Annual Records by Month
December |
By all accounts December was a cold month when compared to the December of 2007 . Underlying absolute search levels were relatively high but after taking into account the effects of underlying site growth activity fell to well below average. A quiet end to what has been a quiet year. |
| November | The quiet year of 2008 is going out with a whimper with a dramatic reduction in activity on the website from September onwards - whilst absolute visitor numbers continue to increase, much of this is due to the increase in internet usage rather than sting activity. After taking into account this growth in usage the apparent 32% growth in visitor numbers when compared to 2007 and rebasing the figures so that January = 100 actually shows a 20% drop in activity. |
| October | A very quiet October (in fact the quietest October for stings since recording began) makes up for a busy August and a quieter September - in the world of sting activity it is amazing how everything seems to even itself out. |
| September | A typical September in terms of temperature but above average rainfall in the Midlands and Northern England as well as a dull first half of the month in the South of the UK contributed to a quiet September compared to last year (although higher in absolute numbers). The exceptional month of August may well have meant that a below average sting month in September was only to be expected. |
| August | It is fascinating to note that this was the wettest August on record and it was also the worst stinging month in our records - making a nonsense of the percieved wisdom that wasps are deterred from stinging by rain. The probable explanation is that they stay under cover during the rain and therfore during dry spells need to feed more aggressively. An amazingly busy month, 50% higher in absolute terms than any previous August and bringing 2008 more into line with other years insofar as activity for the year as a whole is concerned. |
| July | With a wet and cool start to the month the general temperatures warmed up considerably during the middle and end of the month with some thunder storms and down pours from the 25th onwards. Wasp and bee activity shot up during the month - in absolute terms the busiest July ever, possibly making up for the quiet June. After taking into account the growth of internet usage, the year as a whole has to date been the quietest following the very low level of activity between March and June. |
| June | The weather overall was cooler than in previous years in June (although close to the long term norm) and the month sting activity reflected that difference. Compared to previous years this June was definitely quieter for sting activity in the UK - in fact the quietest June since records began. Stings for the year to date indicate that 2008 has been the most sting free this century! |
| May | The first week in May has proven to be warm and sunny and the queen wasps have been very busy across the UK. The first worker wasps have been spotted down in southern England and increased during the month. May generally proved to be somewhat cooler than normal in the south and warmer in the north of the UK and overall activity during the month was lower than the average over the last five years. |
April |
The weather continued to surprise across the country though in many respects the weather was typical April - wind and showers. It was perhaps the extreme of the showers that surprised -plenty of severity and hail. Moderate snow fall across the UK during the middle of the month and generally cold temperatures meant that both wasps and bees stayed hidden. On the occasional warm day, and there were not many, activity was intense. Although absolute levels on the site were at record levels, statistics analysis indicates that this was the quietest April since records began. |
| March | A month of some extreme weather across the UK of both temperature, wind and rain and despite a busy February for emerging stinging insects, March has turned out differently with a general decline in insects flying around. Despite the weather the anticipated increase in the volume of newly emerged queens did take place and we now anticipate a busier April as the weather warms and becomes kinder to wasps and bees generally. |
February |
Very interesting to note that overall site activity continues to be much higher in 2008 than in 2007 - more than double in the month of February. The site has been unusually busy with questions about queen wasps emerging from indoor hibernation sites and bumble bees emerging outdoors somewhat earlier than normal. This is almost certainly due to a higher number of stinging insects emerging from hibernation in this early part of the year. Early indications are that it is defintely a year in which there are simply more stinging creatures about. |
January |
Sporadic reports from correspondents about Queen Wasps appearing in housing and commercial premises waking up from their hibernation. No activity recorded outside from any correspondents. Interesting to note that site activity in January was up some 67% on the previous year and so the rebased figures (where January = 100 )will be important this year in determining general level of sting activity. |
