...What are they up to? This year, despite plenty of fallen apples, there has been a notable absence of wasps about - I have only had three in the house all year. Today it is overcast and windy but quite mild. They simply mill around, never contacting one another and never settling. I am 81 years old and have always lived in semi-rural locations but have never before witnessed this behaviour. The bushes in question are viburnum tinus and golden privet, about 10 feet tall.