Why Wasps Are Now Swarming Minnesota This Year

If it feels like every time you step outside in Minnesota this fall, you’re dodging wasps, you’re not imagining things. A mix of seasonal swarming and this year’s extra-warm weather has these buzzing pests showing up in backyards, weddings, and everywhere in between right now in the Bold North.

Have you noticed that the Gopher State seems to be inundated by wasps this year? Here's why there are so many of those buggers flying around the North Star State right now.

Why Minnesota Is Seeing So Many Wasps in 2025

Throughout much of our hot, humid summer, I seemed to notice that there appeared to be many more wasps flying around our backyard in southeast Minnesota. Then, last weekend, after my wife was stung by a wasp at an outdoor wedding, there were so many wasps flying around our deck that instead of enjoying a beautiful early fall morning, we just high-tailed it back inside.

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If you've noticed a similar phenomenon here in the Land of 10,000 Wasps Lakes, you're not alone. And, as is usually the case, there is some science to back up my anecdotal research about an increase in wasps in Minnesota.

Experts Explain the Surge in Minnesota’s Wasp Populations

The University of Minnesota Extension says that wasp populations usually swell around this time of year in the Bold North:

Yellowjackets and other social wasps are found in large numbers in late summer and fall. Yellowjacket populations peak during late summer when each nest may have up to approximately 5,000 wasps. Some yellowjacket species become aggressive scavengers and can disrupt outside activities where food or drink are served.

Dr. Mohammed El Damir is an entomologist specializing in public health pests and is a past president of the Minnesota Pest Management Association. He posted an article on LinkedIn that says our particularly toasty weather again this year might have also helped the wasp population become particularly robust.

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SEE ALSO: Why Fall Allergies Are Surging Right Now in Minnesota

He noted that with warmer temperatures (which we've seen numerous times this summer and fall), social wasps are likely to be more active. That's because our Minnesota heat acts as a stimulus, prompting them to engage in foraging, nest construction, and reproduction, the story noted. As a result, we can expect to see a higher presence of wasps as they take advantage of the favorable conditions to expand their colonies,' Dr. El Dami said.

Tips to Handle Wasps Around Your Minnesota Home

So if your yard, like ours, has seemed to be full of wasps this fall, the U of M Extension has a few tips on how to try to get a handle on them:

• Control of social wasps and scavenging yellowjackets is difficult, as there are no effective pesticides to keep them away.
• It is possible to spray soapy water on individual yellowjackets to kill them.
• The best strategy is to minimize attracting them.
• Wait to serve food and drink until people are ready to eat.
• Promptly put away food when done and throw garbage into a container with a tight-fitting lid.
• Examine glasses, cans, and other containers before drinking from them to check for yellowjackets that may have flown inside. If a yellowjacket flies into your food, wait for it to fly away or gently brush it away.
• If there are only a few yellowjackets, ignore them. You could also capture them with a net and crush them.
• You can use traps, but traps are able to catch only a very small number of wasps.

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