THEY are among the most distinctive - if annoying - visitors of late summer. But this year they have been missing.

Wasps increase their numbers during August and September, flying into houses and gathering around fruit trees.

But this year has been a disaster for them in the region, and insect experts are concerned at the long-term impact on their survival.

Numbers across the UK have been declining for several years, according to the national Bees, Wasps and Ant Recording Society, which says queens have come under pressure because of bad weather.

Queens are crucial because while their drones and workers die at the end of summer, queens over-winter and start creating new nests the following spring and mid-summer.

Mike Edwards, a member of the society, said that poor weather meant many queens had been unable to establish viable nests this year.

Many of those which established nests had done so too late to build up numbers, causing a dramatically lower wasp population, and fears over the number of queens.

"The last few years have not been good and this year has been bad," said Mr Edwards. "The 30,000-dollar question is how bad a year can the wasps handle?"

Naturalists will be monitoring the insects next year to see how they recover.