Mild winter drives unusually high wasp numbers in Tyrol

Wasp numbers are unusually high this year, and the peak of the season may not yet have been reached, ORF reports. Pest controllers are handling an exceptional number of calls to remove nests.

Rene Schopper, a pest controller from the Unterland, described the situation as “extreme” and said it was “a very special year”. The first large numbers of wasps appeared in early to mid-June, about a month earlier than usual.

Biologist Thorsten Schwerte of the University of Innsbruck attributed the increase to the weather. The mild winter allowed more queen wasps to survive, enabling them to start building populations and colonies earlier in the year.

Pest controllers have been called repeatedly to remove nests. Allergies to wasp stings are one reason people seek help, while others call about wasps near playgrounds or ground-nesting wasps.

Where no one is allergic, Schwerte said the insects can also be left alone and kept at a distance. Wasps dislike smoke, he said, and food can be placed some distance away from the dining table.

Based on long-term experience, Schwerte said the peak of this year’s wasp season had not yet been reached.