Why a 'bumper year' of wasps could be about to get more annoying

You may have noticed a lot more wasps this summer but they could be about to get a lot more annoying.

Spring this year, the warmest in more than 50 years, resulted in a "bumper year for insects" and especially wasps.

Experts say that the summer heatwaves also helped.

But while you may have noticed a lot of wasps flying about, the next few days you might notice them much more.

The UK has about 9,000 species of wasps - most are solitary wasps, meaning they don't live in large colonies.

Only a small number are social wasps such as the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, which are the ones you are most likely to notice going for your picnic or ice cream.

Professor Seirian Sumner, wasp expert from UCL Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, told the BBC the "hot, warm spring gave insects a really good start".

While there have been more wasps around, Professor Sumner says "we don't usually notice wasps until the bank holiday weekend, end of August".

The reason for this is because of how wasp colonies work.

Early in the summer worker wasps go out to find protein to feed the larvae, which are in grub stage after the egg hatches.

This means they will be going after your cheese or ham sandwiches.

Wasp larvae are fed by worker wasps

But Professor Sumner says around this time, from bank holiday weekend to end of August, "there are less larvae to feed".

When adult wasps feed larvae they produce a sugary solution.

So when there are less larvae, the wasps need more sugar.

"So what's happening is the wasps will be shifting their diets from primarily hunting for protein and getting a little bit of sugar… to shifting to wanting more sugar for themselves," Professor Sumner says.

This means wasps can seem more aggressive as they focus on getting sweet food for themselves.

UCL scientists have been gathering more information on this through a citizen science project.

They are asking 'Ham or Jam - What are wasps after at your picnic?'

They want people to tell them what wasps are after at their picnics or outdoor dining

Ham, or other protein, e.g. chicken, burger - or rather jam or any other sugary food or drink.

Professor Sumner and her colleagues at UCL are hoping the results will show when the shift from protein to sugar foraging happens.

Have you seen a lot of wasps around? Let us know in the comments below.