'They don't play': Why you're seeing so many wasps lately, and what to do about it
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Late summer can bring quite a few unwelcome guests to the park, patio or beer garden.
"It's scary to see them flying around; they're making everyone anxious."
Wasps, specifically yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets, seem especially busy and bothersome lately.
"We had some food and they're just on top of it and in our beers and everything, and ruining the day a little bit," said Miles Nelson, who was celebrating Labor Day with a picnic at Juneau Park. "We all talked about, like, something's going on this year; especially the last week or two, it's been terrible."
Experts agree. According to Robert McKinney, the owner of MJD Apiary, the weather may be to blame.
"When we have a really wet spring and then we come into a really hot summer, it causes a lot of pest bugs, like mosquitoes," he explained. That's the food source for yellowjackets."
McKinney is a professional beekeeper and wasp exterminator.
Right now, business is buzzing: he's getting several calls a day for nest removals, with each one housing around 5,000 wasps.
"They're looking to take care of their family, and they're going to do it by any means necessary," said McKinney.
He said wasps need carbohydrates for energy, and colonies are currently building up their queens ahead of hibernation.
"That's why they're coming at humans and everything like that, because right now, this time of the year, nectar is scarce in the flowers," he explained.
If you're spending time outside, smoke or citronella candles may ward some away for a little bit, but there isn't a cure-all trick.
If you have a nest, McKinney says you need to call a professional.
"They actually grab onto you and they keep stinging you. Wasps can continuously sting you. So, they'll have you stripping out of your clothes," he warned. "They don't play."