Sunday 21 July 2013

Buzz Off

The summer has arrived, the weather is hot and about to get even hotter. There is just one thing missing. You may not have noticed - but when I tell you - you will say 'oh yes'. I bet like me you have spent time lazing in the garden - well if you were like me, you will have been catching up on a backlog of overgrowth. Cutting the grass, trimming the hedges, trees pruned and only the patio left to de-weed because I don't like using chemicals. I bet you have had a few barbecues, which now seem to be one of the markers to the arrival of summer. But there is also another marker of summer - No not the Swallows who seem to be around in good numbers. Its a very special one and have you noticed its missing yet?


Where are the wasps?

Those annoying little yellow and black stings on wings. The ones that seem to be drawn to any of our outdoor activities. The population has been decimated in the last 12 months. An unseasonal spell of good weather in late February last year is being blamed. The young queens come out of hibernation when the weather started getting warmer. The return toi cold weather killed many of them off. After last year's big drop in numbers, it could take several years before wasps fully recover. While people might not miss wasps buzzing around them, a decline numbers is not good for us and nature. Wasps are part of the balance of nature, they also eat insects that many people consider to be pests.

Later....

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