Why this summer in France is perfect - for wasps
If you thought there seemed to be more wasps around this summer than usual, you would be right. Pest controllers say a combination of factors has made this summer a perfect one for the pesky insects.
Pest controller Pascal Guichard, president of Xera which specialises in home insect control, told French newspaper Le Parisien: "There are more nests this summer than in other years.
"I have 10 call-outs per day, compared to one daily last year, in town and in the countryside. It's just catastrophic."
The hotter the weather the more the wasps like it, according to Guichard, but the combination of a hot summer and a long dry spell creates the perfect conditions for wasps.
France is current in the grip of a dry spell that has 68 of the country's 96 mainland départements on drought alert.
MAP Where in France has imposed water restrictions
The increasing numbers of nests means that wasps are also being seen more in the cities than in previous years.
Julien Vicaire, a beekeeper from Seine-et-Marne, has shared a few tips on how to stop them bothering you.
He said: "The wasp is opportunistic, it will go wherever is easiest."
He suggesting putting a sweet drink a few metres away from you to lure the wasp or burning coffee grounds, which he says act as a wasp repellent.
And if you find a wasp's next in your home? Leave it the professionals.
"It is dangerous for individuals to remove it themselves, the risk of being stung by numerous wasps is high," added Guichard.
The steadily rising temperatures have also seen a big increase in the spread of tiger mosquitoes in France, which can spread potentially deadly illnesses including dengue fever, zika and chikungunya.
MAP More than half of France on red warning for tiger mosquitoes
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Pest controller Pascal Guichard, president of Xera which specialises in home insect control, told French newspaper Le Parisien: "There are more nests this summer than in other years.
"I have 10 call-outs per day, compared to one daily last year, in town and in the countryside. It's just catastrophic."
The hotter the weather the more the wasps like it, according to Guichard, but the combination of a hot summer and a long dry spell creates the perfect conditions for wasps.
France is current in the grip of a dry spell that has 68 of the country's 96 mainland départements on drought alert.
MAP Where in France has imposed water restrictions
The increasing numbers of nests means that wasps are also being seen more in the cities than in previous years.
Julien Vicaire, a beekeeper from Seine-et-Marne, has shared a few tips on how to stop them bothering you.
He said: "The wasp is opportunistic, it will go wherever is easiest."
He suggesting putting a sweet drink a few metres away from you to lure the wasp or burning coffee grounds, which he says act as a wasp repellent.
And if you find a wasp's next in your home? Leave it the professionals.
"It is dangerous for individuals to remove it themselves, the risk of being stung by numerous wasps is high," added Guichard.
The steadily rising temperatures have also seen a big increase in the spread of tiger mosquitoes in France, which can spread potentially deadly illnesses including dengue fever, zika and chikungunya.
MAP More than half of France on red warning for tiger mosquitoes
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