Expected hottest summer on record leads to creepy crawlie boom (2025)

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Britain is in the grip of a bug infestation as reports of wasps, spiders, cockroaches and bedbugs soar after what is expected to be the hottest summer since records began in 1884.

Legions of rats, cockroaches and wasps have infiltrated homes and gardens – with poor hygiene and climate change blamed for the rise.

Pest control firms said they have had to take on extra staff and that they have dealt with more double the number of infestations this year compared with 2024.

They warned the influx of unwanted critters is likely to continue for years to come.

Paul Blackhurst, from Rentokil Pest Control, said wasps had been a particular menace this year, with a 372 per cent increase in reports in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year.

There were also significant increases in the number of bedbug incidents, up 47 per cent on last year, cockroaches, up 14 per cent, and spiders, up 12 per cent, according to Rentokil data.

Mr Blackhurst told The Mail on Sunday: 'This surge can be linked to the warmer, settled spring weather we experienced earlier this year, which created favourable conditions for queen wasps to establish nests and for colonies to thrive.

'Bed bugs also remain a growing concern. This trend is likely driven by international and domestic travel, coupled with the popularity of alternative accommodation such as short-term holiday lets.'

Expert Gareth Davies said this year has been 'pandemonium', with the number of rats and cockroaches 'the worst I've seen in over 30 years'.

Mr Davies, who runs Cardiff-based Pest And Property Solutions, said: 'I have taken on extra staff to cope and as much as I try to take my foot off the gas, I'm still working six days a week – and I don't see it getting better.'

Mr Davies said he had been called to more wasp nests in the past five months than in the ten years before that combined.

And he said his company has had to deal with a huge increase in the number of cockroach infestations recently – with more than 35 incidents in the past six months, compared with fewer than ten in the previous 20 years combined.

Mr Davies said much of this is down to decline in hygiene standards at home – failing to properly get rid of household and food waste, and inadequate cleaning.

He also said a decrease in refuse collections has further blighted matters. He was called upon for advice after refuse workers went on strike in Birmingham earlier this year which has resulted in mounds of rubbish collecting on street corners for the last six months, attracting rats reportedly the size of domestic cats.

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