Expert says warm September in Maritimes could cause higher aggression in bees and wasps
CTV
Experts say the higher Maritime temperatures make wasps and hornets more territorial and aggressive in the late summer.
Maritimers have been enjoying high temperatures and beautiful weather this September, but experts on insects say there is a cost. They say the higher temperatures make wasps and hornets more territorial and aggressive.
Andrew Hebda is a retired curator of zoology at the Nova Scotia Museum. He says 10 degrees is an important temperature for wasps and hornets.
“Below that they are inactive and above that they are active,” Hebda said. “The warmer it gets the more active they are and the more they feed and they reproduce and the warmer it is the more generations we will have.”
Residents within the Maritimes may see more hives and nests around their homes. They tend to settle under eaves and overhangs. The pesky insects also find their way to restaurant patios.
Ann Simser is a lead server at Seven Bays Café. She says wasps and hornets are annoying for staff and customers.
“They come out here to sit and they go back inside because they can’t deal with them flying all around them,” said Simser.
Hebda said the insects are more aggressive when the food supply dwindles in the fall.
