Not Your Imagination: Wasps More Aggressive This Time of Year

This is the time of year when calls for wasp removal increase. If you are in need of wasp nest removal in Berkshire or anywhere within our service area, don't hesitate to contact us. Needless to say, you are not imagining things. Wasps are more aggressive this time of year.

Wasps can be a problem from the earliest days of spring all the way through to the start of autumn. We recommend people not attempt to deal with a nest by themselves. Trying to get rid of a nest using over-the-counter insecticides may not only fail, it might also antagonise the wasps enough to cause them to turn on you. DIY nest termination is especially worrisome this time of year because of how aggressive wasps can be.

Wasp Biology and the End of Summer

Wasps undergo a four-stage life cycle that starts with eggs and ends with adulthood. An adult wasp isn't likely to live longer than a few weeks, though it is possible for some workers and drones in the colony to survive for several months. The exception here is the queen. The average queen lives for about a year (queens have been kept alive in lab settings for several years though).

Having said all that, the average queen has stopped laying eggs by mid-summer. By the end of summer, a nest typically goes dormant. That leaves surviving workers with nothing to do and, more importantly, no food.

Older wasps are no longer capable of eating other insects, like flies, due to a restrictive band around their abdomens. The insects they do capture are chewed up and fed to larvae in the nest. In turn, the larvae secrete a sugary substance that acts as a food source for the adults. Do you see where this is going?

A dormant nest is no longer producing food for older adults because there are no more larvae making it. Those adult wasps are forced to find food elsewhere. One source is rotting fruit found out and about. It is this rotting fruit that makes wasps more aggressive.

Wasps Are Getting Drunk

Rotting fruit ferments as it rots, so although no big deal for us, it's not good for wasps. They essentially get drunk just by feeding, which makes them more aggressive. It turns out that wasps are not happy drunks; they are more prone to taking a defensive position even when not provoked. They are also more prone to attacking.

This time of year, wasp removal should be left to experts. There's no point in risking your health and safety just to save a few pounds. Our professionals have the knowledge, tools, and experience to remove wasps' nests safely.

If you've noticed that wasps on your property are suddenly more aggressive, the natural wasp life cycle and the end of summer may be the reason. Just be careful whenever the insects are around. If you need wasp nest removal in Berkshire, call Control Services.

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