If you’ve been outdoors in Edmonton in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely noticed the “waspocaplyse” that has plagued much of the prairies this season.
The bug population has benefited from a hot and dry July and is aggressive this time of year as food sources dwindle. This has led to dozens of reports of stings while gardening and online pleas from people desperate for solutions to trap wasps and keep them out of their spaces.
One Edmontonian has been documenting their wasp-trapping journey on Reddit, and it’s astounding how many they’ve managed to trap in less than a week.
The user, who goes by u/jerkstabworthy, began chronicling almost a week ago after purchasing a wasp trap. The first post shows a skin-crawling video of the trap loaded with wasps less than 24 hours after it was set up.
Less than 24 hours after setting up the hornet trap.
byu/jerkstabworthy inEdmonton
In the second post, they decided to show off their insect body count by dumping the remains into a makeshift grave inside their firepit.
Day 2 of emptying the wasp trap into my firepit.
byu/jerkstabworthy inEdmonton
On the third day, the pile of wasps grows, and it’s staggering to see just how many they’ve managed to trap and kill in less than 72 hours.
Day 3 of emptying the wasp trap into my firepit.
byu/jerkstabworthy inEdmonton
It doesn’t end there, either. On the fourth day, the pile grows larger.
Day 4 of emptying the wasp trap into my firepit.
byu/jerkstabworthy inEdmonton
Finally, the user notes that the kill count has slowed on the fifth day.
“Noticeably fewer than the last few days. Probably post the incineration video tomorrow,” the poster wrote.
Day 5 of emptying the wasp trap into my firepit.
byu/jerkstabworthy inEdmonton
Edmontonians living through the waspocalpyse expressed their gratitude and amazement at the sheer number of wasps that once lived in this guy’s backyard.
What has your experience with wasps been like as we near the end of summer? Let us know in the comments.