THEY fly low, often in a great army and deliver a vicious sting.Yes it is that time of year when swarms of wasps can be found merrily causing havoc with us hapless humans and our summer plans.

THEY fly low, often in a great army and deliver a vicious sting.

Yes it is that time of year when swarms of wasps can be found merrily causing havoc with us hapless humans and our summer plans.

While they may not seem like the most dangerous of predators they can cause a real problem and one Suffolk man wants to warn people to be on guard as the sun shines.

Ray Cook has first hand knowledge of their cunning ploys to get in to property and wreak havoc.

In the early hours he got up to make a drink and found himself face to face with an angry swarm.

"I went in to our bathroom and as I got a drink I heard a humming noise. At first I thought it was a huge fly but then I opened the window and their were just loads and loads of wasps covering it.

"Then I turned the light on and they started to come in the room. Really I just want to warn people to be careful and say that if you do hear them in the dark do not turn your light on as it will attract them inside," he said.

Mr Cook, and his wife Wendy, of Judith Avenue, Knodishall, have just found a wasps nest at the back of their house which they now know is the source of their unwelcome visitors.

Not only are wasps an annoyance but they can also pose a great danger for some people.

According to East Anglian Ambulance Trust figures in July 16 people in Suffolk were taken to hospital with some form of anaphylactic shock rising from just three in June.

Mike Grimwood service manager for animal welfare and pest control at Ipswich Borough Council said contrary to popular opinion wasps don't sting just for the sake of it.

He said: "Wasps sting for defence purposes. When you try and swat them or brush them away they think you are trying to have a go at them."