wasps

The sudden increase in temperature and sunshine has meant an explosion of blossom and noticeable increase in bees going about their work.

There has also been a worrying surge in calls to pest controllers from people confusing bees with wasps and asking for treatment.

Cleankill is warning people not to tackle wasp nests this year as the dry weather has resulted in extra-large nests and more wasps surviving than usual.

Cleankill received a record number of call-outs for wasp problems in London and the South-east during July, and August is set to be busy as well. Last year, because of the wet weather, there were fewer calls than usual.

With summer predicted to return to the UK this week, pest control experts are issuing warnings about the threat of wasps disrupting barbecues and picnics.

Cleankill Pest Control, the Surrey based pest control experts who specialise in ‘green’ pest control, have found themselves unusually busy for the time of year with calls to deal with wasps nests that turn out to be bees.

Pest controllers have had more calls to deal with wasps nests this summer than in previous years, mainly due to the mild winter and dry Spring.

The type of wasp causing most problems is the smaller German wasp which gives a particularly painful sting despite its size.

Nuts and berries developing weeks ahead of normal are not the only things signalling the arrival of an early Autumn. Pest controllers are receiving calls about wasps four to five weeks earlier than normal and are finding nests that are much larger than usual for mid July. The early development means that later in the Summer some nests could be extremely large as the Queens will have had time to produce more eggs, resulting in more worker wasps and increasing the risks to anyone disturbing a nest.

One of Cleankill's directors was in the limelight when he appeared on national television with Alan Titchmarsh.

Jon Whitehead was asked to appear in ITV’s Alan Titchmarsh Show as an expert on wasps. Jon talked about why wasps are behaving erratically at this time of year. He explained that they are jobless and often get drunk on fermented fruit.

Cleankill Pest Control's Director Jon Whitehead will be in the limelight today (11th September) when he takes part in The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV. Jon will be talking about wasps and what they are up to this time of year. He'll be taking a large wasps' next to the studio so viewers can see what they are like close up. We are delighted to have been asked back on the show as experts in the field of pest control and for a few (millions actually) more people to be made aware of the Cleankill brand.