Annual wasp invasion ahead of schedule, says recently stung entomologist

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This article was published 10/08/2023 (883 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Taz Stuart got stung by a wasp recently, the first time in more than 25 years.

The Winnipeg entomologist and pest control consultant was dealing with a wasp nest for a client recently, when one of its residents fell out of the nest above his head and landed in his hair.

“I’m not happy,” Stuart said with a laugh Thursday afternoon. “It was right on my forehead.”

Like many other Winnipeggers socializing on restaurant patios and in backyards, Stuart has noticed the summer buzz-killing buzzers ahead of schedule.

“It seems a little earlier than normal, but they’re not that aggressive yet,” he said. “As we move further into August, they will start losing their natural food sources, and then they’re going to be more, ‘Hey, I want to eat your hamburger, I want to drink your Coke; I want, I want, I want.’”

He said at this time last year, pest-control companies were getting a few wasp-related calls, but there’s been an uptick in recent weeks.

“The nests are now maximizing their size and people are concerned they’re going to get even worse as we move forward into the later stages of summer,” said Stuart, who received six wasp-control calls Thursday.

“I just finished (dealing with) yet another wasp nest… this was a ground nest, in behind where some foundation work was being done and of course, ground nests are a little more difficult to treat, but once you open it up, spray ‘er down, it’s one-and-done.”

He got his first call in late May, which he said is “very early.”

He said the apparent increase in wasp population in the city this summer is likely due to several factors.

“The over-wintering success — the queens got good locations — lots of potential natural food sources available, and you’re seeing the result of a good wasp year,” he said, explaining that the annual populations are subject to variables, including the survival rate of queens that were born the prior fall and hibernated over the winter, before building new nests after the spring thaw.

Stuart suspects more queen wasps survived last winter. More of them, combined with a warm and rainy spring and early summer that allowed for larger numbers of smaller insects that wasps prey upon, likely played a role in the “increased success” of the stinging pests.

Stinging and party-crashing aside, there is a positive, he said. Wasps transfer pollen from plant to plant as they visit flowers for nectar, allowing for fertilization and the production of seeds later on.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca