Families and friends across the country can’t wait to get back outside as lockdown restrictions are finally being relaxed.
But dangerous insect invasions could turn out to be the ultimate buzzkill – with stinging hornets and giant wasps booming this summer.
Scientists have already warned that the lockdown created the perfect breeding ground for swarms of hyperaggressive mosquitoes.
Bite prevention expert Howard Carter also said it could be difficult to find a repellent after the UK government announced it was giving it to troops to protect against coronavirus.
Every summer a number of dangerous and sometimes deadly insects threaten to flood Britain as the mercury rises.
When lockdown relief is finally on the way and temperatures are rising, you need to be extremely vigilant when walking outside.
Here are the creepy animals to watch out for.
Asiatic hornets
Fears are growing that swarms of deadly Asian hornets could hit the UK this summer.
If a prickly victim is allergic to the poison, anaphylactic shock can occur and often die within minutes.
A 73-year-old man in Spain was killed by a swarm of critters earlier this month while walking on the beach with his appalled wife after the country’s lockdown restrictions were lifted.
The hornets arrived in large numbers in Jersey last summer, a place where they fly to the UK.
There were worrying reports of even more deadly “murder hornets” in the British Isles this month, but luckily it was a false fear.
Our current mild climate is the perfect breeding ground for hornets.
Heat waves could also encourage the insects to move inland when seeking water to survive.
Most of the Asian hornets are found in Japan and came to France in Chinese potted plants in 2004.
But now they are becoming more common across the canal.
Asian tiger mosquitoes
The scorching temperatures this week have also raised concerns about swarms of Asian tiger mosquitos.
A plague of hungry mosquitoes feared to carry the deadly Zika virus reached the UK in June 2019 after a period of scorching weather.
The insect is native to Southeast Asia, but has gradually spread to Europe via the transport of goods.
They have been present in northern Italy, southern France and the Netherlands in recent years, and move about 150 km north each year.
In the UK we are more used to seeing a species known as Culex pipiens – but more Asian tiger mosquitoes have been sighted in recent years.
Eggs were first found in a small Kent village in 2016.
Since then, experts have said there have been more cases of the pesky bugs reaching our banks.
German super wasps
If you see a wasp in the UK, it is most likely either the common wasp or the German wasp.
These species are very similar in size and color predominantly – predominantly yellow with black markings.
German “super” wasps have invaded the UK earlier, usually in hot summer weather.
They are supposedly bigger and angrier than the wasps we are used to in the UK.
They have three black spots on the face and can sting repeatedly.
Colonies can contain up to 10,000 insects and send instant signals to mobilize the entire nest and attack an intruder.
‘Vampire’ spiders
The summer of 2019 was overshadowed by fears that the UK could soon be infested with a vicious species of spider.
The eight-legged beasts with the green fangs known as pipe-web spiders are known to bite when disturbed.
Originally from the Mediterranean, they found their way to Great Britain via shipping routes.
A British woman recently reported getting a vicious pipe bite on the head in her Bristol home.
A bite is said to feel like a bee sting, but has also been compared to a “deep injection” and the pain can last for hours.
It is feared that warmer temperatures could drive the spiders out into the open to take advantage of the increased numbers of flying insects across the UK.
Blandford flies
Blandford flies are native to the UK and have a bite that can cause groin swelling and blisters.
The fly usually bites ankles and legs as it flies low on the ground and is most common in May and June.
Hot weather periods can stimulate the insects to breed.
Warnings about the insects came from public health experts last year after cases were reported in Herefordshire.
The Blandford fly is a tiny 2-3mm blood-sucking black fly that lives near bodies of water such as rivers and lakes.
In the past, victims have reported swelling and blisters.
Flying ants
Flying ants aren’t particularly dangerous to humans, but they are a nuisance when they gather in huge flocks.
These swarms are usually associated with Flying Ant Day, when male and female ants break out of their nests to look for other ants to mate with.
However, recent research has shown that the idea that all flying ants swarm in a single day is a myth.
There is not a single day when ants fly all at once. Rather, there is a “flying ant season”, a period of two to four weeks in which every hot spell can make the insects swarm.
Flying ants are mostly harmless to humans, but they have a strange effect on seagulls, who after consuming some ants can appear drunk due to the formic acid they expel.
If you are unlucky, they can infest and wreak havoc in your home.
In 2019, billions of flying ants swarming over the south of England formed clouds so large that they appeared as showers on weather radars.
The swarm of insects hit the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and Dorset and was recorded on the Met Office’s radar systems.
It has been described as “insect disorder” – after Flying Ant Day on July 17th.
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