For Montreal exterminator Sasha Thinel, the end of summer is a busy time. It’s peak wasp season, and the calls are flooding in. “We’ve definitely been getting an uptick in the amount of calls for bald-faced hornets,” the owner of Extermination Solution Extreme says. For Thinel, an uptick usually means up to 50 wasp nests in a Montreal neighbourhood compared to the usual one or two. “Wasps create very big paper nests with very, very large colonies and they grow exponentially,” he says. Since 2020, Thinel has been treating homes with wasp nests that are hidden from sight within a structure’s walls. Whether visible or not, an unattended nest can be hazardous, since wasps are known to be aggressive and can sting multiple times. Exterminating a nest involves pumping chemicals inside—a process that can take several days. “What is leading to the boom that we see is where we’re at in [the wasp] life cycle,” Nathalie Jreidini says. As the director of education at Ecomuseum Zoo, she says there are several reasons why it might feel like there are more wasps around, even if there actually aren’t. “When it’s warm, they just, they can grow faster. The development can be faster as well. We do have a lot of food waste that occurs, so they get attracted to those food sources. They can feed themselves, feed the larvae in the colony. The colony gets larger,” Jreidini says. However, there are ecological benefits to coexisting with hornets, yellowjackets, and paper wasps. “They will hop from flower to flower moving around pollen. Of course, that’s not the case for all species, but the ones said to rely on nectar. Other than that, they are also going to control certain pest populations,” Jreidini adds. If looking to avoid the stingers, consider keeping food in closed containers when eating outdoors. Rinse bottles before throwing them out. Throw food away in closed garbage bins that are washed regularly, and brush wasps away gently. Avoid sudden movement if they’re buzzing about.
