Avoiding the Sting

Chris Calson

Canadian garbage collectors have to deal with an entirely new job hazard — wasps. The Edmonton Sun has reported that the city's waste management department has recorded 55 wasp-related incidents this year, two of which have resulted in lost time by the workers who were stung. In one case, a worker wih a wasp-sting allergy missed a week of work, says Gary Spotowski, the city's waste-management education coordinator.

Spotkowski also says that sloppy garbage-packing habits and an unusually high number of wasps this year, which is partly due to hot and dry weather in July, have forced the waste management branch to issue its first-ever wasp alert.

“The solution is very simple,” he says. “All you have to do is wrap up your garbage properly and the wasps will go elsewhere for their dining delights.”