Saskatchewan

Regina seeing more wasps than normal for this time of year

The City of Regina is seeing above-normal wasp counts for this time of year as the creatures look for places to build their nests.

Wasps may be more aggressive toward end of summer

A wasp with yellow and black stripes is seen in a close up as it crawls along a nest.
One way to reduce the number of wasps in your area is to locate their nest and remove it. (John P. Ashmore/Shutterstock)

As summer takes flight, Regina residents should be on the lookout for wasp nests. 

The city says there are more wasps than usual for this time of year.

Russell Eirich, the manager of open spaces with the city, said this may end up being a problem later in the summer. 

He said some of the wasps they are seeing now are the adult queens that managed to survive the winter and are now looking for a place to build nests.

"As the wasps can't support their nests much, naturally, then they're going to become more aggressive," said Eirich. 

Russell Eirich, the manager of open spaces for the City of Regina, says the wasps will be more aggressive toward the end of summer. (Matt Duguid/CBC)

Eirich said this could happen toward the end of August and into September. 

Wasps are attracted to sugary drinks, barbecues and other food that may be left around. 

Eirich says one way to control wasps in your area is to locate nests before they "get too big" and remove them.

Outlook on mosquitoes 

The mosquito counts for last week were below average for this time of year, but that could change in the weeks ahead. 

"I expect that we're going to see the counts start to increase a little bit — so far we've been fortunate," said Eirich.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Moreen Mugerwa is a journalist with CBC Saskatchewan. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Regina. She works as a portrait and lifestyle photographer in her spare time.