Everybody Bee Cool: There’s a Mean German Wasp In Town

If you're the type of person who will run blindly into oncoming traffic to escape a bee, prepare to lock your windows and stay indoors for a few weeks. A particularly mean variety of wasp is on the loose and contrary to popular belief, these ones really do sting for absolutely no reason. Apparently, the German yellow jacket or Vespula germanica, to give it its proper title, is slightly drunk on fermented fruit at this time of year. Add to this the fact that they are technically finished their only job - collecting pollen for the colony's queen - at this time of year and you've got an malevolent wazzie with little else to do but buzz around seeking human victims. Pest controller Paul Bates told Metro:

"The type of wasp causing most problems is the German wasp which gives a particularly painful sting despite its size. "Worker wasps have finished their life’s work as queen wasps have stopped laying and don’t need food bringing to them. "There will also be drunk wasps around who have been feasting on fermented fruit and will be extra bold. "All this means that the wasps are likely to sting for no reason and they are now at their most dangerous."

The advice? Everybody be cool. Paul says working yourself into a frenzy will increase your chances of being stung: "The advice is to stay calm around the wasps. If you agitate them, they send messages to other wasps that they are under attack and you can end up dealing with a swarm." he added.