The mild seasonal switch of the past couple of years has almost certainly led to an increased number of wasps, so it is far more l...
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The picnic gatecrashers are back with a vengeance. Drunk, irritable and ready to cause trouble, they are amassing in greater numbers and heading for a jam sandwich near you.
A warmer winter and spring coupled with a wet summer has reduced the natural cull of the stripey marauders. And with the recent spell of warmer weather, wasps have had a greater opportunity to come out of their nests and forage for food.
There has been a doubling of wasp-related call-outs this year, while the local and national news have been reporting a big rise in the number of people seeking medical help for wasp stings.
The warm and wet conditions have been perfect for wasps, and we've seen far more occurences of multiple wasp nests at single sites this year. In addition, the season is lasting longer – it's at its peak at the moment and with warm weather it could last until the end of September when it only used to last to the start.
Wasps live in paper nests of up to 10,000 workers, often in abandoned animal burrows, garden sheds, or lofts. In the late spring the queen will emerge from hibernation and lay eggs which hatch into sterile female workers who build the nest and feed larvae. Towards the end of the summer the queen lays more eggs which produce male wasps and fertile females which will be the queens of next year's nests.
Cold weather eventually kills the males, the workers and the foundation queen, but not before the workers have been released to go out and satisfy their own cravings for sweet goodies like fruit and jam. As it gets colder, the wasps become more irritable, and this is not helped by them feeding and becoming "drunk" on over-ripe fruit.
The increase in numbers of wasps has largely been attributed to milder spring and winter seasons, which have enabled more of these pests to survive.
A wasp uses its sting for killing prey, but it can also use it very effectively for defending itself. The sting has associated glands which produce venom. A sting can be very painful, but is normally not dangerous.
Unfortunately, there are no tests currently available to determine if you are allergic to bee and wasp stings, so it is important to be extremely cautious with symptoms, as in some cases more serious effects occur and repeated stings can cause anaphylactic shock which can prove fatal.
Article provided by SDA Pest Control