08/08/2026
Where are all the wasps are this summer?
You’re not imagining it—their numbers have taken a massive hit.
According to Professor Seirian Sumner, a wasp biologist at University College London, the strange weather in spring 2026 is largely to blame. A warm start was followed by extreme temperature swings, cold damp snaps, and repeated heatwaves, which likely caused early queen wasps to abandon their nests or die before establishing colonies.
While most of us aren't fond of sharing a picnic with them, missing wasps is actually bad news for our gardens and local ecosystems. UK social wasps capture an estimated 14 million kilograms of insect prey every summer—including greenflies and caterpillars. Without them, garden pests can quickly take over.
Have you noticed fewer wasps in your garden this year?
