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Pest controllers fighting rising wasp reports
22/08/2011
Pest controllers in the Midlands have been called out with increasing frequency this summer to deal with out-of-control wasps.
In just one day in July, officers working for Stafford Borough Council and South Staffordshire District Council, received 77 separate calls from worried residents. Between 1 April and 31 July this year, the councils - which have joined up to deal with pest control - received 942 call outs in total.
The principal environmental health officer for the two authorities, Robert Simpson, said it was a staggering rise from the 586 wasp problems reported during the same period in 2010. He explained that a fairly temperate spring was the likely cause of the trouble.
"The season is not over yet and we are receiving on average 30 requests a day," he said. "On July 25 this year we received 77 requests in a single day. Nests are in loft spaces, garden sheds, garages, hedges and in the ground."
Pest control methods include spraying the nest entrance with a white chemical powder which is then carried inside on the wings, legs and bodies of the worker wasps. This kills the queen and grub wasps, stopping activity within two days.
