If you feel like you’ve been noticing more bees and wasps flying around this year, you’re likely not wrong. But experts say it likely has to do more with weather conditions than population growth. “We’ve had a fairly warm, sunny summer. It was a good season for them, but I don’t think there were massive increases in wasp populations or anything,” Andrew Young, an entomologist and professor at the University of Guelph, explained. “If it was raining, they wouldn’t be flying and we wouldn’t be sitting on patios.” It may feel like the insects are everywhere, but Young said they tend to show up at places with something sweet or savory to enjoy. “I don’t think that we’ve suddenly had a wasp apocalypse where the population has doubled in one year,” he said. Bugs are cold-blooded and don’t generate heat through metabolisms like mammals do. They get their heat from their environment instead. “If it’s warm and sunny and not too windy, that’s when they’re going to have the easiest time flying around and foraging,” Young said. The bugs’ life cycles also play a role in how many are spotted later in the year. “By late summer, their population is kind of at its maximum. That’s when you have lots of workers going out and trying to find protein to feed to their young,” said Young. He added that, for the most part, if you leave them alone, they’ll return the favour. Nests near your home While science may not prove that there are more bees and wasps this year compared to others, exterminators say the number of calls they’ve been receiving tell a different story. “From last year, it’s almost 15 to 20 or 30 per cent more,” said Ashok Ponfer, owner and operator of Accord Pest Control. “This year there is significantly more activity of wasps and hornets.” Some nests are easy to spot but others can be built into the foundation of homes, and may be tricky to rid of. “They’re more complicated because you never know where the nest could be. They could be deep. It’s hard to determine whether the wasps are smaller or bigger,” Ponfer said. His says if homeowner has a persistent problem with bees or wasps around their home, they should call a professional instead of trying to clear the bugs out by themselves. “Lots of people make the mistake when they see the wasp, especially invisible nests, they try to seal the area. That becomes very complicated for any exterminator,” Ponfer explained. “As soon as you see them anywhere going in and out, please call a professional and they will take care of that.”
