Every summer, the world is reminded about the existence of wasps. Unlike bees, wasps can sting their victims repeatedly. Wasps seem to exist for no other reason than to cause human suffering, but things could be worse. Unfortunately, in the United Kingdom, things are worse, as the country is currently seeing a unique sort of wasp outbreak that may be the worst of its kind in decades.

If there is anything worse than a wasp, then it is a drunk wasp. Much like drunk humans, wasps can become more aggressive after consuming alcohol. This is a fact that the citizens of the UK are coming to understand. These citizens could have gone the rest of their lives without learning what horrors can result from a scourge of drunken wasps. Wasps are losing their food supply in the UK, and they are turning to alcohol as a substitute. To put it more accurately, the sugar-rich fruits that wasps typically consume are beginning to rot. These decaying fruits yield alcohol as they ferment at the end of the season. In addition to their rotting food supply, wasps, which are carnivorous predators, cannot feed on their usual fly-meals. This is due to a natural alteration in their abdomen that occurs toward the end of their lifespan, and prevents them from digesting flies. Unfortunately, the massive amount of alcohol being consumed by the UK’s wasp population is also making them far more aggressive than usual.

According to Shane Jones, a UK pest control operator, swarms of drunken wasps pose a public health risk in the country every year, but this year the scourge has come early due to the excessively cold winter season. The wasp’s aggression is also being compounded by the fact that, at this time of year, they literally have nothing to do. At this point, all of the wasp larvae have matured into adulthood, and the queen has stopped laying eggs. In this scenario, what is a wasp to do other than get drunk before attacking people? In short, a swarm of bored and drunken wasps will continue attacking UK citizens until the cold of the fall season kills them.

Do you think that any deaths have resulted from the drunken wasp scourge in the UK?