The Great Wasp Debate - join us!

[emmark13]

My husband and I have been having a debate about wasps. He's a gardener and says that he hates wasps because they hassle and sting him whilst he's working. He reckons that a world without wasps would not be very different.

I should think that an invertebrate such as a wasp becoming extinct would change the face of the world and affect our lives in a negative way because every type of creature on the earth is linked and depends on and supports others in their own ways.

I would guess that if wasps disappeared tomorrow, it would affect the natural balance in a huge way, but how? If they weren't there to pollinate certain flowers or do their "wasp thing", what would the knock-on effect be?

[whitekitten]

Originally Posted by emmark13

My husband and I have been having a debate about wasps. He's a gardener and says that he hates wasps because they hassle and sting him whilst he's working. He reckons that a world without wasps would not be very different.

I'm pretty sure we'd be better off without some humans but we're not allowed to get rid of them :P I would not wish extinction on a wasp or any other creature for that matter just because there way of life is incompatible with ours. As for how nature would change without wasps, I honestly don't know.

[shenk1]

As a gardener your other half should like them as I believe they eat aphids

[Miss Caretaker]

I spent several years training and then working as a gardener and was of the same opinion as your husband until I really started thinking about it. I eventually decided that along with pollination and the aforementioned aphid eating, they also predate other insects such as hoverflies helping to keep their numbers in check and assist in the recycling of old wood by chewing in into pulp to build their nests. I expect they also have other plus points but I don't know what they are. They are still annoying and painful at the end of summer, especially if they sit on the neck of your bottle of beer when you drink withot you noticing
Jo

[emmark13]

Originally Posted by whitekitten

I would not wish extinction on a wasp or any other creature for that matter just because there way of life is incompatible with ours.

Abso-bloody-lutely!!!

[the naturelover]

sorry but this is another old wives tail story. just like the blood sucking bats story. why are wasps nasty but bees cute? they all have stings! i'm getting a bit long in the tooth now and have always been a keen gardener. i have only ever been stung once and that was by a bee and it was my fault! i was deadheading some roses and took a spent flower in the palm of my hand not noticing the bee inside. quite rightly the bee stung me to escape/defend itself. i both welcome and encourage wasps for the good they do in my garden. everything on this earth is here for a purpose who are we to decide to eradicate a species just because of the niusance factor. now midges and mosquitos thats another thing. regards tn

[Monkey Orchid]

I'd agree that wasps are gardeners' allies, on the whole. As aforementioned, wasps predate several garden pests including aphids, caterpillars and grubs.

Agreed, they can be an irritation when their late summer/early autumn sugar cravings lead to possible nibbling damage on fruit crops, or homing in on our picnics... But this is part of the wasps' natural life cycle, and we can hardly justify their elimination on the basis that they are attempting to compete with us for a tiny share of sugar-rich foods which many of us are fond of. They also pollinate certain types of wildflowers, such as Figwort.

This summer is a particularly 'waspy' one by all accounts, with high numbers of somewhat feisty wasps appearing in our gardens. Some say this is partly because of the severe winter we had (causing high overwintering queen wasp mortality, resulting in fewer new wasp nests in the spring thus enabling each nest to thrive and become bigger because of less competition), and partly due to the hot early summer conditions (enabling nests to grow rapidly in size). I've seen them recently feeding in good numbers on fallen ripe fruit from plum trees growing wild along the A4 - in places the pavement is literally carpeted with squashed plums.) I often work outdoors (in a market garden, and conservation volunteering) and I've had a few occasions this summer when I've had more wasps around me than I'm comfortable with... But I try to remind myself that they have every right to pursue their existence alongside me.

I've been stung on several occasions (usually because I've accidentally trodden on a wasp or trapped one inside my shirt), but it usually clears up fairly quickly. We're pretty lucky in the UK to have very few 'venomous' animal species, and the ones we do have get such a bad press and draw so much persecution it's remarkable that they survive. For those unfortunate few who are acutely allergic, wasp and bee stings pose a real risk which they must manage with epipens and avoidance... But for the majority of us, there is no reason why we can't share a modicum of our space with them. They were here before we were, after all!

[Toby]

too photogenic to lose as my avatar hopefully demonstrates. I've been stung twice in the last 25years and i'm always poking lenses at them. Red ants get me far more often!

[Gill Catton]

I agree, wasps have an important place in the ecosystem.

I was watching the one show the other day and their beardy invertebrate specialist was on to talk about wasps and was asked 'what is the point of a wasp?'(something I have been asked myself more than once) and here he had the perfect opportunity to educate the nation as to why they are useful/ important and all he said was ' the point of a wasp is to make more wasps' which although is ultimately true he missed such a valuable opportunity to get a few more people on the side of the wasp!! I was hopping mad (well at least bouncing about on the sofa mad) for a good while after that!

[jezlee]

I often put apples out on the lawn for the birds, but they have recently been taken over by wasps (see photo below). Every time I go out, the half apples are full of wasps, gorging themselves on the fruit. Sometimes there are a couple who have overdone it on the fermenting flesh, and are sprawled out on the grass nearby, semi-comatose ... I know the feeling!!

I sometimes kneel down by them, watching them feed - they just get on with what they are doing and as long as I don't make any threatening moves close by them, they seem totally oblivious to me. Years ago, I have to admit I was like so many people, I would get paranoid every time a wasp came near me. "It's going to sting me!" was screaming in my head "kill it before it stings me!!". But age and experience have taught me that, left to their own devices and as long you don't make any threatening moves towards them (like trying to swat them!) they are non-threatening, just trying to get on with lives like you and I.

I still can't say I love 'em, but I certainly tolerate them around me quite happily now.



I just found this article online as well - worth a read ...

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...s-1311568.html