In message , Graham P Davis
writes
I'd also go along with the idea that they are queen wasps. April seems
to be the usual time to see them. Someone in my old home town (Rushden,
Northants) reported a lot of wasps around their house a few days ago,
so many that they thought there must be a nest.

I saw some several weeks ago - I think possibly in the warm spell at the
end of February - but haven't seen any recently. Presumably by now they
have all found suitable spots for their nests. Not a surprise that here
in Surrey we are some weeks ahead of the Peak District.
--
John Hall
"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history
that man can never learn anything from history."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)