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Angry, drunk and unemployed German wasps are invading Essex | Angry, drunk and unemployed German wasps are invading Essex |
(4 months later) | |
Europeans are used to drunk, angry Britons rampaging across their continent, but now the tables have been turned. | Europeans are used to drunk, angry Britons rampaging across their continent, but now the tables have been turned. |
Swarms of inebriated and "extra bold" German Wasps are causing problems in parts of the UK, apparently interrupting picnics and barbecues and stinging people for no reason. | Swarms of inebriated and "extra bold" German Wasps are causing problems in parts of the UK, apparently interrupting picnics and barbecues and stinging people for no reason. |
Despite the name, the German wasp, or Vespula Germanica, is actually native to the UK and much of the Northern Hemisphere. | Despite the name, the German wasp, or Vespula Germanica, is actually native to the UK and much of the Northern Hemisphere. |
Thanks to this year's mild winter and dry spring, there are far more wasps in Essex and the south east of the UK than usual this summer. | Thanks to this year's mild winter and dry spring, there are far more wasps in Essex and the south east of the UK than usual this summer. |
Queen wasps have now stopped laying, meaning that rather than having to constantly bring food to the infants in the nests, worker wasps are left without anything to do. | Queen wasps have now stopped laying, meaning that rather than having to constantly bring food to the infants in the nests, worker wasps are left without anything to do. |
This means they are increasingly bothering humans trying to enjoy picnics and barbecues outside, and eating fermented fruits, which can make them drunk. | This means they are increasingly bothering humans trying to enjoy picnics and barbecues outside, and eating fermented fruits, which can make them drunk. |
Paul Bates, managing director of Croydon pest control firm Cleankill Environmental Services, says that very much like humans, the drunk wasps will be "extra bold". | Paul Bates, managing director of Croydon pest control firm Cleankill Environmental Services, says that very much like humans, the drunk wasps will be "extra bold". |
The wasps' sheer numbers, sudden freedom and potential drunkenness mean that they are now more likely to sting humans than usual. | The wasps' sheer numbers, sudden freedom and potential drunkenness mean that they are now more likely to sting humans than usual. |
Facebook users were asked by Cleankill to share their wasp experiences on the company's page - one man said he had thought he was having a heart attack after he swallowed a wasp, which stung him inside his body. | Facebook users were asked by Cleankill to share their wasp experiences on the company's page - one man said he had thought he was having a heart attack after he swallowed a wasp, which stung him inside his body. |
Other reported their arms swelling up "like marrows" after wasp stings. | Other reported their arms swelling up "like marrows" after wasp stings. |
Mr Bates advised people to keep well away from wasp nests during this period - each one can contain around 10,000 wasps, and their stings can be fatal to people who are allergic. | Mr Bates advised people to keep well away from wasp nests during this period - each one can contain around 10,000 wasps, and their stings can be fatal to people who are allergic. |
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