hover flies and all the small bee like things that are around the forgetmenots etc are very much a good thing in the garden