Summer has arrived. Iced sauvignon is on the garden table. The salads are laid out. The assorted meats are tempting. A few chums sit round the table. All is for the best in the best of all possible lunchtimes. And then . … . . then a bloody wasp arrives.
There’s a way of dealing with wasps which seems to work. It’s worked on Surrey wasps for some time, and last weekend I tried it on a West Sussex wasp and it worked there too.
It’s this: trap the first wasp that arrives in an upside down glass, and leave it buzzing about inside the glass. Don’t kill it. It’s as simple as that.
Somehow that seems to keep other wasps away. I don’t know why it works, but have two theories:
1. While it is trapped inside the glass, the wasp is clearly pissed off, and it could be emitting distress signals which other wasps pick up as a warning call to keep away.
2. Wasps are territorial and the first wasp to arrive at the lunch table is deemed to own that particular area and other wasps feel disobliged to trespass.
Of the two theories, I incline to No.1.
There is usually someone who says that this practice is cruel to the wasp. Don’t listen to this person. If you let the little blighter out it’ll be mad as hell.
To keep it alive, put it in the shade, give it a drop or two of water and the odd bit of fresh air if it weakens. Observation suggests that the perkier the trapped wasp is, the more effectively other wasps stay away.
TOMORROW: THE TEN SEXIEST ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS
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