Areas seeing infestation of wasps as temperatures rise
Areas seeing infestation of wasps as temperatures rise
As temperatures get warmer, some areas are seeing an infestation of wasps. Don Shump, owner of the Philadelphia Bee Company, joins to discuss ways you can deter the bugs.
PHILADELPHIA - The warm weather is fast approaching, which means so are the bugs and this year, some areas are seeing more wasps than ever before.
Don Shump, owner of the Philadelphia Bee Company, says that because the weather has been fluctuating so much, some days the influx of wasps will be greater than others.
"We go in boom, bust cycles. Some years we get a lot more wasps early in the season but this time of year, it's spring, all the wasps are going to be coming out. And, with the cold weather fluctuating, we will have days when there's a lot more," says Shump.
MORE HEADLINES
- Philadelphia's newest sculpture, 'OY/YO,' installed in Old City
- Heat know that even without Embiid, 76ers will be challenge
- TJ Siderio shooting: Former Philadelphia police officer charged with murder in 12-year-old's death
There are over 100 species of wasps in our area, according to Shump. Some common species of wasps include yellow jackets, paper wasps and mud daubers. There are also bald-faced hornets, which have white faces, that create nests that are larger than typical nests of other species.
Although many people think wasps are not useful since they don't make honey, like bees, Shump says that are important, and we need them.
"Wasps are predators," says Shump. "Wasps are the insects we count on to keep our caterpillar populations down and some wasps actually eat spiders. So, the wasps kidn of help everything stay in balance."
Unfortunately, Shump says that there is not a specific way to keep wasps away. Some stores sell fake hornets', but he says they are "ineffective."
A new trend suggests that people use dryer sheets to keep wasps away, but Shump says the only way to find out if they work is by trial and error. He says you can even try spraying the wasps with soap and water because it weighs them down, making it difficult for them to pester.