If you have spent the last few months of your summer avoiding the outdoors because of our pesky yellow and black ‘buzzing’ friends, you aren’t alone.

This year it seems as though there are an abnormal amount of wasps. It turns out the weather is most likely to blame.

“It is way out of hand this year compared to other years, and it’s because of a combination of weather and late hatching.” said Peter Barbaro from Salisbury Greenhouse in Sherwood Park.

He said his customers have noticed that their team has sold an absurd number of wasp killer this year compared to other years.

“We can’t keep the wasp sprays in stock.”

According to him, the spring weather played a big part in the hatching of bugs. He says the fluctuating temperature we had in the spring didn’t do us any favors.

“We had days that would be like five above, and then the next day it would be about 20 plus and it wasn’t normal for them to hatch at different times.” he said. “When the proper weather came up they all decided to hatch at the same time”

But it turns out the picnic-crashing pests come with a small bonus.

“It’s not just wasps.. We’ve got more bees too, which is good.”

It’s no secret that the furrier and plumper close relative is important for pollination of our plants, flowers, and of course, honey.

As for getting rid of the wasp problem, Barbaro recommends getting a killing spray, or making/buying a ‘trap’ with sugar water so the wasps get attracted in and then can’t escape.  

The Alberta Grows website has a featured section called ‘Wasps 101’ explaining the wasps purpose and has other tips for keeping the good bugs in your garden, and keeping the pests out.