In hedges, cavity walls and even in the ground: wasp nests are everywhere and they cause a lot of nuisance. Fighters are therefore very busy these days and it will probably get much worse in the coming month.
“It is very busy. If I compare it with previous years, it is impossible to keep up”, Ad van Aarts sighs. She and her husband run a small company that fights pests, including wasps. “If we are not careful, we will also be called at night, so the phone really goes off at about six o’clock.”
But of course the problem is not solved yet. Wasp nests just keep popping up. This is because it was much warmer than normal in the first months of the year, says biologist Arnold van Vliet of Wageningen University.
Wasp queens woke up earlier due to the high temperature and started building nests earlier. The result: a lot of nests.
“People throw sand or water on it, but that’s dangerous.”
“People shouldn’t do anything themselves. I see all kinds of things passing by. Sometimes people throw sand on it or attack the nest with water. Don’t do it because that’s a really bad thing,” says Ad. A few years ago, she even witnessed someone being stabbed to death. “Those wasps were so mad. He didn’t stand a chance.”
Less bad, but no less dangerous: many stings can cause you to go into shock. “You then need help quickly otherwise it will not end well. In short, let professionals come if you want to get rid of a nest.”
Incidentally, this ‘wasp infestation’ is only the beginning. A second wave of wasps is expected to arrive. These eggs hatch somewhere at the end of July and that has everything to do with the high temperatures at the beginning of this year.