Latest news with #insects
CTV News
16 hours ago
- Science
- CTV News
Abundance of moths in central Alberta
Residents in central Alberta are capturing images of a large number of moths. An expert says the insects exist in 20 year cycles, and the last outbreak was in the 90's.
The Sun
20 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
Urgent warning to Brits over explosion of WASPS with nests the size of space hoppers as population soars
Owen Scott Published: Invalid Date, EXPERTS have issued an urgent warning to Brits about a huge "population explosion" of wasps. The swarms of creepy-crawlies are creating nests as big as space hoppers and one experts has warned that 2025 will be the 'year of the insect'. 5 5 5 Wasp populations normally spike towards the very end of the Summer, as the insects prepare to breed before dying in the winter. However, Andrew Dellbridge of Ace Pest Control in Norfolk said hot weather in the Spring has drawn the bugs out early. Now, a huge 'population explosion' is underway since the insects have more time to breed. According to him, their numbers are already at the levels you would expect to see in September and the bugs are constructing nests which are the size of 'space hoppers'. Inside each nest, there could be 'thousands' of wasps. Andrew has also warned that their high numbers could make the wasps aggressive, saying: 'When we get into peak production, early autumn time, they ramp up. 'It's all ramped up and their aggression does as well. 'What I would imagine we're going to find shortly is that will ramp up again, so we'll get that mad activity earlier.' The expert says that he has seen hundreds of wasps pile into someone's home, chewing through the wattle and daub. That unlucky person woke up to find a 'six foot circle of wall' had fallen on him and that a mammoth swarm of wasps had followed. Andrew has warned that this year will be the 'year of the insects' because the weather is set to stay warm throughout the summer. Wasps can sting when threatened and, unlike bees, can attack people multiple times. Although not deadly to most people, the injection of venom with each sting can cause intense pain. However, people with an allergy to insect stings could have much more averse and deadly reactions. The news comes as beachgoers battle with swarms of ladybirds at popular holiday destinations. The hot weather has brought with it the biggest swarm of ladybirds since 1976, which spread across beaches in areas like Weston-Super-Mare. Videos show Brits fleeing from the bugs, locking themselves in cars and restaurants to escape the creepy-crawlies. What to do if you are stung by a wasp? Wasp stings can be extremely painful and, in some cases, deadly. Their sting works by injecting you with venom and, unlike bees, they can sting you more than once. Doctors say that you should immediately wash the site with soap and water, before using a cold compress for twenty minutes. Painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen can also help to reduce pain. However, you should go to A&E if you experience severe symptoms including difficulty breathing, throat swelling or dizziness. These can be signs of a severe allergic reactions. Anyone with a known allergy to wasp stings must carry their EpiPen with them at all times. 5 5
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Urgent warning to Brits over an influx of WASPS: Pest control expert dubs 2025 the 'year of the insects' - and warns monster nests have already reached the size of space hoppers
Britain faces a surge of monster wasps' nests as big as space hoppers, an expert has warned, after scorching temperatures sparked 'the year of the insects'. Andrew Dellbridge of Ace Pest Control in Norfolk said the spring sunshine had lured wasps out of hibernation early, giving them more time to grow. And though they'll die off come winter, the head start means this year's nests are already surpassing last year's in size, with months still to go. Now wasps are experiencing a 'population explosion', Mr Dellbridge said, and Britain faces a wave of jumbo nests before winter. He said: 'What I would expect to do in September–October as far as size of nest and multiple wasps within a nest, we're getting now. 'By September–October, the right back end of the season before they all die off, we should be in massive nest territory.' Worryingly, Mr Dellbridge also predicts a spike in aggressible wasp behaviour. And, unlike bees, wasps can go on to sting victims multiple times. Andrew Dellbridge of Ace Pest Control in Norfolk said the spring sunshine had lured wasps out of hibernation early, giving them more time to grow In terms of scale, the wasps' nests could grow as big as a space hopper. 'Some people get really upset by tiny little wasps nests,' Andrew said. 'I'm not so upset about them, I worry about the big ones. 'I always try to use a comparison – and the space hopper is as big as it can get. 'And that hums and it's quite a foe.' What's more, the spike in aggressive wasp behaviour usually associated with late summer could be brought forward. The pest controller said: 'When we get into peak production, early autumn time, they ramp up. 'It's all ramped up and their aggression does as well. 'What I would imagine we're going to find shortly is that will ramp up again, so we'll get that mad activity earlier.' He added: 'This year, 2025, will be the year of the insects because, like now, the weather is continuing in a really suitable vein.' In order to make more room for their nests, wasps have been known to chew through plasterboard, wood, insulation, and other building materials In order to make more room for their nests, wasps have been known to chew through plasterboard, wood, insulation, and other building materials. According to Mr Dellbridge, this phenomenon usually occurs late in the season. But it's already happening this year, he added. 'I had one yesterday,' he said. 