Overview
- The Met Office recorded spring 2025 as the UK's warmest on record, with dry, sunny conditions that created ideal breeding conditions for wasps.
- A mild winter and bright spring likely boosted queen survival, allowing more colonies to establish and expand sooner than usual.
- Wasps are turning up at picnics earlier as mature colonies shift from hunting protein for larvae to seeking sugars.
- Alcoholic drinks such as cider, beer and wine are especially attractive because of their volatile compounds, according to Royal Entomological Society experts.
- Scientists highlight benefits to ecosystems through pest control and pollination, and advise staying calm, avoiding swatting and placing a small food offering at a distance to divert wasps.