It is looking like a bumper year for pests, with the heatwave providing perfect conditions for wasps, rats and mice to thrive, according to industry reports.
Call-outs have increased for wasps as the warm weather brings extended opportunities to feed.
And while typically reports of rats and mice in Dorset tend to drop in the summer months, the industry reports says there’s been no slow-down in the number of call-outs to tackle rodents too.
Warm weather perfect for pests
“As the warmer weather takes hold, the number of call-outs for rats and mice usually drops, as the rodents move away from the warmth and shelter of homes and outbuildings to outdoor environments.
“However, this year we are seeing no evidence of that, with call-outs to deal with rodents in Dorset are continuing in the summer months.
“It seems they are staying indoors in commercial and domestic properties and the volume of calls being received is highly unusual for this time of the year and while we cannot be sure exactly what the cause is for this, it is something we are looking closely into.
One theory is that there is a good deal of fruit around this year due to the warm weather and that rats and mice don’t have to travel as far as usual to feed.
“Regardless of the weather this year, we were already expecting increased activity with wasps.
“In fact, earlier this year in April, before the warm weather took hold, BPCA had already suggested that this summer could be a bumper year as their numbers traditionally rise and fall in a two-year pattern, and our records show the UK was inundated in 2016, followed by a distinct lull in numbers in 2017.
“However, now the warm spell has had an impact, and the numbers are rising significantly, exceeding initial expectations of Wasps’ in Dorset.
“This early abundance of fruit in the fields and gardens gives better feeding conditions in which they can thrive. Wasps get giddy on the fruit, it makes them slightly inebriated, and this is when they are most likely to sting.
“Usually this is at the end of the season, but the climate conditions are bringing that forward. If this weather continues, the wasp season will extend, and that could mean a bumper year for 2022, as conditions allow for more queens to thrive in the nests.”
If you are experiencing increased numbers of wasps, mice or rats and need some advice and a solution to remove them and prevention to stop them returning call now!
