The Beewrangler Bee and Wasp Removal

Wasps sting baby boy 20 times in face

The Age April 26, 2011
Megan Levy

A baby boy suffered more than 20 wasp stings to his face and scalp during a family outing in Melbourne's east yesterday, paramedics say.The 10-month old's mother, father and four-year-old brother were also repeatedly stung by the swarm of European wasps as they walked through Ruffy Lake Park in Doncaster just after 3pm.Ambulance Victoria spokesman Paul Bentley said the mother and baby boy suffered the most stings. The baby had at least 20 stings over his scalp and face, which was swollen, Mr Bentley said. His 37-year-old mother suffered at least 10 stings on her head, neck, arms and leg. The family was given pain relief before being taken by ambulance to the Austin Hospital in a stable condition. Last month Melburnians were warned to watch out for European wasps, with populations surging due to good breeding conditions. Patrick Honan, manager of live exhibits at the Melbourne Museum, said wet weather through last year and into summer had seen a resurgence in wasp numbers, which would peak during autumn. "This year there have been reports of large numbers of wasps around Melbourne, which we haven't really had in the last 10 to 15 years. The wet summer has started to build their numbers up again," Mr Honan said. Pest controllers have also reported a spike in calls about wasp nests.

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Swarm of wasps forces family to flee home

The Age February 17, 2012
Timothy Lawson

A house that was infested with wasp after the nest that they built above the kitchen gave way. A family home in Richardson was invaded by a swarm of European wasps on Wednesday night as a nest of thousands of the insects fell through their kitchen ceiling. Ron and Louise Goodwin were shocked to find their house overrun with wasps, which emerged from a nest the size of a large beach ball. After discovering the swarm, the couple sprinted out of the house. Mr Goodwin, who is allergic to bee stings, was stung three times in the back as he fled. The house was fumigated late that night and the couple stayed with a friend.On returning, they found that the fumigation had not been very successful. Their residence was fumigated a second time yesterday morning.It left thousands of the insects, many of which were still alive, littering most of the house.

''We are concerned for the safety of our three young children, who stay at the house regularly,'' Mr Goodwin said. The couple contacted the landlord who was uncooperative, and told them that it was the government's responsibility to deal with the problem. Wasp expert Philip Spradbery is determining how best to deal with the removal of the wasps as they have spread throughout the roof. He had already removed a nest yesterday which was half buried in the ground. European wasps are not the only creatures shacking up with Canberra residents this summer. Favourable weather conditions has meant an abundance of food resources and an increasing number of Canberra residents are sharing their homes with possums. ''Plentiful food resources in the suburbs have given young adult possums the opportunity to leave the family group, resulting in a spike in reports of possums in the homes of Canberrans,'' the acting manager of national parks, reserves and rural lands with ACT Parks and Conservation, Peter Galvin, said yesterday. Possums normally make their homes in tree hollows and when none is available, they seek out a small dark place - such as the roof of a house or garage. ''If a possum has moved into your home, blocking the entry point at night when the possum is out feeding is the only way to guarantee that it will not return,'' Mr Galvin said.

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Dog walker attacked by swarm of insects

The Age March 11, 2010
Megan Levy

A man was taken to hospital after he was stung by a swarm of insects in Melbourne’s north-east today. The 51-year-old was walking his dog in Montmorency when he said he was surrounded by a swarm of bees, which stung him more than 10 times across his head, back, chest, and legs. Paramedic Ellen Clarke said the man had suffered allergic reactions to bites in the past, and called for help when he realised how many times he had been stung. ‘‘He told us he had been out walking his dog in the street when he was surrounded by a swarm of more than ten bees,’’ Ms Clarke said. She said he was particularly surprised as he was not walking in parkland in the time. He was taken to the Austin Hospital in a stable condition.

Ken Walker, curator of insects at Museum Victoria, said a bee swarm usually consisted of hundreds of the insects in search of a new colony. It was more likely the man was stung by European wasps, which are also yellow and black and can be easily mistaken for bees. '‘At this time of year the European wasp nests in the ground have got about their highest number of workers,’’ he said. ‘‘They are aggressive if you’re near the nest, and so he could very well have walked over a nest, or his dog may have disturbed the nest in some way.’’ He said the wasp population was at its height in autumn, before it died off in winter. ‘‘The new queens establish a nest in September, and they can begin from a single female. That single female lays a series of eggs which become the workers, and they build a colony from that,’’ he said. ‘‘So the colony is at its maximum numbers of workers in autumn, and when the cold comes the whole thing collapses and it goes back to a few individuals.’’

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