Britain will be bombarded by bugs this summer, including deadly pharaoh ants, experts have warned.

The cold winter and mild spring has made a "perfect cocktail" for bugs and flying insects, a leading pest control firm said.

Tom Frost, of Pure Pest Management, said: “The biggest problem will be the wasps – but the ones you really don’t want are pharaoh ants.”

Pharaoh ants spread potentially fatal dysentery, typhoid and other infections by poisoning food. Originating in the tropics, they are hard to eradicate.

Mr Frost added: “When people use standard ant poison, the worker ants send messages to warn others that they are under attack. The colony then splits up to survive.”

Predictions of warmer than average temperatures for this month and next will lead to stores stocking up on anti-bite and sting relief cream as a rise in the number of wasp nests looms.

Spiders and hornets are also expected to pose problems.

Complaints about wasps shot up by around 87% last year, compared to an unusually quiet 2013, says the British Pest Control Association.

Wasp expert Rob Simpson said: “It’s best to treat nests as early as possible, when colonies are smaller and less aggressive.

“We’re expecting a del­­­uge of calls this summer.”

Dealing with wasps can be very dangerous and a mature nest can contain thousands of insects.

Mr Simpson added: “It’s definitely a job that should be left to experts.”

Originally published on Mirror Online.