The Spokesman-Review, or SPOKANE This time of year, we usually see yellow jackets and paper wasps buzzing around patios, gardens, and hiking trails while keeping a watch on our picnics and cookouts.
However, the wasp population in our area has lost its sting this summer.
According to Richard Zack, an entomologist at Washington State University, a significant number of these streamlined black and yellow beetles should be scuttling around and removing roadkill insects from the front of cars as August approaches. They should also have plenty of nests, which get bigger as the season goes on, he said.
Zack remarked, “I am not seeing any of those things.” In our area, their numbers have significantly decreased. Wasps are having a bad year.
According to him, paper wasps and yellow jackets, the two most prevalent wasp species in Washington state, are both in short supply this summer. Compared to yellow jackets, paper wasps are longer and slimmer, and they have long, dangling rear legs. Large, yearly colonies are produced by both species.
The yellow jacket, or bald-faced hornet, is less frequent and builds big, papery nests in the shape of footballs. Zack stated, “I don’t believe I have seen any of them this year.”
And you don’t need to be an expert on insects to see that there aren’t many wasps now that July is almost over.
Outside of Pullman, Lisa Jensen owns a tiny goat farm. To keep wasps away from her animals and visiting grandchildren, she places yellow wasp traps along the fence line that borders her property early in the summer.
The traps would normally be almost full by now. According to Jensen, each one only contains a small number of wasps. There is undoubtedly a problem.
What may that be?
Numerous studies indicate that the primary element influencing wasp populations year-over-year is the spring weather. Foraging for food and constructing nests to create colonies are more difficult for the queens in cooler and wetter weather. Wasps and eggs are reduced as a result.
However, this does not account for the current low wasp population. Overall, the spring of 2025 was rainy and chilly. In actuality, according to Yakima meteorologist Nic Loyd, the season was warmer and drier than usual.
Why, then, the significant drop? It’s probably because of the thirteen days in May.
“Our otherwise dry and mild spring was interrupted by a period of unstable weather from May 11 to May 23,” Loyd remarked. According to him, rain rained on 10 of the 13 days during that period, and daily temperatures were lower than usual. The coolest day was May 19, when Spokane was 11 degrees colder than usual with a high of 54 degrees and a low of 38.
Sadly for the wasps in the area, this was a crucial moment for the queens who had constructed tiny nests and were caring for their first worker wasp brood, Zack added. When these daughter-workers reached adulthood, they would spend the summer caring for the queen and her offspring.
However, the colonies never made it to that stage.
Zack said that colonies would perish if the queens were unable to obtain food outside or if they were caught in the rain and cold.
Having fewer wasps around is beneficial for people who spend time outside. Still, Zack suggested being on guard. Through the remainder of summer, the colonies that survived will keep expanding. Therefore, when autumn temperatures decrease, more worker wasps will be busy finding food before they start to perish. As August progresses, wasps are more likely to encounter people because they are drawn to meat leftovers for protein and sugary drinks for a quick energy boost.
However, wasp researcher Seirian Sumner notes in her book Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps that wasps want to eat, not sting. Instead of flailing your arms, which agitates them, try to remain composed in their company, she said.
Lastly, Sumner added that it can be difficult to recognize the good that wasps accomplish as they bob and weave around our outdoor events and activities if you have ever been the victim of a wasp stung.
In actuality, wasps eat pests like aphids and caterpillars in gardens and crops and pollinate a wide variety of plants. She claimed that without them, there would be an abundance of pests on the earth.
