UK invaded by 'bad-tempered' European wasps with 'particularly painful sting'
European wasps which have "particularly painful stings" are invading the UK - due to a change in our weather.
As August has been, and is expected to remain, windy both here and in parts of Central Europe, breeze has taken fruit seeds our direction and ferment in our soil. Their scent attracts German Yellowjackets - whose Latin name is Vespula germanica - which proceed to "get drunk", feasting on the mushy fruits.
But German Yellowjackets are "much more bad tempered" than common wasps - called Vespula vulgaris - and give a much nastier sting. There are around 220billion German yellowjackets - which are bigger than normal wasps, but smaller then hornets - in the UK, and around 260billion common wasps.
The German Yellowjacket wasp is 'much more bad tempered' than common wasps (Getty Images)It mirrors an invasion of bees in June, which happened as a result of the sweltering 30C heatwave. Experts said a combination of factors formed a "sweet spot" for a particularly "swarmy season" this year.
Now the worker yellowjackets have now finished their work supplying the queen wasps with nectar and now have "nothing to do" with their time. Most of the queen wasps have finished laying their eggs and have left their nests - meaning worker wasps no longer have to tend to the queen and instead - having nothing better to do - "get drunk" by feasting on on ripe fruit.
Furious chimp launches bottle at girl filming him leaving her bleeding at zoo
Because the wasps are sozzled, they are "extra bold" and more likely to sting for no reason. Pest control experts have warned that the abundance of fermenting fruit would see a rise in "aggression" by the wasps, leading to more Brits being stung in the coming weeks.
Natalie Bungay, of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said that the wasps were "desperate for a sugar fix". She said: "When the queen stops producing eggs, the workforce has nothing to do other than look for fermented fruits and sugars. Wasps quickly get inebriated and this is typically when you can expect them to be more aggressive and likely to sting."
Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of Buglife, said that German yellowjackets were most likely to sting - and that if you attack one wasp, others will "come for you".
He said: "The moment you start swatting a wasp it will release pheromones telling all of his friends, 'Hey, some dude is attacking us. We need to find ways for the human being and wasp to coexist peacefully."
Bosses at Cleankill Pest Control in Croydon, south London, say that we should "watch out" for German Yellowjackets at the moment - especially when having picnics or barbecues. Boss Paul Bates said the wasps are at their 'most aggressive and dangerous' in August and are "particularly active" at the moment.
He said German wasps - which can be distinguished from normal wasps because of their size and three black spots on their face - "caused the most problems".
He said: "The type of wasp causing most problems at the moment is the German yellowjacket which gives a particularly painful sting.
"Worker wasps have finished their work as queen wasps have stopped laying and don't need any food bringing to them. This means that the workers are free to go out and enjoy themselves, so there are lots of drunk wasps around who have been feasting on fermented fruit and will be extra bold. All this means that the wasps are likely to sting for no reason and they are now at their most dangerous."
Wasp sting victim Allie Green, from Watford, Hertfordshire, said she was stung on the lip taking a swig from a can of fizzy pop - where the wasp was lurking. She said: "I was sitting outside in a café having a can of Diet Coke and my lip exploded in agony. I looked down and there was this wasp looking up at me. I swatted it away, but it was too late - my lip swelled up like a balloon."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
