Latest news with #populationincrease
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hereford firm sees 'phenomenal' rise in callouts over wasp nests
A Herefordshire pest control expert said he had seen a large rise in callouts over wasps this year, with about 40% more than usual. Dave Atkinson, who owns ARD Pest Control in Hereford, believes the population had risen "phenomenally" this year, which included "such a mild winter and early spring".His work has escalated because of multiple wasp nests at sites, including one client who had 11 nests at their property over about four or five weeks. Mr Atkinson said the wasp increase had kept the firm very busy for the past eight experts have said very warm and dry conditions can "commonly coincide" with strong years for wasps. Mr Atkinson said in previous years "you would just get one or two nests at a site".He added for the client with 11 "you can imagine the problems that they would have had, if they had been left".The pest control expert said: "I'm getting in lots of fours, fives and sixes at clients' properties now."So as far as client callouts [are concerned] it's probably gone 40% more than usual."Asked if he had seen the wasp population increase over the years and especially in 2025 because of the heatwaves, he replied: "I would say particularly this year."This was "due to the fact that we had such a mild winter and early spring", he said. He added the "population has increased phenomenally this year, as far as the pest control service callouts" requested were concerned. Mr Atkinson stressed he dealt with a wasp nest "cautiously", adding "you use specialist chemicals that are registered for that job specifically within the health and safety industry"."Mostly it's a powder that you inject directly into the nest or in close proximity to the nest... The wasps then carry the material into the nest and [it] actually wipes the whole nest out." The UK has about 9,000 species of wasps, most of them are solitary and do not live in large colonies and these are generally not a nuisance to humans. Wasp experts say they also are an important part of our eco-system, capturing insects such as caterpillars and greenfly. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Irish Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Ireland's latest investment plan: A sceptic's guide
How do we make sense of all the billions announced in new State investment spending ? The key message is that the Government is going for it in terms of the sums it is committing – and this has big consequences. By doing so it is responding to economic growth and population increases, which have been well in advance of expectations. Here is how the numbers add up and the questions they raise. Where the money comes from : The State has allocated an additional €34 billion to its investment plans over the five years from 2026 to 2030. This is a big increase, with the overall total coming to just over €102 billion. About €20 billion of the extra cash is due to come from what might be called cash reserves – the €14 billion from the Apple tax payment, €2.5 billion from the sale of AIB shares and the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund established by the Government. This still leaves a gap to be paid for, however, and this will be met by running down budget surpluses in the years ahead. There is also a commitment to tighter control of day-to-day spending to leave more cash for investment, though an increase of 6.4 per cent is pencilled in again here next year. Tariffs: Why has Donald Trump threatened the EU again? Listen | 47:35 The State will run down a lot of its financial leeway. Already the Department of Finance is facing a smaller budget surplus year than forecast in springtime. The budget sums will come under further pressure if economic growth slows sharply. Where the money will be spent : The Government announced the overall spending allocations, but not the list of projects involved, though some of the big ones, including the Dublin MetroLink , are known. As ESRI professor Alan Barrett said on RTÉ radio, the normal approach in a National Development Plan (NDP) is to start with population and growth projections and then develop a list of projects that are based on this and outline how they relate to each other. Instead, departments are now to come up with their own priorities. The list should be published around budget time, we are told, but with the review well flagged for months, it seems a lot of last-minute haggling means it has not yet happened. As Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, previous NDPs might have been too long. But this one, right now, looks a bit flimsy. Surviving a downturn : Taoiseach Micheál Martin said at the press conference launching the strategy that the goal is to keep investing, even if the economy slows or hits difficulties. Slashing investment spending after the financial crash has had a big economic cost for the Republic. But with no details of the expected budget position next year – never mind in subsequent years – published in the summer economic statement, the other key document published on Tuesday, we have no feeling for how the Department of Finance sees all the numbers adding up. Budget surpluses will be smaller, it says, but we do not know by how much. We are not clear on the appetite to borrow to fund investment in the years ahead if the corporate tax take takes a heavy hit. In fairness, the Government will want to see the outcome of the EU-US tariff talks, which have big implications. If there is a bad outcome, we are told the €9.4 billion budget will be pulled back. That would be the acid test of where priorities lie. Delivering the projects : Senior Ministers spoke at length at the NDP launch about the barriers to delivery from planning and bureaucracy. This raises the obvious question of why they did not do much about them when they were in government last time around, including the multiphase approval processes for local authority housing, for example. A new Planning Act was passed, but only in the dying days of the last coalition. The fiscal council has noted that the State has consistently struggled to meet investment spending targets in recent years. And, as the document states, finding construction workers is a challenge. Now Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers is examining recommendations from an expert group on the delivery issue, and some important moves are on the table. Succeeding here is central to its plans and rebuilding credibility on project delivery.
