Wasp Related Injuries Are On The Rise In America
Wasp Related Injuries Are On The Rise In America
Wasps
During the summer season of 2018 mosquitoes will not be the only dangerous insects flying around looking for victims. North America also sees seasonal wasp activity that has been getting progressively more dangerous to the American public with each passing year. Last year the number of wasp-related complaints in the state of California skyrocketed. Many of these complaints involved sightings of wasp nests. Last year, late winter rains helped to provide wasp species with more insects to eat. This rainfall was followed by early summer heat over the labor day holiday, which prompted wasps to aggressively hunt for food. Researchers believe that these climatic conditions were what led to the surge in wasp-related injuries last year in California. Last year saw wasp-related reports reach record numbers across California, and some believe that this year will see even more of these unfortunate reports.
During the late summer of 2017, vector control districts located in Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties received a record number of reports telling about wasp-related attacks or sightings. In Contra Costa County the record for the highest amount of wasp-related reports was achieved in 1999 with nine hundred and seventy two reports collected within the year. However, 2017 saw an even higher number of wasp-related reports in this county. In fact, public calls asking for help with yellowjackets increased by a whopping eighty three percent in Contra Costa County. As of September of last year, Alameda County received three hundred and seventy five wasp-related calls from the public. According to Daniel Wilson, a spokesman for the Alameda County Vector control Services District, this number easily breaks Alameda County’s previous record of three hundred and one calls during 2012. These are the tamest examples of the wasp population influx in California, as San Mateo County saw well over two hundred and fifty more wasp-related calls than their previous record-holding year.
Although ecologists insist that some wasps provide benefits to the ecosystem, they are also very aggressive. For example, yellowjacket nests located underground can contain around five thousand wasps. If the statistics are to be taken into account, then 2018 will also see a high amount of wasp-related issues. Exercising caution toward possible wasp nests is the best way to prevent serious wasp-induced injuries or even death.
Have you ever witnessed flying insects emerge from beneath the ground?