The World Darts Championship is under way – but it is not the fans in fancy dress or the action on the oche that has caused a buzz.
Instead, the affectionately-known ‘Ally Pally wasp’ has stolen all the limelight.
Eagle-eyed supporters have spotted them landing on players, disrupting throws, and even gate-crashing post-match interviews.
Defending champion Luke Littler was forced to take evasive action to avoid a sting after his first round victory last Thursday.
One wasp got a little too close to the action when it was struck by Nitin Kumar’s dart mid-flight on Sunday.
But its most notorious moment came in 2023 when Ross Smith was stung three times whilst on stage after his round three win.
The wasp has become so synonymous with the event that there is even an Instagram account dedicated to the insect.
Where are wasps coming from at Alexandra Palace?
World leading wasp expert Professor Seirian Sumner of University College London believes the insects are queen wasps, who could be nesting in the lofts, outbuildings or the grounds around the park.
Alexandra Palace is surrounded by nature, positioned inside 196 acres of land in North London, and home to a range of different wildlife.
The winged insects tend to find dry locations to inhabit and the venue provides a warm place for wasps to relocate to due to the heat and lighting.
Worker wasps typically die by November and December, leaving just the newly mated queens to go and find somewhere to hibernate.
“This is a time of year when you don’t normally encounter wasps. It is unusual,” Professor Sumner told BBC Sport.
“I believe what is probably happening is that you are using the space and it’s being heated up and that is waking up the queens prematurely before they should do,” she added when asked why this is occurring.
“Or potentially it is the mild weather. We have had quite a mild spell recently and they are coming out of hibernation when they shouldn’t be.”
Prof Sumner said that wasps are important in the environment as “pest controllers, pollinators and decomposers”.
“It is absolutely great news that Ally Pally have this really healthy population of wasps because they are doing a really important service in the parks and gardens around that area.”
The best way to avoid them? Stay still as flapping your arms can cause wasps to sting.
What have players and fans said?
While some players have found them to be a nuisance, Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan suggested that they are a lucky charm.
“Anybody that has had the Ally Pally wasp all play well,” he told BBC Sport.
“The main one is Ross Smith, as soon as he wiped it off, all his luck went.
“I was hoping it will land on me, but in another way, I would not like to get stung by it.”
Darts fan Max said: “It’s absolute chaos at the Ally Pally as it is, so it is nice to have the wasp in. If he is not here I’ll be disappointed.”
Another fan, Emma, said “I think the wasps add to the fun!”.
But some fans are not too pleased.
“I think Ted Evetts, who flicked it the other night, should have killed it there and then! They’ll all come back,” said Ally Pally spectator Scott.
“It has become a tradition, but not a tradition we want. You don’t want to be putting the players off their darts.”
It is not just the darts that brings out the wasps, they have also made appearances at the Masters Snooker.
Earlier this year, the famed wasp was spotted buzzing around Shaun Murphy in the final against Kyren Wilson.
‘Plenty of places to hide’
If it’s bright lights and colours that appeal to wasps than their can surely be no better place to be than in Alexandra Palace in December?
Even for the first round matches, the venue is sold out with fans dressed as traffic cones, Minions and the Teletubbies.
Needless to say with a capacity of over 3,000 fans it’s very hot in here making it a much nicer place than braving a London Winter. Add in the fizzy drinks on the tables at all times of the day, why would you choose anywhere else?
While I can’t see any wasps myself, the room has very high ceilings and lots of draped fabric around the stage – meaning there are plenty of places to hide.
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