'Hundreds of wasps piling into someone's house because they literally chewed through already.' He recalled how one previous customer was rudely awaken by a stretch of wattle and daub wall gnawed open by wasps. He said: 'They were chewing through, and the old–fashioned wattle and daub gave way. 'And a six foot circle of wall fell on him in the middle of the night onto his bed, followed by the wasps.' Andrew added: 'I am doing, for July, masses more jobs a day. 'This year, whereas you'd possibly have hundreds, or a thousand or so in there, I'm predicting that we'll have thousands in each nest. 'So you're not going to miss them. 'We are up for a bit of a challenge I think.' Wasps tend to sting when they become angry or scared. As anyone who has experienced one will know, their stings can be painful - but thankfully most people recover quickly and without complications. The sting is designed as a self-defence mechanism but, unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times. WHY DO WASPS STING AND WHY DO THEY HURT SO MUCH? Wasp stings are common, especially during the warmer months when people are outside for longer periods of time. They tend to occur in the later summer months when the social structure of the colony is breaking down. At this time, the group mindset is changing from raising worker wasps to raising fertile queens, which will hibernate over the winter to start new colonies the following spring. Once the wasp has laid eggs, she stops producing a specific hormone which keeps the colony organised. This leads to the wasps becoming confused and disorientated and they tend to stray towards sweet smelling human foods, such as ice cream and jam. This puts them in the firing line of scared and frenzied people which aggravate the animals with wafting hands and swatting magazines. When the critters become angry and scared they are prone to stinging. Wasp stings can be uncomfortable, but most people recover quickly and without complications. It is designed as a self-defence mechanism but, unlike bees, wasps can sting multiple times. The stingers remain in tact and are often primed with venom which enters the bloodstream. Peptides and enzymes in the venom break down cell membranes, spilling cellular contents into the blood stream This can happen to nerve cells and these are connected to the central nervous system. This breach causes the injured cell to send signals back to the brain. We experience these signals in the form of pain. There are chemicals in the wasp sting which slows the flow of blood, which elongates the period of pain.
CNA
2 days ago
- Science
- CNA
Israeli research finds that when plants talk, insects listen
TEL AVIV :There is evidence that plants and insects interact through sound, researchers at Tel Aviv University said on Tuesday, opening a new frontier in the study of acoustic communication in nature. The study, published in the journal eLife, suggests that female moths detect ultrasonic distress signals emitted by dehydrated tomato plants and use this information to decide where to lay their eggs. Moths usually lay their eggs on tomato plants to provide food for their larvae after they hatch. The research was led by Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel in the laboratories of Yossi Yovel and Lilach Hadany, both professors at the university's Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. "We revealed the first evidence for acoustic interaction between a plant and an insect," the team said in a statement. The findings build on previous research by the group, which revealed that plants emit ultrasonic sounds when under stress. The discovery could have implications for agriculture and pest control, opening up possibilities for managing crop health and insect behaviour through sound. While the ultrasonic sounds emitted by plants are outside the range of human hearing, they can be picked up by many insects and some mammals, such as bats. Investigating this preference, the researchers presented female moths with two healthy tomato plants – one with a speaker playing sounds registered from a drying plant, and one that was silent. The moths preferred the silent option, suggesting they use these cues to identify optimal sites for laying eggs. Further experiments confirmed that the moths' choices were guided specifically by sound and only to sounds from the plants. "Here, we've seen that there are animals that are capable of making sense of these sounds," said Hadany. "We think that this is just the beginning. So, many animals may be responding to different plants."
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Country diary 1905: The trouble with thrips
Thrips are a plague to the farmer and a cause of much annoyance to everyone else; they are so very tiny, measuring only about one-twelfth of an inch, that it seems absurd to think that they can damage wheat. Unfortunately it is their small size that makes them so difficult to deal with, and the tiny larvae suck the juices from the growing grain and cause it to shrivel up. Those of us who are not farmers are not much troubled by the male thrip, for it is wingless, but the flying female bumps up against our faces, settles and walks about, unless it is unfortunate enough to fly right into our eyes, when it dies a watery death, much to our discomfort. The thrip has no claws, but its short legs can cause a wonderful amount of irritation for so diminutive creature; if it would only stand still when it settles upon us we should know little about it, but nothing is further from its intentions; it wanders here, there, and everywhere, and wherever it goes it tickles. Cyclists know the thrip to their sorrow, but even it is not so bad as some of the smaller rove beetles, which, having attempted suicide in an eye, take a dying revenge by discharging a powerful fluid which for a second and sometimes more causes intense agony to the owner of the eye. Beetle and thrip look very much alike without a glass, but the former when it settles for a walk folds its long wings by using its flexible abdomen, and tucks them under its short wing cases; the latter may wriggle its tail but it cannot fold its fringed wings.
