Why Are There So Many Wasps This Year?

My dog Ellie is obsessed with wood bees. Luckily for her, our back deck is completely surrounded by carpenter bees this year. Every time I take the dogs outside, Ellie runs around on the porch and tries to jump up and eat the bees. Of course, they taunt her. They hover over her head and just wait until she's ready to jump, then they fly off. It's a never-ending game of cat and mouse (or dog and bee).

And while there's no doubt that my back yard is a haven for wood bees, I haven't seen any wasps yet. But, I must be the only person in Owensboro who hasn't. Apparently they are everywhere this year and lots of folks in town are taking notice.

Wally Holden/Unsplash

My friend Donna Conley shared this on Facebook Sunday. She asked, "Why?? Why are there a billion wasps everywhere I go?"

It didn't take long for her friends to chime in.

Jessie Hettinger said- They are bad this year!

Heather Yeiser said- Cody killed six on our screened-in porch yesterday!

Cathy Rogers commented- Same here! Got 2 of the little suckers!

Shelby Lighton asked- "Driving me crazy! What's up?"

So, what exactly is up? I'll be honest. I think we have more wood bees around our house than I have ever seen before. It sounds like Donna and some of our mutual friends are seeing more wasps around their homes than they ever have before.

I reached out to my weather buddy, Ron Rhodes (with Eyewitness News). I was curious to know if there was something weather-related or meteorological that would cause an increase in the number of wasps in the area. Ron admitted that he too as seen more wasps this year, but he doesn't "think it's weather related though." Ron's sister, however, has been telling him that she has a bunch if grubs in her yard and that's precisely what wasps feed on. Where there are grubs, there are wasps. And, if you do the math, more grubs in the yard mean more wasps around the yard.

I’ve noticed a lot more wasps this year too. I don’t think it’s weather related though. I know that my sister was telling me that she has a bunch of grubs in your yard & that’s what wasps feed on. Why there’s an increase in grubs, I don’t know but it makes sense that more grubs equals more wasps.

The website Biopests.com confirms what Ron's sister suggests.

"Wasps are on your lawn because they are hunting and feeding on insects and grubs on your grass or in the ground. Wasps are on your lawn because they are feeding on sugary substances like fruit, honeydew, and spilled food. Wasps are on your lawn for egg-laying purposes."

Flo/Unsplash

Notice the line referencing "egg-laying purposes." Uh, yeah! That means potentially even more wasps.

So, how can Donna and you get rid of them? Well, first know that if you're seeing a lot of wasps in one area, there's a strong likelihood there's a nest of them somewhere. Locating that nest and pinpointing the source of the wasps is key.

Here are some handy tips from the experts at Home Depot.

If you prefer natural "remedies" for getting rid of wasps, you can check out this video.

So, if you're like Donna Conley and Brad Snapp from Owensboro who are seeing "billions" of wasps this spring, now you know why that may be and what you can do about it.

In the meantime, until I see some wasps at my house, I'll just be hanging out with my dog and her wood bees.