Wasp sightings on the rise in Winnipeg’s Whyte Ridge neighbourhood

CTV's Joseph Bernacki explains why wasps have returned to parts of Winnipeg earlier this year.

Brian Strike is back working in his front yard without issue — but the last time he tried, he was interrupted by an unwelcome visitor.

“All of a sudden I felt a tickle on my arm and there’s this huge wasp walking across,” Strike said.

He said he quickly shooed the wasp away before it could sting. It wasn’t the only one he’d encountered in Whyte Ridge over the past week.

“I pulled a window down and right at the top was a crusty wasp, pretty sure it was fresh,” he said. “I haven’t really seen any bees but yeah, it’s usually bees you see first and then wasps come later.”

Strike isn’t the only resident who’s noticed the buzz. Neighbour James Ford lives just down the road and says he’s had wasps in his yard — and even more at his cabin at West Hawk Lake. He says he’s never seen this many so early in the season.

“I was blown away at how many wasps, large wasps I found in the cottage,” Ford said. “Crawling around the floor, flying around, I had to kill a bunch of them, get rid of them.”

Entomologist Taz Stuart says a delayed spring across the province, combined with a recent stretch of extreme heat, has drawn wasps out of hiding earlier than usual. Stuart, who operates Taz Pest Control, says the warm temperatures are speeding up their development.

“You’re seeing their life cycle increased with the temperatures just being so hot and warm, you’re seeing accelerated growth and that’s what’s key in this,” Stuart said.

He said there is some good news—wasps aren’t typically aggressive until their food sources begin to dry up, usually by late summer.

Still, Stuart is urging the public to watch for nests tucked away in out-of-sight spots.

“There’s always a new queen that gets pushed out, and she goes and finds a safe hot, warm spot over winter, then she comes out, makes a new nest creating more of a problem,” he said.