They are the unwelcome intruders at backyard barbecues — especially this summer when many central Albertans are being plagued by a wasp boom.
The City of Red Deer is getting at least twice the number of requests to remove wasp nests from around schools, playgrounds and public trails than last year, said Ken Lehman, ecological services operations co-ordinator.
He believes conditions were exactly right over these last few hot and dry months for an explosion of wasps in the province — especially ground nesters.
"We don't do (nest) removals from green spaces unless they are impacting people because they are part of the ecosystem," said Lehman. But given that some people have potentially fatal allergies to wasp stings, he recognizes the need to keep nests away from public gathering spaces.
To re-phrase the song War by Edwin Starr: Wasps. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing!
That's the common perception among people who are wary of getting stung while swatting wasps away from food and drink, said Todd Nivens, executive-director of the Waskasoo Environmental Education Society.
But this isn't necessarily true.
While "they are an aggressive predator and we love to hate them," admitted Nivens, "maybe we need to let them go about their business because they do provide some benefit."
As pollinators, wasps are minor players, trailing in importance behind the honey bee. But they are also meat-eaters who need to bring caterpillars and bugs home to feed their larvae. These "active predators" will kill mosquitoes and other insects that we also consider a nuisance, reducing the pest population, said Nivens.
And like magpies and turkey vultures, they are scavengers. Nivens believes wasps "are super opportunistic," and will go after rotten apples and other pungent detritus over garden flowers. "You will see wasps going in and out of dead birds carcasses and other things we don't want laying around our neighbourhoods."
Still, he admitted that wasps are a hard sell to most people — especially at this time of year when their usual food becomes more scarce and they become a looming threat over backyard barbecues and park picnics.
Julian Rodriguez, owner of Trampas Pest Control Solutions in Red Deer said he has received about 4,500 calls to remove wasp nests this summer in Alberta, compared to 2,000-3,000 on average in the past. He also attributes this to a hot and dry summer.
Rodriguez advises residents with wasp problems to call in the professionals since they often won't know they have an anaphylactic allergy to a wasp sting until it happens — and they go into shock.
But for those who want to deal with wasp nests on their own, using commercially available products, Lehman advises doing so at night when wasps are less active and more docile. He noted that sometimes the whole nest can be bagged, with the opening then tied off.
One of the most basic and effective things homeowners can do to reduce wasp activity in their yards is to cover garbage bins, said Joel Saure, owner of Dragon Pest Control in Red Deer. "Wasps are attracted to empty juice cans... especially during a warm day when it's really bad."
As for picnickers who are tried of wasp assaults, Nivens advises creating a trap by cutting the top off a plastic pop bottle, and then flipping this top piece over and fitting it upside down, like a funnel, onto the rest of the bottle.
Pour a bit of pop and beer at the bottom of the bottle, attracting wasps with sugar and carbohydrates, said Nivens. While the inspects can get in, they will have difficulty flying out.
