If you think the wasps are bad now, wait until autumn

WASP numbers have soared during Britain’s heatwave, leading to one of the worst summers on record for the amount of pests.

And there is more to come, with a warm autumn creating a longer lifespan for the stinging creatures.

By that time, the queens will be back in hibernation, so the worker wasps will have no purpose and spend the weeks in desperate search of sugar, invading pub gardens and al fresco dinners.

Natalie Bongay, technical officer at the British Pest Control Association, told The Daily Telegraph: “Every pest controller I see, they say, ‘Wow there’s a lot of wasp nests’ – last year they were doing one or two a day and this year they’re doing between eight and 15.

“All insects will thrive a lot more efficiently in weather like this because it speeds up their metabolism and egg production.

“Wasps tend to die off when the first frost hits. But if we’re not going to get those frosts as quickly they’ll possibly even grow in size and breed more.”

Sam Devereux, general manager JG Pest Control, one of the leading wasp and hornet removal services in London and the south east, told The Telegraph: “It’s been a bad year for the general public but a very good year for us. We have seen the best year in the seven years I’ve been in the industry. The busiest wasp season we have ever had.”