MANY people will have been bothered by the odd stinger or two in summer, but spare a thought for a couple whose garden was rendered unusable by insects this year.
Wokingham residents Cherrilyn and Malcolm Bowsher began to notice a trickle of small striped visitors to their garden in July.
But by August there were so many wasps nearby that the couple were unable to go outside.
“The problem was so bad we weren’t even able to let our dogs out for exercise,” said Cherrilyn.
“They were everywhere, on the ground, in the shrubs, on all outside seats, in our pond, everywhere.
“One of our dogs was stung and had to be treated at the vets.
“We couldn’t open any of our windows on hot days because the insects came inside the house.”
The wasps had taken up residence in a neighbouring garden, where a large tree has been allowed to grow untrimmed for some time.
Its branches had stretched across an alleyway between the Bowshers’ boundary and their neighbour’s, and was beginning to touch the couple’s roof and guttering.
“The tree has been a problem for some time, and we have been asking for it to be cut back for years,” said Cherrilyn.
A large number of brambles had also been allowed to grow over the neighbour’s fence and into the passage way.
Laden with blackberries, these were proving irresistable to the wasps, which gathered in large numbers.
“The passage is a useful cut-through, not just for locals, but for refuse collectors and postal deliveries too,” explained Cherrilyn.
“But it became impossible to go down, because there were so many insects.
“We were worried that someone could get very badly stung, and put up notices warning local children not to play there.”
The couple, both senior citizens, weren’t able to deal with the branches or the brambles themselves.
They contacted various departments from Wokingham Borough Council, and Places For People, the company responsible for maintaining the neighbouring property.
It took six weeks for the housing provider to deal with the request.
After numerous phone calls, eventually the tree was cut back and the brambles removed.
“It was so frustrating and upsetting, we just wanted someone to take it seriously and to deal with the problem,” said Cherrilyn.
“But it looks so different now, and life is so much better without the wasps.
“The tree wasn’t cut down as we’d hoped, but it has been trimmed back, and the brambles have gone from the alley, which is a great improvement, for which we are grateful.
“The men doing the clearance weren’t warned about the wasps, but they carried on working, regardless of the insects all around them.
“And as soon as they had finished cutting back, the insects disappeared.
“We’re delighted that we can use our garden again now, but it’s upsetting that we had to wait, and go through so much distress for so long.
“We just hope the wasps don’t come back next year.”
