Britain may soon be overrun with wasps after a bumper year for the unwelcome insects has caused supplies of the only chemical used to kill them to run out.
Ficam D is the UK’s only commercially-available wasp killing powder, but supplies are running dangerously low because unprecedented demand this year has been the worst for decades wasps.
But the cold winter and scorching summer has led to a skyrocketing number of wasps in the UK, in what experts called ‘the highest amount ever’.
It is feared there will be record numbers of wasps – vespula vulgaris – in Britain as a result of last year’s mild winter and this summer’s heatwave which has led to critically low supplies of chemicals for exterminating the menace

Pest control experts in the UK use Ficam D made by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer to exterminate wasps, although the company has admitted they have exhausted their stocks
Pest control experts across the country are finding the powder increasingly difficult to find, as many trade suppliers have run out – which could even lead to fatalities.
Shane Jones has run Basingstoke-based pest control firm Ridtek for the last 12 years and has never come across such shortages before.
He said: ‘We’ve been flat-out busy for months, and all the other pest control guys have been too.
‘Now we’ve been told that there simply isn’t any more Fiacam D in the supply stores.
‘I’ve got enough to last for a month, but I know of others that have just run out.
‘It’s a safeguarding issue really – this is the only powder that we can use to get rid of the nests, yet if there isn’t any then wasps will be left to run amok.
‘This is the most crucial time of year for wasps – they’re starving and this is when they’re at their most aggressive.
‘People could be at risk – and there’s no alternative chemical to use.’
The hard-to-find insecticide powder is made by German chemical giant Bayer and treats 95 percent of nests across the UK.
To stem wasp infestations, pest experts apply Ficam D to trouble areas such as nests, which turns them into ‘big deflated footballs’ and massacres the wasps.

The Ficam D powder can be sprayed into the wasps’ nest to kill the insects without agitating them and increasing the risk of being stung
Dr Julian Little, spokesman for Bayer, said: ‘We have had an unprecedented summer, where the hot weather has meant booming numbers of wasps.
‘The insects thrive in this kind of weather, as we have seen previously in very hot European countries.
‘It is perhaps the highest amount of wasps we have ever seen – which has meant a high demand for Ficam D – and as a result we have run out.’
Experts would not confirm when the supplies will return, but are currently working ‘overtime’ to create new stocks of the chemical.
Dr Little added: ‘Ficam D has a benefit for tackling infestations as experts can use it from a distance and it does not agitate wasps.
‘The last thing a pest control expert would want is to provoke an attack from 1,000 angry wasps.’
Late summer is the most problematic time of the year for wasps, which struggle to eat a conventional diet and turn to human food.
Wasps rely on a sugar-based ‘spit’ from larvae, which is scarce at this time of the year – sending the insects into a hunger rage.
This means more risk of a sting – with angry wasps searching for food and drink packed with sugar such as cider and jam.
A spokesperson for The Sussex Wildlife Trust said: ‘Wasps live on the sugar produced by rotting fruit, which can be a problem as fermenting fruit contains alcohol, so wasps can become intoxicated and rather irritating.
‘They are also attracted to the abundance of sweet foods that humans provide – to a starving wasp, a jam sandwich or a can of Coke is just too tempting to avoid.’
By pursuing fermented foods and alcoholic drinks, hungry wasps end up drunk – making them more aggressive and likely to sting.
Shane added: ‘Wasps have built absolutely massive nests this year.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it before – 2018 really is the Year of the Wasp.
‘If you’ve got a wasp problem, pest controllers really are like the fourth emergency service.
‘But if they can’t get the chemicals, then who are you gonna call?
‘Luckily, I keep about a month’s worth of reserve powder – and my supplier has said that hopefully they’ll have more in stock within four weeks.
‘There is no alternative to Fiacam D – but it seems that some DIY places and websites still have it in stock for now.’