Wasps and why they’re not the buzzkill you think they are. (An example blog post for future posts, by Alex Wiseman)

What do you think of when you think of wasps? Picnic crashers or eco saviours? If its picnic crashers then you’ve fallen trap to one of nature’s nastiest PR campaigns. Allow me to set the record straight.

The media perpetuates wasps as public enemy number one, and if you’ve ever been outside at a picnic, it can feel that way too! Pesky little things swarming your food like a sibling owed their share. The media perpetuates this misinformation like flies to manure, and there’s no wonder why – wasps can’t exactly complain back can they?

The question I pose is, are we being fair to wasps?

The humorous thing I could/should do here is just type the word yes, followed by a full stop and have that the end of my blog, but that would be lying.

But rather than leaving you in the dark, in this blog, I’ll explore why wasps get such a bad rap, what they really contribute to the natural world, and how we can learn to appreciate these misunderstood creatures of the woods. Spoiler alert: they’re not that bad!

The misunderstood villains of the insect world

(at least, one of many).

I could genuinely provide a hypothetical tabloid headline about wasps along the lines of “Wasps wage war on backyard party” and I don’t think most people would even flinch at the thought of it (not out of shock that the event occurred, anyway).

Why is that the case though?

Wasps are an easy target I suppose – bright yellow and black a blaring warning to any animal capable of perceiving its physical warnings, so it’s not surprising that it gets the bad rep. Sharks, bats, wolves, rats and snakes are all the same - although what’s worse with wasps is that they’re encountered far more often than these other misunderstood animals and this continues the cynical narrative.

Humans also have the primal response to bright colours, rapid movement and loud buzzing that cavemen had to fire – fear. The driving force behind most divisions in human history, invertebrate or otherwise.

What stings (pun intended) really though is that, from a wasp’s perspective, they’re just defending themselves!

They may seem erratic or even purposefully aggressive, but the truth is they’re simply following their biological programming and when you sit close to their nest, provide them food they’d otherwise not have and then whack them one for ‘daring’ to even fly in your precious air space.

Now, I appreciate my bias, but if I was that wasp I’d sting you too!

Wasps don’t sting to be mean, they’re following orders from Mother Nature, and it’s their way of saying “back off!”.

It also doesn’t help that, unlike bees, many wasp species can sting multiple times without dying, making their stings particularly formidable. Their venom causes pain not just as a defence, but a deterrent.  Which, might I add, is pretty ironic. Bees get praised for their single use stingers, as if it’s some sort of heroic and noble thing to have! Wasps get judged for their reusable stingers (sustainable!), talk about double standards – why do bees get off the hook?

Plus, many wasp species swarm, such as yellowjackets, if their nest is endangered, which only amplifies the fear.

This is all amplified by cartoons where wasps are painted as the winged assassins of the outdoors, with horror stories of swarms chasing innocent hikers and picnicking people – our imagination isn’t kind to these humble insects. But, most of this fear stems from misunderstandings and sensationalism.

Primal responses in hand with the cultural conditioning of media and storytelling of wasps as tyrannical villains and their endless comparisons to bees as their helpful useless detested cousins (the wasps that is). Leads to a really bad public representation and a real misunderstanding of wasps and their importance in biodiversity.

Understanding wasps by being more literate in your surroundings.

Many crucially misunderstand the niche wasps fill in ecosystems, wasps are as ecologically valuable as pollinators and pest controllers as they are fear inciters. But as a species we have collectively decided to view them through the guise of pesky freeloaders that terrorise society with their mere presence.

Wasps also tend to be visible at the same time as an increased number of people are outdoors. Wasps are the most noticeable in late summer to early autumn when they’re scavenging for food, which makes them seem invasive (ironic given that humans are arguably more so, but that’s another argument to take up on another day).

What do wasps actually do?

Pollination

I mentioned that wasps can be good as pollinators and pest control and also a key part of many ecosystems, “but what does that entail?”, I hope you’ve asked.

Well wasps are basically pollination professionals and the unsung heroes of the pollen spreading championships. Wasps are overlooked – from paper wasps to fig wasps, many species play a crucial role in transferring the goods (pollen) between flowers.

Some wasps have even undergone co-evolution, like fig wasps, notorious for their symbiotic relationship with fig trees. In fact, without wasps many species of figs and the animals that rely on them wouldn’t survive.

The partnership of fig wasps with fig trees is a masterpiece of co-evolution! Female wasps crawl into figs and lay their eggs, pollinating the flowers inside as they travel. Once the larvae hatch and mature, they leave the fig and carry pollen to another tree! It’s an intricate dance of wasps and pollen that’s years in the making.

Believe me you, I love a fig, and to think of a world without them is to think of a world without wasps, and I don’t think I could do either!

It’s not just figs! Some wasps outshine bees as pollinators for specific plants. Particularly those with tight, hard to reach flowers. Their slender bodies and long tongues make them excellent at accessing nectar in spots bees can’t reach, making them specialist pollinators in a way bees could only dream of!

Predation

Wasps are also natural predators and hunt down lots of common gardens ‘pests’ (I disagree with this usage of the word too but hey I’m trying to win an uphill battle here) like caterpillars, aphids and flies to feed their larvae.

This makes them agricultural allies which farmers often rely on to keep crop destroying pests under control. Some even introduce wasps deliberately as a form of natural pest management.

An example of this are the wasps I studied over summer! Parasitic Hymenoptera wasps are completely harmless to humans however lay their eggs in aphids and as a result control the number of aphids over an area, benefiting the plant by keeping aphid numbers in check!

This reduces the need for chemical pesticides, making them useful allies in sustainable farming.

Biodiversity

Wasps are keystone species! Meaning their presence supports a wide variety of other organisms, by creating burrows or nests that become habitats for other species after they abandon them, or by maintaining balance in food webs by maintaining herbivore populations.

Wasps are also food for other animals like birds, spiders and other predators – supporting broader biodiversity!

Scientific and medical contributions

Wasp venom has been studied for it’s potential in medicine, including it’s use in cancer treatments and antimicrobial therapies! Wasp venom contains peptides that can kill cancer cells – where’s all the buzz about that in the papers?

Also, eusocial wasps like paper wasps are studied for insights into cooperative behaviour, hierarchy and communication in animal societies.

Wasps are also being studied for their wing designs! Their wings may help better design drones and adhesives, their sleek design could revolutionise engineering as we know it!

Honourable mention; composting crew

Wasps are scavengers, they help to break down organic matter by feeding on dead insects and rotting fruit – think of them as nature’s bin men and thank them for it because believe me I wouldn’t be outside as much if it had more dead and decaying stuff out there because it stinks!

To clarify!

-          Wasps don’t attack unprovoked!

-          Not all wasps are aggressive!

-          Wasps contribute to ecosystems!

So what do you so about a wasp encounter?

-          Don’t swat at the poor things!

-          Avoid bright colours and strong scents at your picnics!

-          Provide alternative sources like sugar water feeders far away from your dining area to distract wasps!

Therefore…

Please go out and learn more about wasps if any of this interested you! As a strong advocate for sustainable farming practices, we should protect beneficial insects like wasps because without them we might have to rely on pesticides!

So, whilst the fear of wasps is completely logical, it’s often exaggerated. By understanding their behaviour and ecological necessity, we can replace the fear with respect, and maybe even a little appreciation <3. <- That's a heart for you technophobes out there!

I’m not making you invite them to the picnic, just respect them if they happen to show up unannounced, because to them, so did you.

Respect the hustle, even if you want to keep your trifle to yourself.

Yours faithfully,

Wasp PR Rep #1