LAST summer was a bumper year for wasps - and this year could be the same.

“In 2014 calls began coming through in April from people reporting problems with wasps, and we were still getting them in November,” says Carol Morgan, Bradford Council's environmental health manager, responsible for environmental enforcement & pest control.

“The warmer the weather, the more we are going to get and longer the problem goes on. Last year we had warm sunny weather quite early on in May and late autumn was very mild. It was a shorter season in 2013 and the same in 2012.”

Calls were not as early coming this year, but the weather has warmed up considerably. “The season began in mid-June,” says Carol. “But as it gets hotter we expect it to carry on later into the year.”

Pest control officer Andrew Richmond and colleague Chris Carter are presently dealing with around 50 jobs every week relating to wasps. “We get up to 20 calls every day,” saysAndrew, “It will be pretty busy until well into September and possibly even longer. They thrive in warm weather and are becoming more prevalent due to milder winters and global warming.” he says. “People are finding nests in all sorts of places - in privet hedges, in air grates and vents, under guttering, in garden sheds and compost bins.”

Insecticide is applied to nests. "We have given advice on how to people can do it themselves, but we would advocate great caution and proper protection, particularly if you are working at a height."

Not everyone knows the difference between wasps and bees. But checking their different characteristics is vital if a nest appears on your property.

In the last 80 years bumblebee populations across the UK have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically, so efforts are being made across the UK to protect and encourage them.

“Some people don’t know the difference and will ring us for advice,” explains Carol. “We would not treat a bumblebee nest unless there was a significant risk attached to it. If we have to treat one we are legally obliged to seal the nest to make sure that domesticated honey bees cannot gain access into it. If they did, they may transport the pesticide back to other nests.“

Bumblebees are not generally aggressive, but may become aggravated if you interfere with the nest. If nests are left until later in the year, the bees will leave or die.

The Council’s three-strong team of pest control officers deal with a variety of pests, including rats, cockroaches and bed bugs.

“The officer will look at what it is about the property that is attracting the pests," explains Carol. "We look at how we could change the nature of the environment to make it less attractive to them.

“Rats, for instance, need a source of food and water, and a place to live where they will not be disturbed. Mice don’t need water in the same way and can survive on water contained within the food it eats.

“On an initial inspection we would look to see whether there is any obvious source of food such as that being thrown out for birds. If so, that is easy to eradicate.”

The Council receives around 500 calls every year about rats, with a similar number for mice, with no marked increase from previous years. “We receive calls from all over the district, from the inner city to the suburbs and rural locations.”

There is a charge for the authority's pest control services. “People shop around and a lot of people try to tackle the problem themselves," says Carol. "Supermarkets sell traps and other methods of treating a mouse problem, for example. People are less keen on trying to tackle insect pests but they will ring for advice.”

Poison is only used “if absolutely necessary.”

“We give advice about environmental controls such as making your home rodent-proof. Mice can squeeze through holes the size of a pen top and rats can get through a space around 10mm in diameter. This means you have to check around the house for holes that could serve as an entry point such as air bricks and holes around steps.

“Other access routes are a bit more hidden, such as defects in the drainage system or disused pipework. This can be a ready-made home for them.”

She adds: “People are less tolerant of rats, yet both are capable of carrying disease that can be transmitted to man."