Summer Pests:
Sluggish Wasps
As August draws to a close, the sun can
still shine brightly in September but
there is a noticeable change in the temperature. Evenings can be a little
chilly as the leaves on the trees start to turn into the glorious shades of
autumn.
But there is one pest that causes problems
– the wasp. All summer you have avoided the buzzing insect and the sting in its
tail but now, with the change in temperature, wasps become sluggish. But why?
And why is this a problem?
What Happens to Wasps
in Winter?
There are no wasps in winter. With the
cooler temperatures of autumn and winter, the wasp colony dies out, leaving
only mated queens to hibernate through the winter, waking refreshed in spring
to build another nest.
Wasps become
sluggish because…
If the wasp is male or an unmated female,
they cannot survive the colder temperatures of winter. And it is the cold that
makes them sluggish and makes them ‘droop’ or drop.
The exact time
death cannot be pinpointed…
Because it depends on the temperature. It
is the cooler autumnal temperatures that signal the end for the wasp nest and
its occupants. Some years, we have had fine, warm weather well into October and
the occasional wasp can be seen buzzing around. But if the temperatures tumble
in September, the wasps will die sooner.
Wasps don’t just
drop out of the sky…
But they are disorientated and this means
they can be more prone to being irritated quicker. Hence, some people believe
that wasps stings are more commonplace in September when wasps are sluggish.
Mated queen wasp
survival rates are low…
The mated queen looks for a safe place to
hibernate over winter. Typically, they look larger than other ‘normal’ wasps.
They may look dead but they are, in fact, dead. You may find one on a shed
windowsill, for example, or on the floor or in piles of stored materials. But
spiders and other insects will prey on them and thus, the survival rate for
mate queen wasps is low.
Wasps don’t return
to an empty nest…
Wasps are an industrious community and the
whole point of their existence from spring to late summer is to build a strong
colony and nest, with a mated queen at its heart. Empty nests can be removed or
left in situ until they rot away as wasps don’t return. But always make sure that the wasp nest is actually empty as a dozy
wasp can and still sting.
Wasps can be dealt
with quickly and safely…
But only by a qualified pest control
technician who understand how and why wasps react the way that they do when
humans and/or pets stray too near their nest. No matter where the nest is, we
can deal with it.
