Warning as man killed by wasps

A MAN has been killed by a swarm of wasps after he tried to destroy their nest.

Forty-four year old Stéphane Bredin, a father of one child, had been trying to destroy a wasp nest in his garden in Auxange (Jura) when he was attacked.

The local council said the extreme heat had made the wasps irritable and that people should leave the removal of wasp nests to the professionals.

Mr Bredin had waited until evening around 21.00 when wasps are less active and was wearing protective clothing when he was attacked.

His wife, Murielle called emergency services but they said he had been repeatedly stung and pronounced him dead at the scene.

In the past, the fire service would remove nests, but are no longer required to do so. It is a good idea to ask, however, as some will do this as a paying service (around €90) and if not, will refer you to a professional company, usually charging around the same amount.

Most house insurance policies do not cover this expense, but it is always worth trying.
It may also be worth contacting the local mairie as some will help with the cost of removing wasp nests.

Never try to deal with a wasp nest if it means climbing a ladder and you can discourage them by removing old, papery wood (which they use to build nests) and setting wasp traps made from plastic water bottles. (Chop the top off, half fill the bottle with water, smear the screw neck with jam, and invert the chopped off top into the bottle like a funnel.)

Place wasp traps out of the reach of children and pets.