An awareness campaign, preventive measures and the heatwave appear to have combined to curb hornet infestations this summer, but people need to remain on their guard, say pest control experts.

Speaking to Times of Malta, Comtec general manager Joanie Mifsud said that while hornets’ activity started in July last summer, unusually early for the pests which tend to be most active in September, far fewer infestations have been reported so far this year.

“It seems like people are more aware of the problem and took immediate action in April when the hive’s queen emerges to scout for locations to establish the nest.”

Mifsud said that preventative action includes catching and killing the queen or plugging the nooks and crannies where hives tend to thrive.

Local beekeepers were also roped into the fight against hornets earlier this year, with a scheme set up by the Agriculture Ministry offering financial incentives to set up hornet traps in beehives.

Hornets are a major headache for beekeepers, believed to have decimated as many as 70% of Maltese beehives in recent years.

‘We cannot ease up’

Mifsud also pointed to weather fluctuations as a possible reason behind this summer’s lower hornet population.

“While summer temperatures started a little later than usual this year, the intense heatwave we experienced caused problems for many insects. We are even seeing fewer mosquitos than usual this year.”

Mifsud said that many stagnant pools of water may have dried up throughout the summer, depriving hornets and other insects of a crucial water source.

Pest control consultant Arnold Sciberras, of ‘The Exterminator’, agreed, saying that even the pest most synonymous with Maltese summer life, the cockroach, has been relatively scarce this year because of the high temperatures.

Like Mifsud, Sciberras believes that prevention and awareness played a key role in curbing hornet infestations.

“We are receiving far fewer reports of hornet nests than in previous years and even the reports we do receive are for nests that are smaller than what we usually see.”

Still, Sciberras is wary of complacency. “The minute we ease up we will be overrun again,” he said. “Hornet populations may be low this year but we need to remain vigilant”.